World Water Day: Expert advises Tinubu to set up committee

A development expert and founder, Global Initiative for Nigeria Development (GlND), Micheal Ale, has urged President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to take proactive measures to forestall impending hardship that would arise from energy price hike which would be induced by the closure of Iranian water ways, Strait of Hormuz, that conveys 20 percent of global energy needs on a daily basis.

The escalation of the US-lsrael versus Iran war had led to a sudden closure of the Strait of Hormuz by the Iranian authorities. The ugly development already poses a serious threat to energy availability globally leading to a snowballing price of fuel and other energy sources globally.

Nigeria was recently hit as petrol hiked terribly to over N1000. Raising the alarm that energy price hike would worsen in the days to come, Ale advised that President Tinubu should urgently work with the NASS members and constitute a Committee of experts and technocrats to address the impending crisis.

He made the call on the occasion of the celebration of the World Water Day, in a statement from the United States of America (USA) where he had gone to attend the 2026 Smart Water Policies Fly-In Conference in Washington DC, as a resourceful member of the global organisation, National Ground Water Association (NIGWA), through his firm, Male Integrated Science Nigeria Limited.

He advised that only an urgent Committee of technocrats and smart minds could save the nation, especially the women and children from crisis imminent from the energy price hike resulting from the closure of the Iranian water ways, Strait of Hormuz.

The statement read in part: “As we celebrate the World Water Day, we immediately notice that the world is currently an almost unprecedented hardship forced on us by the ongoing US-lsrael versus Iran war. Iranian authorities have begun fighting back after the killing of their leaders. They recently closed their waterways, the Strait of Hormuz and this is bringing a serious price hike on energy to the global community as the passage allows the transport of about 20 percent of the world’s energy. In the coming days, Nigeria, though not affected directly by the clashes in the ongoing war, would witness hasher economic woes resulting from worsening hikes in energy prices. We cannot afford to let things get out of hand. This is why we urgently advise that President Tinubu and the National Assembly should constitute a high powered stakeholders’ committee, composed mainly of experts and technocrats, to urgently work out modalities to cushion the effect of the inevitable impending hardship.

Because Iran had shut the passage of ships along the Strait of Hormuz waterways which allows global oil ship passage representing 20 percent of the global oil, price of global oil had risen to $120 per barrel from the usual $78 per barrel and the situation has not abated, it could rise to $250 per barrel from the current escalation. What this portends for our country economically is that our women’s livelihood in general will be affected.

Nigeria produces crude oil and of recent, Dangote refined oil. We would sell crude oil at higher price and make more gains which brings economic prosperity to the nation, however, the cost of the end products from the oil sales had increased from the usual N930 to N1,300 for PMS and N980 to N1,700 for AGO. This unhealthy development could escalate in the days coming due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as the war rages, especially if threats and other counter accusations on-going between the war parties fail to abate.

“With the current escalation and the fact that Iran controls the waterways on the Strait of Hormuz, the situation would worsen and make life difficult for all, particularly the women and children. There surely will be an economic crisis.

“Prices of food would soon be affected if the current hike worsens. Our women would find it difficult to go to farm and children won’t have energy to pump water and their produce cannot get to the market because of the increase in energy cost. This is a precarious situation.

“While we sympathise with those that are directly affected by the destruction, following the war in the Middle East, especially the women and children, my sympathy also goes to the women and children in Africa that are not resilient enough to witness this impending war outcome.

“Although Nigeria is not currently affected directly, the consequences of the war indirectly affects our women, children and the vulnerable, who have been worst hit with the hike in fuel price causing high cost of transportation.

“I, therefore, appeal to Mr. President and members of the National Assembly to constitute a high powered committee of concerned stakeholders that will look into the possibility of creating a cushioning effect of the US-Israel Versus Iran war that has now taken a dangerous dimension of war on water as indicated by the closure of the major Iranian water ways, Strait of Hormuz. This is really affecting us in Nigeria and Africa at large.

“We urgently need the Federal Government and the National Assembly’s intervention. May God help Nigeria,” he said.