Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco on Monday, June 11, 2018 signed three agreements, which included a regional gas pipeline that will see Nigeria providing gas to countries in the West African sub-region that extend to Morocco and Europe.
Nigerian and Moroccan officials signing the agreements
This information is contained in a statement by Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Monday, June 11, 2018.
The presidential aide revealed that the signing of the agreements was witnessed by President Muhammadu Buhari and the King of Morocco, His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
He said that the agreements was a result of a meeting between the two African leaders focused on strengthening economic relations in gas resource development, global investments and agricultural training and management.
Shehu explained that feasibility study of the agreement on the pipeline would be concluded by July 2018, while construction of the pipeline would be phased based on needs of countries over the next 25 years.
He added that the gas resource development agreement was signed by the Group General Manager, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr Farouq Garba, and Mrs Amina Benkhadra, Director General of the National Office of Hydrocarbon and Mines.
The 5,660 km long Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) will reduce gas flaring in Nigeria, encourage diversification of energy resources and cut down poverty through the creation of more job opportunities.
The NMGP will further encourage utilisation of gas in the sub-region for cooking, and discourage desertification.
Shehu also said that the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of a chemical plant in Nigeria for producing ammonia and its derivatives.
The agreement was signed by the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Sovereign Wealth Authority, Mr Uche Orji and the Chief Executive Officer of the Office of the Management of Phosphate in Morocco, Mr Mostafa Terrab.
Similarly, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh and his Moroccan counterpart, Mr Aziz Akhannouch, signed a cooperation agreement on vocational training and technical supervision of agricultural workers.
The agreement is expected to enhance local skills on better management of agricultural outfits in Nigeria.
The statement maintained that President Buhari, who was received by a large crowd from the airport to the Rabat Royal Palace, assured King of Morocco of Nigeria’s full commitment to the actualisation of all the agreements.
Hunger and population outgrowing food supply have been an age-long issue. The English scholar and cleric, Thomas Malthus, raised the issue in 1798, in his now famous Malthusian Theory of Population.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh
The cleric espoused his theory in his writings, “An Essay on the Principle of Population’’.
The Malthusian Theory of Population is a theory of exponential population growth and arithmetic food supply growth.
Malthus argued that because there will be higher population than the availability of food, many people will die from the shortage of food.
He theorised that this correction will take place in the form of Positive Checks (or Natural Checks) and Preventative Checks.
These checks would lead to the Malthusian catastrophe, which would bring the population level back to a ‘sustainable level’.
Mankind has not allowed the Malthusian catastrophe to occur, but has continued to strive to apply scientific methods to boost agricultural production.
In spite of advances in the sciences; food insecurity remains a global problem.
However, experts say that if mankind embraces biotechnology, hunger would be conquered and there would be no fear of the Malthusian catastrophe as agriculture based on biotechnology is sustainable.
They also say that biotechnology has lower environmental impact than traditional agriculture due to the reduction of carbon emissions through direct seeding.
Also, genetically modified crops help poorer farmers because with more resistant seeds, they have better harvests and sell their product better.
They also say that farmers need less input to take care of their crops, while most genetically modified foods are grown with fewer pesticides.
They also say that by creating more pest-resistant plants, the need to use pesticides to protect crops is reduced.
The productivity in genetically modified crops is estimated at between 7 per cent and 20 per cent higher than in traditional agriculture, and 33 per cent higher than organic crops.
On the advantages of biotechnology, former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said: “Biotechnology allows farmers to grow more food on less land using farming practices that are environmentally sustainable.
“Through biotechnology, seeds yield more per hectare, plants naturally resist specific insect pests and diseases and farming techniques improve soil conservation.
“Farmers and ranchers can help plants and animals fight diseases and adapt to environmental stress and climate change.
“We can enhance the nutritional content of foods and improve human health through plant- and animal-produced therapies.
“The benefits of biotechnology are especially meaningful at a time when our global population is growing and our demand for food is increasing, especially in developing countries.’’
The Federal Government aware of the importance of biotechnology in national development, in April 2001, approved the establishment of National Biotechnology Policy.
The policy led to the establishment of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) in November 2001.
NABDA has the mandate: “To make biotechnology an engine of growth for socio-economic development of Nigeria.
“To promote biotechnology activities that positively respond to national aspirations on food security, job/wealth creation, affordable healthcare delivery and sustainable environment, among others.
