Folalumi Alaran in Abuja
The Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu, has said that the Water Resources Bill currently before the National Assembly (NASS) is intended to boost the national economy and not to take away authority from Nigerians.
Adamu also said that contrary to the willful misrepresentation made by those who are unfamiliar with the measure, the bill was created to handle both the country’s present and future water needs.
He made these remarks yesterday during a media chat in Abuja where he expressed his dissatisfaction that some members of the public had deliberately turned the law into a political issue in an effort to mislead Nigerians.
He explained that the bill was a collapse of about five laws in the sector to a whole package for integrated water use.
He said: “There is nowhere in the bill that the federal government would take over land from any community, not even an inch of land as paddled by some group.
“The bill further reduces the power of the minister and delegates them to the various commissions to manage national water resources.
“These people want to continue to lie to the people. Some are doing things because they want to pay for the relevant usage of the water. Others are ignorant, while some oppose any policy of the government.”.
