NSCEA Kicks Against Buhari’s Wanting Control of All Waterways And Their Banks

REINTRODUCTION OF THE VEXATIOUS WATER RESOURCES BILL, AN INSULT TO NIGERIANS

President Buhari has re-submitted an Executive Bill to the National Assembly for the Federal Government to take control of all waterways and their banks in Nigeria; while another Bill to take up all the Rivers, Water Ways and Seas is already waiting for this one to mature.

On Wednesday June 29, 2022, the controversial National Water Resources Bill was reintroduced to the House of Representatives by the Chairman of the House Committee on Water Resources, Sada Soli from Katsina State. The goal of the bill is to enable the agenda to deprive the indigenous people of Nigeria their God-given lands and water resources.

Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs (NSCEA) vehemently kicks against President Buhari’s Bill on control of all waterways and their banks, stating that, “this will not augur well for the indigenous tribes in the entire nation.” It was further stated, “The bill reminds us of RUGA policy, it reminds us of Boko Haram, it reminds us of ISWAP, it reminds us of Fulani herdsmen, it reminds us of Jihadists, Terrorists, Bandits and it reminds us of the main Islamization agenda.” Remember, recently,
Fulanis coming from all over West Africa to attack Christians and churches in Nigeria were arrested at Morocco.

Further, NSCEA notes as quite disturbing with needs for curious attention, the bill focused on annexing of thousands of lands adjoining the river banks which are ancestral lands belonging to poor farmers. Without any doubt, President Buhari will, as soon as the bill is passed, hand over permanent grazing rights to his kinsmen, the Fulanis, who will come with their destructive weapons and commence expansion into the conquest of the hinterlands!

Also, the bill is intended to abrogate the Land Use Act, which has vested all lands in States and State Governors. This amounts to bringing grazing colonies through the backdoor after RUGA has failed. Speaking at NSCEA, as directed by the Council, Bishop Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, the Secretary, Elders’ Council joins and adjoins all well meaning Nigerians to rise up to resist this obnoxious bill aimed at enthroning and legalising anarchy.

We would recall that during Buhari’s first term in the office under the leadership of Senator Bukola  Saraki and Senator Yakubu Dogara in the NASS, Buhari brought the bill and it was rejected. Now having a Rubber Stamp Senate President and Speaker House of Representatives, President Buhari has again returned the bill to NASS in order to grab Banks of the Rivers for his national and international brothers and cows.

This is not the first or even the second time that the pestiferous bill is being brought before the National Assembly. The very first time that the Muhammadu Buhari administration made a move to hijack all water resources in this country using the instrumentality of the same bill was in 2018 when the President sent the proposed law to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill on April 11, 2017.

The bill sparked outrage as many Nigerians rightly interpreted the proposed law as a plot to grab the waterways and hand same to Fulani pastoralists. Apparently sensing the spontaneous anger that greeted the bill, the Presidency resorted to using the National Assembly members from Katsina State to execute the draconian mission.

Sometime on Tuesday, 7 July 2020, the Bill was reintroduced into the 9th Assembly by Hon Sada Soli. It was re-considered on 23 July 2020 pursuant to Order Twelve (12), Rule 18 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives, but eventually thrown out.
It is suspicious that only members from the President’s home state of Katsina have continued to introduce the Water Bill before the National Assembly when almost every other member thinks differently.

It is obvious that this bill which seeks to bring all water sources (surface and underground), as well as river banks under the control of the Federal Government through its agencies is anti-federalism and negates the right of Nigerians to their ancestral resources and may it fizzle out as before!

The bill, in addition to its provisions which are grossly at variance with the Land Use Act, is a disguised land-grabbing legislation designed to grant pastoralists unhindered access to river basins, adjacent marine and coastal environments across the country. The bill is another version of ruga and cattle colonies which objective is to create grazing areas in the 36 states of the federation for herders and their livestock.

In a similar development, Terver Akase, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, on July 03, 2022 wrote in a release captioned “REINTRODUCTION OF THE VEXATIOUS WATER RESOURCES BILL, AN INSULT TO NIGERIANS: Count Benue Out”, stating that the release aims at letting Nigerians see the trajectory of this bill development.

The release stated, “We fault the submission of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila on the day the bill was reintroduced, that all Governors contributed in drafting of the new bill. We find it unconscionable, the Speaker’s mention of Governor Samuel Ortom as one of those who endorsed the bill. Governor Ortom’s stand against cattle colonies, ruga and the water resources bill has been consistent, and he won’t shift his position now! We wonder what the interest of the Honourable Speaker in the said bill is, that he wants to draft every Governor into endorsing the proposed legislation.

Coming at a time when Nigerians are clamouring for true and proper federalism which entails devolution of powers to states and local governments, the introduction of a Water Resources Bill by the Buhari administration to deprive the people of their water resources is not only unfortunate but also smacks of insensitivity.

Initiators of the obnoxious National Water Resources Bill are not only insensate but have also shown crass abhorrence of Nigeria’s unity as well as the current mood of the nation when people are slaughtered in their homes and even the clergy are not spared by terrorists. Shouldn’t the Presidency be more concerned about proffering a lasting solution to the orgy of killings across the country?

The Federal Government doesn’t seem to be bothered that Nigeria is bleeding from the torture inflicted on the people by rapacious herdsmen who are bent on expropriating farmlands. All that matters to the present administration is to turn parts of this country to safe havens for the herders and their animals. Hundreds of people have been killed while homes and property worth billions have been destroyed. Sadly, all that Nigerians get to hear from their leader is to “learn to live with their countrymen”. Whose countrymen? Those killer herdsmen?

We want to alert Nigerians again that if the National Water Resources Bill is passed into law, the rights of citizens over fresh water resources – ponds, lakes, rivers, streams and springs will be taken away with impunity. The bill will deny states and local government authorities as well as individuals the right to make use of the water in their backyard, until they get permission from Abuja.

The Federal Government’s insistence to take over the control of water resources across the country is tantamount to the suppression and enslavement of indigenous people of this country and must not be allowed.

We state unequivocally that Benue will not be part of the National Water Resources Bill! Our state should therefore be counted out of any discussion that pertains to the bill. NSCEA says Capital NO!

We call on other State Governments to rise and resist the land and water grabbing bill currently before the National Assembly. This is an opportunity for all patriots to stand to be counted as those who resisted modern day slavery.

We equally call on members of the National Assembly to once more, act as true representatives of the people, for the sake of posterity and throw away the water bill. They should remember that the destiny of over 200 million Nigerians lies in their hands.

Or does President Buhari want to use this bill as the last straw that breaks the camel’s back and end Nigeria??? Let Nigerians greet this bill with their spontaneous anger once again, NSCEA is watching!!!

Bishop Prof. Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies!
Secretary, Elders’ Council
Nigerian Supreme Council for Ecclesiastical Affairs (NSCEA).