NABDA has lived up to its mandate, and the overseeing Director General of the Agency, Mr Oguntunde Abayomi, has sustained and boosted the tempo.
At a South-West Sensitisation programme of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), held in Abeokuta recently, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, stressed the need to embrace innovative advances such as biotechnology in agriculture.
The former president said if properly developed, biotechnology would bring an end to hunger across the globe.
Obasanjo said that something urgent needed to be done to boost agricultural yields, as the world’s population was expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050.
He noted that biotechnology had the potential to increase agricultural productivity, move agriculture away from dependence on chemical inputs and help to reduce environmental problems.
Obasanjo said that biotechnology was taking mankind beyond the depths of understanding of chemical and physical possibilities.
He stressed that agriculture occupied a strategic position in global efforts to address issues of hunger and diseases.
“Deliberate efforts should be made on the part of government to encourage scientific incursion into agriculture via policy measures specifically designed to encourage research and development and the adoption of new technologies.
“I’m excited that OFAB has presented a formidable platform for dialogue on the transformation of agriculture through quality information dissemination on agricultural biotechnology in Africa,’’ he added.
Abayomi said that the event was timely as Nigeria and other African countries were adopting improved agricultural technologies for food security.
At a roundtable on biotechnology organised recently by NABDA, speakers stressed the need to embrace biotechnology in order to achieve food sufficiency.
They said that the country risked full blown famine if it continued to rely on traditional agriculture
One of the speakers, Prof. Akinola Hassan, explained that “people are talking about organic agriculture; biotechnology is not confronting organic agriculture, both of them go hand in hand.
“What we are having is ignorance; that’s where education comes in.”
Hassan, a professor of Genetics at Uthman Danfodio University, Sokoto, described the campaign against genetically modified organisms (foods) as mere propaganda.
“GMOs don’t kill, they are not dangerous to health; the Federal Government is talking about green alternatives.
“They are saying that they want foods to be produced in safe manner; and that can be achieved through the use of GMO.”
Luckily some political leaders are already pushing for the application of biotechnology in the development of improved seedlings in order to boost agricultural yields.
One of them Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra State, spoke recently in Abuja at the official launch of the Agriculture Promotion Policy 2016-2020, by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Obiano, represented by his deputy, Dr Nkem Okeke, said scientific applications would make agriculture more interesting for farmers.
The governor said: “We need seedlings that will give better yields.
“Anambra is the smallest state in Nigeria in terms of landmass and it is even getting smaller because of erosion that is destroying our land.
“We need to have seedlings that will give better yields so that instead of 1,000 tonnes of rice per hectare; you may have it yield 4,000 to 5,000 tonnes of rice per hectare.”
Obiano’s position was in line with the advice of Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).
According to FAO, “Feeding a world population of 9.1billion in 2050 will require raising overall food production by 70 per cent (nearly 100 per cent in developing countries).’’
The Federal Government, by adopting the National Biotechnology Policy has acknowledged its importance in the fight against hunger and poverty.
NABDA, the body charged with the task of developing the sector, should be given all the encouragement to enable it to deliver on its mandate.
Happily, Oguntunde, the Overseeing Director-General since Jan.8, 2018, pending the appointment of a substantive director- general, has brought transformation to the Agency.
Before he assumed office at NABDA, he was the Director, Bioresources in the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, and supervising Director of NABDA.
Besides staff training, he renovated the medical biotechnology laboratory, green houses and agricultural biotechnology laboratories and constructed additional fish ponds.
His speech during the March for Science in Abuja, on April 14, was indicative that with the needed support, NABDA would play vital roles in advancing agricultural biotechnology to boost food security.
Quoting the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnay Onu, Abayomi said:
“With a strong and diversified economy driven by science, technology and innovation, our citizens will be happy and proud to remain at home to pursue their happiness and contribute meaningfully to economic development.”
Experts and stakeholders say that approval of the National Biotechnology Policy showed the commitment of the Federal Government to boost food security through science and innovation.
They stressed the need to sufficiently fund NABDA to enable the Agency deliver on its mandate.
Tobacco harm reduction products are facing opposition from many quarters in Africa, despite sufficient and mounting evidence that they are far safer alternative to smoking combustible cigarettes. Being a developing continent with a struggling public healthcare system and massive tobacco health burden of over half a million tobacco-related deaths every year, Africa could do well to adopt preventive measures in the form of tobacco harm reduction.
