Water Resources Bill: FG Won’t Take over Benue Land, Ortom Insists

The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has described as evil the re-introduction of the controversial Water Resources Bill at the National Assembly

The Water Resources Bill was last week reintroduced to the House of Representatives by the Chairman of House Committee on Water Resources, Sada Soli.

Ortom who spoke at the unveiling of the distribution of seedlings in Makurdi, decried the agenda of the federal government to seize land from the 36 states of the federation. He reiterated that Benue would not surrender its land in whatever guise to the federal government.

“Let me say emphatically that there will be no Water Resources Bill in Benue State; we will resist it, if other states encourage it, here in Benue we will not accept it.

“The other time they brought water resources bill we said no, now they are bringing the evil bill again, it is evil plan to take over waterways.

“Land use Act is clear about this that land belongs to people and it is entrusted to the state governor and I promise that no one will come to Benue to seize our land,” he said.

The bill was introduced in the 8th Assembly and many Nigerians opposed it over concern that it was a ploy by the federal government to grab land from some state government.