From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Minister of Water Resource, Sulieman Adamu has called on Nigerians to carefully look at the letters of the proposed bill before the National Assembly, adding that those against it are unpatriotic.
Adamu made the call at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday to clarify certain misconceptions about the bill.
He explained that the bill was designed to address the water needs of the country both present and future as against the deliberate falsehood presented by persons who have not acquainted themselves with the bill.
The Minister further added that the bill was a collapse of about five Acts in the sector to a whole package for integrated water use.
“The bill further reduces the power of the minister and delegates them to the various commissions to manage national water resources,” Suleiman said.
He regretted that some segment of the society made the bill a political issue deliberately to mislead Nigerians.
He lamented the irony in some people fighting efforts of the government when there are obvious crises and complaints against water service and delivery.
The Minister reteriatrated that there is nothing new in the bill, but just amalgamation of the fragments of the water resource.
He explained the poor water service delivery in the state and International communities are interested in investing in water resources but there is no legal framework to work with.
He disclosed that the bill was initiated by his predecessor and was only fine-tuned in line with international best practices.
“There is no where in the bill that the federal government would take over land from any community, not even an inch of land has been paddled by some group.
“These people want to continue to lie to the people. Some are doing this because they don’t want to pay for the relevant usage of the water. Others are ignorant, while some oppose any policy of the government,he said.