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Minister, Adamu, alleges Nigerians using Water Resources Bill as political tool against Buhari govt
A lot of Nigerians had interpreted the bill as a sinister scheme to grab the waterways and reassign them to Fulani pastoralists.
Speaking to State House Correspondents after the weekly virtual Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by the President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday, Suleiman urged Nigerians to allow the National Assembly do due diligence on the bill.
He noted that the law-making arm was charged with the sole responsibility of making laws and must be allowed to do the needful on the bill.
He said: “Some people have chosen to interpret it the way they want it. Some people have decided to use it as a political tool against the government. But we are confident that we have wise men in the legislature that will do the needful, the same way they have been treating all other bills in the past.
“We have met with the Governors’ Forum. They appointed a technical committee made up of Attorneys-General to look at the draft bill. They came back with their observation before we even went back to say we sent these observations along with a redraft.
“When we got their observations, we appointed an environmental expert, Professor Olarewaju Fagbohun, SAN, to review the entire thing alongside the observations of the Governors’ Forum. He did that, put the necessary things in check and that is what we have re-presented to the National Assembly. So, we have responded to the needs and the concerns of everybody. So, I think now is to allow the National Assembly to do its work.”
The Minister also dismissed insinuations that the bill, if assented to, would lead to land grab to the detriment of some Nigerians.