According to scientists, tobacco smoking is dangerous to health
However, a deadly combination of misinformation and vested interests is pulling countries in Africa towards prohibition. Several African countries have banned electronic cigarettes under state laws, while the more African governments have publicly declared their intention to follow suit with national bans.
While it is a fact that smoking declines where harm reduction products are made legal, African governments are banning tobacco harm products while cigarettes remain legal. This is a worrying trend for a region where smoking rates are on the increase. In sub-Saharan Africa, consumption increased by 52% between 1980 and 2016, or 164 billion cigarettes to 250 billion. Lesotho has seen a significant spike in smoking from 15% of its population in 2004 to 54% in 2015.
Low- and middle-income countries represent over 80% of tobacco users and tobacco-related deaths, according to the American Cancer Society and vital strategies. While governments have made appreciable efforts to discourage smokers through taxation and tobacco control measures, the impact has been inadequate for the approximately 80Million Smokers in Africa.
Bottom line is we have conclusive scientific evidence that smoking kills, yet cigarettes are not banned! Harm reduction products like e-cigarettes have been banned in Mauritania for example, a country where, every year, more than 900 of its people are killed by tobacco-caused disease. Still, more than 5,000 children (10-14 years old) and 24,4000 adults (15+ years old) continue to use tobacco each day. Complacency in the face of the tobacco epidemic insulates the tobacco industry in Mauritania and ensures that tobacco’s death toll will grow every year.
Since e-cigarettes are a safer alternative, African government should make informed decisions when it comes to these harm reduction products. They should regulate, not ban! Because there is no combustion, using these devices (“vaping”) is intrinsically less dangerous than cigarettes — 95 percent less harmful, according to Public Health England — and they can help adults to quit smoking.
England’s Royal College of Physicians urged doctors last year to “promote the use of e-cigarettes, NRT [nicotine replacement therapy] and other non-tobacco nicotine products as widely as possible as a substitute for smoking in the UK,” because they provide “nicotine without the smoke.” And Professor Michael Russell, whose research was the foundation for the 1988 U.S. Surgeon General’s report on nicotine addiction, said simply: “People smoke for nicotine but they die from the tar.”
In order for us to witness a significant decline in smoking rates in Africa, as witnessed in many European countries, harm reduction products should not be banned by the Governments, but rather regulated.
As nations commit to healthy, thriving oceans and seas free from plastic pollution, Nigeria on Friday, June 8, 2018 joined the Clean Seas campaign. An initiative of the UN Environment, Clean Seas is considered the largest global compact for combatting marine litter, with commitments from 51 nations covering 62% of the world’s coastlines.
Executive Director of the UN Environment, Erik Solheim, with Environment Minister of State, Mallam Ibrahim Usman Jibril, as Nigeria officially joins the Clean Seas campaign
Visiting Executive Director of the UN Environment, Erik Solheim, met on the World Ocean Day in Abuja with Environment Minister of State, Mallam Ibrahim Usman Jibril, wherein the scope of Nigeria’s collaboration with Clean Seas was discussed.
“There is now more momentum than ever before to beat plastic pollution and protect the oceans that we all share from the tide of disposable plastic,” Solheim said. “Seeing so many countries rise to the occasion by joining the Clean Seas campaign means we are all moving towards healthier oceans that are free from pollution and full of life.”
Nigeria is currently in the UN’s list of top-10 of biggest plastic polluters, even as 26 major plastic waste recycling plants will be opened as part of the country’s commitment to the campaign.
Jibril said: “Nigeria is developing a national plastic waste recycling programme, as well as establishing plastic waste recycling plants across the country in partnership with state governments. At present, a total of eight plants have been completed and handed over to the states while 18 others are at various stages of completion. The Federal Government is also collaborating with state governments to establish plastic waste recycling plants under the community-based waste management programme in the ministry.
“Two plants have been completed in Ilorin, Kwara State, one in Lokoja, Kogi State, while work on another is ongoing in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. The plants are located at Bola Jari in Gombe State and Leda Jari in Kano State. The establishment of the plants would assist to turn waste to wealth and ensure the sustainability of the environment.”
Now fewer than eight new countries had joined the Clean Seas Campaign in the past week.
