… Says 96% already in existence
By Kayode Falade and Fatima Saka
Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, has blamed the deliberate misinformation of Nigerians by some people as being responsible for the non-passage of the National Water Resources Bill before the National Assembly.
This is as he said 96 per cent of the bill is already in existence.
The minister said this at an interactive session with reporters in Abuja on Monday at the 2023 valedictory media forum organised by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources alongside the retirement of the Director Press, Mrs. Kenechukwu Offie, from the Federal Civil Service.
Adamu bewailed the fact that many people who opposed the passage of the bill into law had not read its content.
He said the bill was crafted for the interest of Nigerians as well as the development of integrated water resources in the country.
Fielding questions from reporters on whether or not he had any regrets for the non-passage of the Water Resources Bill before the outgoing 9th National Assembly, Adamu said: “I have no regrets. We did what we did in the best interest of the nation.
“People just politicised it. As far as I know, the story is not finished yet; it is left for the National Assembly to decide what to do with it.
“We have done all we needed to do as executives. But the good news is that 96% of the bill is already existing.
“I have no regrets. We have the best of intentions and someday, we will get there.
“Politicians who opposed it, you have seen where some of them have ended after the elections.
“The Bill does not have anything to do with President Muhammadu Buhari. They are hitting themselves, not Buhari.
“We were aggressive about it because we take our job seriously. In everything we do, we don’t take it lightly.
“It was not because we wanted to offend or short-change people. We are doing it because we have the responsibility to improve the water resources from where we met it.”
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Adamu, while expressing appreciation to President Buhari for the achievements recorded in the water sector, pointed out that many abandoned water projects had been completed by the outgoing administration through his ministry.
He recalled that the current administration inherited about 116 abandoned water projects out of which some had now been completed.
Adamu, therefore, advised the incoming minister to stick to the implementation of the Water Resources Roadmap, adding that priority attention should be given to the completion of projects already started.
He noted that a lot of investments had been made in these projects, adding that it would amount to a waste of resources if they were not completed.
He further stated that reliance on the Federal Government budget alone would not solve the problems in the water sector, explaining that the sector required huge investments from the private sector.
The minister also underscored the need for all tiers of government to synergize and work together in the implementation of water policies across the country.
He identified paucity of funds, bureaucracy, the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of proper information on the role of his ministry as some of the challenges he grappled with in the last eight years as the Minister of Water Resources.
“The Federal Ministry of Water Resources (FMWR) is not responsible for providing water in your taps.
“It is not responsible for making Nigeria open defecation free, not responsible for your sanitation. These are the responsibilities of States and Local Government Areas. That is why the FMWR does not have a Water Board. We are supposed to be enablers and create awareness about these programmes.
“One of the greatest challenges we have had is cascading these policies down to states and local government areas and communities, where people can appreciate and take ownership of them,” he explained.
The minister further congratulated the director on 60th birthday and wished her a very happy retirement, “from the bottom of my heart, for all the support that you have given.”
He also, applauded the correspondents for their support in projecting the ministry.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Kenechukwu Offie, director of press of the ministry, who was commencing her retirement, said leadership is about vision, passion, commitment and integrity by transforming it into reality.
She also honoured the minister with a book presentation, titled, “Milestone by Engr. Suleiman H Adamu”.
