Environment
Water Bill: Nigeria won’t be Deterred by Distractors- FG
The Federal Ministry of Water Resources on Tuesday, said it will not be deterred by activities of detractors sponsoring false narratives against the passage of the National Water Resources Bill.
The Minister, Mr Suleiman Adamu at a news conference in Abuja, said it was saddening that recent agitation against the bill would not do the country any good.
The bill which triggered controversy in the National Assembly between 2017 and 2020 has now been re-presented for consideration.
The bill had sparked outrage as many Nigerians interpreted the proposed law as a plot to grab the waterways and hand same to Fulani pastoralists.
Adamu said the bill being re-presented to the National Assembly had been reviewed by water resources experts and had all grey areas addressed.
He said that innovations in the reviewed bill included; institutionalisation of an independent regulatory body to help reposition the water sector to aid cost recovery and improve the irrigation sector.
“As far as we are concerned, our reforms in the water resources sector is to reposition it to where it is supposed to be, and that is our target.
“We are not mindful of the antics of the antagonism against this bill, but we remain committed and focused, while keeping our eyes on the ball to ensure that we do all that is necessary for the benefit of Nigerians.
“We will not be deterred, we will continue to remain focused and I have to say at the end of the day, it is not the color of the article or the false narratives in the media.
“The sponsored articles against this bill will not determine the decision of the National Assembly,’’ the minister said.
Adamu noted that the legislature were knowledgeable enough to discern what was best for the nation, saying, “they are our representatives and I am confident that they will represent us very well”.
He described as crucial for Nigeria and Nigerians to educate themselves on the overall benefits of the bill, saying that meeting the sustainable development goals on water and sanitation was tied to it.
The minister said no city in the country enjoyed uninterrupted pipe borne water, adding that subscribing to sustainable development goals on adequate water supply and sanitation by 2030 meant prioritising access.
He said Nigeria must seek alternative sources of funding to water resources sector, saying reliance on development partners was not sustainable.
“How are we going to do that? If we continue to rely simply on budgetary allocation, it is never going to happen. So we have to think outside the box,’’ Adamu said.
Mr Benson Ajisegiri, a water resources consultant, said the passage of the bill was an opportunity for rapid acceleration to pool funds towards meeting the sustainable development goals.
Ajisegiri noted that the media had a huge role to disseminate accurate information to the citizens, adding that this would curb the misinformation going around.
Mrs Tanwa Koya, a water resources expert, said legal framework of the national water resources bill was not different from the country’s constitutional provisions. (NAN)
Environment
Prolonged Public Holidays Come with Negative Economic Effects on Citizens – Anambra Residents
Anambra residents have slammed the additional day approved by the Federal Government for the Muslim faithful to celebrate the 2024 Eid-Ei-Fitr, saying this will have negative effects on the economy.
The Federal government had early declared April 9 and 10 as Muslim-Ummah for the successful completion of a month’s spiritual rejuvenation.
Reports says that residents of Anambra capital city believe that the additional day which they did not plan for will result in economic hardship to the citizenry.
Most respondents believe that people had planned to resume their economic activities instead of wasting their time staying at home doing nothing..
Former Chairman, Awka Chamber of Commerce, Chief Felly Akosa, described the additional day to the two days approved earlier as “unfair to the economy of the country as people were unprepared for the additional day.
Akosa said that although it is right for the Muslim faithful to celebrate their holiday after a month-long fasting, the process needs to be carefully planned for in place of the additional rest day which could inhibit business activities.
Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, National Vice President of Igbo Apex Social Cultural body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said the policy would cause huge economic waste as businesses are put on hold,
He advised that, in future, a proper and well planned programme needs to be in place before declaring a public holiday for any celebration that will be national.
“Our economy and other sectors are not very healthy,” and it would, therefore be appropriate to plan well to avoid declarations that will hamper the citizens’ welfare.
Mazi Christian Beluchukwu, a business man in Awka, described the extension of the Eid-El-Fitr public holiday to Thursday, April 11, as an added hardship for the citizenry.
Beluchukwu said that any public holiday for three days, April 9 to 11, to celebrate any feast in the country is an economic loss to the nation.
He said that it was best to stick to the two-day national public holidays as this gives room for the people to plan their activities very well.
He stated that his wife went to a public hospital on Tuesday and was unattended to because there was no doctor on seat to provide medical attention.
“She resorted to visiting a private hospital which cost extra money which the public hospital is expected to handle at a reasonable cost. (NAN)
The Jos Water Services Corporation (JWSC) has said that the World Bank fund received would be used to boost water supply to Bukuru and environs in Jos South Local Government Area.
Mr Apollos Samchi, the Managing Director of the corporation, said that N1.7 billion would be expended on the rehabilitation of water treatment plant, over head steel tank and laying of pipes to homes of consumers.
Samchi, who disclosed this on Friday in Jos, during a two-day capacity building workshop, said that the projects were expected to be completed in four months.
Reports says that the workshop organised for contractors has at its theme: “Implementation of Environmental and Social Management Plans for Projects in Jos South.
The MD said that the projects would ensure steady provision of potable water to residents in Gyel and Kurgiya in Jos South Local Government Area.
He said the treatment plant when rehabilitated would pump out 5,000 cubic litres of water daily.
The MD further stated that the reticulation exercise would cover residents who weren’t initially connected to public water supply in the area.
Samchi said that the essence of the workshop was to ensure that the contractors were trained to develop adequate measures and controls to minimise and mitigate potential environmental and social risks that could adversely affect the project implementation.
He called on all the contractors handling the projects to ensure that they adhered to the environmental and safety standards and deliver within the specified timeframe.
In his remarks, Mr Jonathan Malann, the Plateau Project Coordinator, Sustainable Urban, Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene programme (SURWASH), also advised contractors to adhere to the environmental and safety standards as provided by the World Bank.
The Federal Government had received $700m financing from the World Bank to ensure that all its people have access to sustainable and safely managed WASH services.
The seven participating states are Plateau, Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Katsina, and Kaduna.(NAN)
The Gombe State Executive Council (SEC) has approved payment of N389 million as compensation for residents that would be affected by the gully erosion control project at Federal College of Education (FCE) Technical and its surrounding communities.
The Commissioner for Finance, Gombe State, Malam Mohammed Magaji, stated this at the end of the SEC meeting on Friday in Gombe.
Magaji said the payment, which would commence immediately, would be for individuals and organisations along the gully erosion site.
He said almost 1000 persons were expected to benefit from the gesture.
According to him, the compensation is part of the requirements of the World Bank, which specifies that such payments be made to property owners.
Magaji said the payment would also be made to ensure seamless resettlement of affected persons.
“The beneficiaries are in hundreds, almost a 1,000 people; there is compensation for houses, and also for business premises.
“There is also stipends for the elderly living around that area so that they are able to have good livelihood,” he said.
The commissioner for Education, Hajiya Aishatu Maigari, also said the SEC approved upgrade of the five mega senior secondary schools in the state to sustain improvement in the education sector.
Maigari said the upgrade would be carried out based on the needs of each of the schools.
She stated that infrastructure in some of the schools were already being upgraded to global standards.
“We have seen construction of toilets, installation of solar-powered light, construction of roads, school clinics, boreholes and many more,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state government had on Nov. 23 signed a N12 billion contract with Triacta Nigeria Ltd. for a 21-kilometre gully erosion control work in six communities within Gombe metropolis.
The project is under ACRESAL project, a World Bank-assisted project to address the challenges of land degradation and climate change in northern Nigeria. (NAN)
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