India – which joined the campaign on June 5, the World Environment Day – made a bold commitment to address plastic pollution upstream by banning all single-use plastics by 2022. The country further pledged to address the problem downstream, with its full coastal audit, developed in partnership with the Clean Seas campaign.
Other countries who pledged this week to step up their protection of the ocean and their coastlines include Argentina, Cote d’Ivoire, United Arab Emirates, Honduras, Guyana and Vanuatu.
In Abuja, Solheim during the visit disclosed that the UN Environment would support Nigeria’s waste management initiatives aimed at reducing, reusing and recycling plastics in the country.
He expressed happiness over the way the private sector in the waste management sector organised itself to provide technical solutions for effective collection and recycling of bottles in the country.
The director said that beverages companies should devise ways to ensure that consumers return the used bottles to prevent littering the environment.
He also urged the Federal Government to fast-track the clean-up of oil spill in Ogoni land.
Solheim, who recalled that the UNEP report on Ogoni clean-up was launched by former President Olusegun Obasanjo led administration, noted that people were interested to see physical development in the land.
He added that $1 billion counterpart fund set aside by the UN would have addressed the clean-up project if Nigeria showed the commitment by contributing its own fund.
Earlier, Jibril said that the Federal Government, oil companies and other relevant stakeholders in the oil sector had opened explorer account for the Ogoni clean-up project.
He said that, by this week, money would begin to go into the account, adding that out of 400 contractors that bided for the project, 150 were pre-qualified.
The minister said that every section of the country had its own environmental challenges, and that the government, in partnership with relevant stakeholders, was addressing the problems in all the six geopolitical zones of the country.
After Nigeria, Solheim would be visiting Benin, Togo, Ghana and Sierra Leone in the bid to explore how the UN body can strengthen cooperation with these countries.
A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Environment Watch Initiative (EWI), has taken the Beat Plastic Pollution campaign to Lagos markets.
A Lagos market
The campaigners organised a rally on Saturday, June 9, 2018 at the popular Iyana-Iba Market to educate traders on the dangers of indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste.
The 2018 World Environment Day celebrated on Tuesday, June 5 had the theme: “Beat Plastic Pollution”. In line with World Environment Day, the theme of the World Oceans Day (celebrated on Friday, June 8) centres around preventing plastic pollution – eight million tonnes of which ends up in the world’s ocean’s every year.
Convener of the Lagos rally and Director of EWI, Dr Cyril Amadi, said: “The earlier people come to terms with the inherent dangers of plastic pollution, the better for the society.
“We are talking of a sustainable environment; this campaign did not come out of wishful thinking; the problem is staring us all on the face.
“It is, therefore, pertinent for the government to create a means of recycling plastics.”
Amadi also called for attitudinal change by the state residents toward plastic waste disposal.
He hoped that EWI would soon take the rally to more markets in the state for greater impact.
An environmentalist, Mr Peter Obot, said at the rally that the world was contending with the menace posed by unwholesome disposal of plastic waste.
According to him, a tonne of plastic can cause a huge social problem.
”Since it seems we cannot do without plastic, we should endeavour to dispose of them properly.
“Its health hazard to human being especially when it is used to block drains causes monumental epidemics to the society.
“It also causes flooding that result in building collapse, disruption of farms and the ecosystem,” Obot said.
According to a report by FTSE Russell, a key provider of stock market indices and associated data, the green economy is now worth as much as the fossil fuel sector and offers more significant and safe investment opportunities, pointing towards even more significant growth in the future.
Green economy
The green economy is defined as an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment.
The green economy is also characterised by being efficient, clean, circular, collaborative and low carbon. It is thus said to be central to achieving the key objective of the Paris Agreement on climate action.
Presently, the green economy is worth as much as the fossil fuel sector with 6% of the global stock market, roughly $4 trillion, coming from the clean energy, energy efficiency, water, waste and pollution services.
If the sustainable economy maintains its current course, it could represent as much as 10% of the global market value by 2030, assuming around $90 trillion in green investment have been made by then.
FTSE Russel found that, over the last five years, green companies generated higher returns than the broader stock market. The report finds large investment opportunity, backed by global efforts to combat climate change and broader environmental challenges.
“Climate change is the death of progress and prosperity. Doing nothing about it is simply a bad investment in the future,” said UN Climate Chief, Patricia Espinosa, in a message to the World Manufacturing Convention in China earlier this year. “The shape of the new economy is clear: it’s clean, green and prosperous, and I encourage all of you to get on board,” she added.
