Engr. Suleiman Adamu, Minister of Water Resources, has blamed deliberate misinformation of Nigerians by some people as being responsible for non-passage of the National Water Resources Bill before the National Assembly.
Adamu, who stated this in an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja, lamented that many people who opposed the passage of the bill into law have not read the content of the bill.
He contended that the bill was crafted for the interest of Nigerians as well as development of the integrated water resources in the country.
Fielding questions from newsmen on whether he had any regret for non-passage of the Water Resources Bill before the outgoing 9th National Assembly, Adamu said: “I have no regret. We did what we did in the best interest of the nation.
“People just politicised it. As far as I know, the story is not finished yet, it is left for the National Assembly to decide what to do with it.
“We have done all we needed to do as executive. But the good news is that 96% of the bill is already existing.
“I have no regret. We have the best of intentions and someday, we will get there.
“Politicians who opposed it, you have seen where some of them have ended after the elections.
“The Bill does not have anything to do with President Muhammadu Buhari. They are hitting themselves, not Buhari.
“We were aggressive about it because we take our job seriously. In everything we do, we don’t take it lightly.
“It was not because we wanted to offend or short-change people. We are doing it because we have the responsibility to improve the water resources from where we met it.”
Adamu, who expressed appreciation to President Buhari for the giant strides recorded in the water sector, pointed out that many abandoned water projects have been completed by the Buhari-led administration through his ministry.
He recalled that the present administration inherited about 116 abandoned water projects, adding that some of these projects have been completed.
Adamu,therefore, advised the incoming minister to stick to the implementation of the Water Resources Roadmap, adding that priority attention should be given to the completion of projects already started.
He noted that a lot of investments have been made on these projects, adding that it would amount to wastage of resources, if they are not completed.
He further stated that reliance on Federal Government budget alone will not solve the problems in water sector, noting that the sector requires huge investments from the private sector.
The minister also underscored the need for all tiers of government to synergise and work together in the implementation of water policies across the country.
He identified paucity of funds, bureaucracy, COVID-19 pandemic and lack of proper information on the role of his Ministry as some of the challenges he has grappled with in the last eight years as the Minister of Water Resources.
“The Federal Ministry of Water Resources(FMWR) is not responsible for providing water in your taps.
“It is not responsible for making Nigeria open defecation free, not responsible for your sanitation. These are the responsibilities of States and Local Government Areas.
“That is why the FMWR does not have a Water Board.
“We are supposed to be enablers and create awareness about these programmes.
“One of the greatest challenges we have had is cascading these policies down to states and local government areas and communities, where people can appreciate and take ownership of them,” he explained.
