Water Resources bill will affect most lands in Lagos — Lawmaker
The deputy chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) in the eighth assembly, Mark Gbillah, has warned that the water resources bill if passed into law would cede most parts of Lagos State to the Federal Government.
Daily Times gathered that the bill has attracted a lot of mixed reactions from the lawmakers.
The bill was passed by the eight Assembly under Yakubu Dogara, but it could not secure the concurrence of the Senate under Bukola Saraki and was ultimately denied the presidential assent.
However, the bill has since passed the first and a second reading under the current House of Representatives led by Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila.
The water resources bill is currently awaiting third reading and final passage.
The bill seeks to bring all water resources (surface and underground) and the banks of the water sources under the control of the Federal Government through its agencies to be established by the bill.
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The Senator representing Osun Central and chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru, who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune, said the bill has not been brought before the Senate.
The president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, had last July in the course of screening of ministerial nominees dropped hint that the Senate under his leadership was anxious to see the bill reintroduced, Basiru added.
Also, the Senator representing Yobe North had, during the screening of former Water Resources bill Minister Suleiman Adamu, expressed the readiness of the Red Chamber to ensure its passage if reintroduced.
In his own reaction, a member representing Ijebu North/ Ijebu East/Ogun Waterside Federal Constituency of Ogun State, Honourable Adekoya Adesegun Abdel-Majid (PDP), said that the bill would never see the light of the day, considering its obnoxious provisions.
Another lawmaker who remained under anonymity described National Water Resources Bill as a litmus test to prove to Nigerians that the ninth National Assembly is not a rubber stamp to the executive, but rather an independent and important arm of government being the voice of the voiceless.
He cautioned that the passage of the bill could multiply ethnic militias in the country, noting that land acquisition “remains a volatile issue in Nigeria”.
The controversial National Water Resources Bill, 2020 was passed along with 10 others, which seek to establish Federal Medical Centres in Lokoja, Makurdi, Nguru, Owerri, Owo, Umuahia, Yenagoa, Abakaliki as well as Nigerian Council for Social Work (Establishment) Bill and National Institute of Credit Administration, following the adoption of a motion on the “Reconsideration of Outstanding 11 Bills from the Preceding Assembly”, sponsored by Honourable Abubakar Hassan Fulata last month before the House adjourned for the two-month annual recess.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, however, dismissed insinuation that legislative procedures were being observed in the breach to ensure speedy passage of the controversial bill, a media aide to Gbajabiamila who spoke in confidence revealed this.