The FTSE Russel report finds the green economy has spread across companies of various size, nature, and geographical range in contrast to fossil fuels which has shrunk. Still, more work is required to keep the global economy on track to meet the Paris agreement goals.
The report analyses a broad range of products and services from different sectors. Findings were based on the impact of these factors on climate change mitigation and adaptation, water, resource use, pollution, and agricultural efficiency.
In terms of diversification, large companies lead the way by representing roughly two-thirds of the total green market value. Similarly, small and medium sized firms now represent a larger number of green companies.
The energy industry, a very diverse segment ranging from building insulation to cloud technology, makes up more than half of the green economy with food, agriculture, water and transport being other important sectors.
Specifically, the build-up of cloud infrastructure technology is a focus for industry leaders such as Microsoft and Amazon. According to a recent Accenture report, companies can reduce carbon emissions by up to 90% by switching to cloud computing technology.
Alternative energy also plays a significant role in with rapidly growing and diversifying solar and more established technologies, such as large hydroelectric. Resources such as lithium for batteries, lightweight materials, organic foods or seeds developed to boost agricultural yields are also a key area of the green economy.
Moreover, the study found approximately 3,000 globally listed companies with exposure to the green economy. This number has risen by approximately 20% since 2009 and covers 30% of global, listed market value.
The largest companies in the green economy are a mix of both companies where the majority of their revenue is green, such as Tesla or Waste Management Inc, and large companies where a segment is green, such as Microsoft or Siemens.
The report allows investors to understand their interactions with the green economy while developing investment strategies by quantitatively measuring the world’s transition to sustainability.
Transformational decarbonisation is happening across the world in all sectors resulting from technological innovation, new and creative policies and political will at all levels.
The Global Climate Action Summit, which will take place from September 12-14, 2018 in California, is considered the next big opportunity for businesses to provide confidence to governments to “step up” ambition to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. The world expects a further strengthening of the green economy at the event.
The Nigeria Green Bonds Week held in Lagos and Abuja from Monday, June 4 to Thursday, June 7, 2018.
The event started with the Training Day with regulators in Abuja on Monday, on to the Roundtables discussing climate and investment, and was rounded up with Thursday’s formal launch of Green Bond Market Development in Lagos.
Minister of State for Environment, Mallam Ibrahim Usman JibriMinister of State for Environment, Mallam Ibrahim Usman Jibril, being presented the Leadership and Innovation in Capital Market Award on behalf of the Board of FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange by Mr. Bola Onadele Koko, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, FMDQ OTC Securities ExchangeDr. Evans Osano, Director, Capital Markets Development, Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) Africa; Mallam Ibrahim Usman Jibril, Minister of State for Environment; and Mr. Bola Onadele Koko, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange; and Ms. Justine Leigh-Bell, Director, Market Development, Climate Bonds InitiativeL-R: Senator Foster Ogola, Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Capital Markets; Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna, Group Deputy MD, Access Bank PLC; Dr. Evans Osano, Director, Capital Markets Development, Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) Africa; Ms. Laure Beaufils, British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria; Mallam Ibrahim Usman Jibril, Minister of State for Environment; Mr. Bola Onadele Koko, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange; Ms. Justine Leigh-Bell, Director of Market Development, Climate Bonds Initiative; Mr. Bolaji Balogun, Chairman, FMDQ Debt Capital Market Development Project 2020/25; Mr. Oladele Afolabi, Director, Portfolio Management, Debt Management Office Nigeria; and Mr. Akinyemi Ashade, Commissioner for Finance, Lagos State
The Shell Nigeria Gas leadership team recently paid a visit to the Nigeria Gas Processing and Transport Company (NGPTC) in Warri, Delta State, South-South Nigeria.
Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Gas, Ed Ubong (left); with the Managing Director, Nigeria Gas Processing; and Transport Company (NGPTC), Babatunde Bakare, during a recent visit to the NGPTC in Warri, Delta State, to discuss opportunities to further improve Nigeria’s domestic gas utilisation to industries and manufacturing clustersL-R: General Manager, Commercial, Nigeria Gas Processing and Transport Company (NGPTC), Justin Ezeala; Business Development Manager, Shell Nigeria Gas (SNG), James Makinde; Managing Director SNG, Ed Ubong; Managing Director NGPTC, Babatunde Bakare; Social Performance Discipline Adviser, SNG, Babatunde Olaleke; and General Manager, NGPTC, Nnamdi Nwachukwu, during a recent visit to the NGPTC in Warri, Delta State, to discuss opportunities to further improve Nigeria’s domestic gas utilisation to industries and manufacturing clusters
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that if the outbreak of cholera in parts of Adamawa State in Nigeria continues it may spread to other areas and across the border to Cameroon, and thus posing a major public health threat.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Photo credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images
The organisation on its Twitter Handle @WHONigeria on Saturday, June 9, 2019 said that a month into the outbreak, it had recorded 1,168 cases and 20 deaths in Mubi North and Mubi South Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that during its first report of cholera outbreak in the state in May the organisation said that it recorded 434 cases of the disease and 13 deaths as at May 26.
WHO, however, reassured that it was carrying out continuous disease surveillance activities in Mubi North and Mubi South LGAs and managing a cholera treatment centre in collaboration with state health authorities.
It said that it has also ensured the chlorination of commercial sources of water and was presently conducting house-to-house active case search to prevent any spread of the disease.
WHO assured that it was leaving “no stone unturned” to ensure that the outbreak does not spread beyond the immediate vicinities of the two councils.
“Disease surveillance in emergencies can be tasking especially where insecurity, difficult terrain and frequent displacements hamper accessibility to the affected populations.
“Robust surveillance characterised by early detection, rapid and coordinated response are, however, critical in bringing outbreaks under control and reducing threat of further spread.
“New cases are being reported every day due to an active house-to-house surveillance led and coordinated by WHO.
“The case fatality ratio was 17 per cent as at May 12, but dropped to 1.7 per cent as at June 7, an indication that cases are being detected and reported early by the surveillance team.”
The organisation said that it has so far visited at least 3,141 households, disinfected up to 893 of these households including their neighbours and sensitised up to 7,199 persons in the community.
The Federal Ministry of Water Resources says that the National Water Resources Bill is consistent with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Land Use Act, and should not be politicised.
Suleiman Adamu Kazaure, Water Resources Minister
The ministry also on Friday, June 8, 2018 urged Nigerians to disregard misleading allegations, which were evident from the various commentaries noticed from those opposing the Bill.
The minister, Mr Suleiman Adamu, in a statement, noted that the bill was not a new law; rather an amalgamation of Water Resources Laws that have been in existence as enshrined in LFN 2004.
He said reports in the media appear to have neglected the provisions of the bill which was for the development, management and efficient use of the Nation’s water resources in line with global best practices.
The minister further appealed to stakeholders and Nigerians in general to have faith in the bill as it was for the good of the nation.
“It is in the overall best interest of every citizen of the country that the process of its passage is not politicised.
“The general public is invited to note that this National Water Resources Bill when passed into Law will better serve and provide for the enhancement of the Nigeria Water Sector in line with global best practices.”
He said the attention of the ministry was drawn to the erroneous and distorted analysis of the National Water Resources Bill, which was currently before the Senate having already been passed by the House of Representatives.
He noted that the overall objective was geared towards efficient management of the Water Resources Sector for the economic development of Nigeria and the well-being of its citizens.
“These Laws are: Water Resources Act, Cap W2 LFN 2004, the River Basin Development Authority Act, Cap R9 LFN 2004, the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (Establishment) Act, Cap N1100A.LFN, 2004 and National Water Resources Institute Act, Cap N83 LFN 2004.
“These Laws are being re-enacted with necessary modifications in the new bill to actualise current global trends and best practices in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). “
He added that that the bill, drafted in 2006 had passed through series of consultations among stakeholders up to 2008, since which time it received no priority attention by successive administrations until now.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the bill provides for professional and efficient management of all surface and ground water for the use of all people.
It provides for domestic and non-domestic use, irrigation, agricultural purposes, generation of hydro-electric energy, navigation, fisheries and recreation.
The Federal Government intends to ensure through the provisions of the law that “the water resources of the Nation are protected, used, developed, conserved, managed and controlled in a sustainable manner for the benefit of all persons in accordance with its constitutional mandate’’.
It is noteworthy that the Water Resources Bill provides for the creation of an enabling environment for public and private sector investment.
The bill also provides for capacity building processes to foster good governance whilst establishing a water use and licensing framework to ensure sustainable financing for Water Sector
