UNILAG AD
  • The Membership Club
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • PT Hausa
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Premium Times Nigeria
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • #PandoraPapers
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Home
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Opinion
  • Health
    • News Reports
    • Special Reports and Investigations
      • Health Specials
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Features and Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • Projects
    • #EndSARS Dashboard
    • Parliament Watch
    • #PandoraPapers
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
Premium Times Nigeria
BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad BUA Group Ad
A tap of running water used to illustrate the story [Photo: nationals.org.au]

A tap of running water used to illustrate the story [Photo: nationals.org.au]

Groups condemn plans to re-introduce water resources bill

The bill was withdrawn Tuesday during a rowdy session in the House.

byPremium Times
September 30, 2020
Reading Time: 2 mins read
1

Two civil society organisations, the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) and the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) have condemned plans by some members of the House of Representatives to reintroduce the National Water Resources Bill into the House.

The bill was withdrawn Tuesday during a rowdy session in the House.

Some lawmakers alleged a breach of House Standing Rules while working towards passing the bill into law and relied on the anomaly to ask the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, to throw the bill away or at best have it reworked and then represented for consideration.

Following this development, the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa said the House would start the consideration of the bill afresh.

In a statement issued in Lagos, AUPCTRE and CAPPA said that the plan to reintroduce the bill smacks of respect for the wishes of Nigerians who have unanimously called for it to be trashed because of its ambiguous, obnoxious, and pro-privatisation clauses.

“We are not in any way perturbed by the withdrawal of the bill but we are very worried that even with the confirmation that the current effort to pass it is a backdoor deal, its promoters are still pressing ahead with trying to reintroduce it and foisting it on Nigerians,” said Benjamin Anthony, AUPCTRE National President.

“It is totally unexplainable and unacceptable.”

Mr Anthony cautioned the House of Representatives from considering the Bill in its present form, advising that Nigerians must be part of the process of a genuine people-centred bill from the initial stages through the entire process at the National Assembly.

The National Water Resources Bill, which passed second reading in the House and referred to a committee, had generated severe criticisms from Nigerians, including the Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka and the Nigerian Labour Congress.

TEXEM Advert

The federal government, who introduced the bill, had pushed back on the criticisms, describing opponents of the bill as “anti-people.”

While ruling on the withdrawal of the bill from the House, Speaker Gbajabiamila said the bill should be gazetted for fresh consideration.

Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA Executive Director, said the House’s decision to withdraw the bill vindicates the position of civil society groups.

“We had noted that the speed with which it was smuggled into the House and passed was very suspicious,” said Mr Oluwafemi.

“Our position will not change. This kind of draconian Bill is not what Nigerians need. Not currently, and never.”

Since reports made the rounds about the Bill passing the Second Reading AUPCTRE and CAPPA started campaigning vigorously for it to be jettisoned. The two organisations addressed a press conference in Lagos to highlight the detrimental provisions of the bill and came up with a demand that the controversial Bill be withdrawn from the National Assembly while insisting that Nigerians must be properly carried along in the issues that affect them. On September 5, 2020, the two organisations wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari raising objections about various sections of the Bill that are contentious.

The Sections include 1, 2, 3, 13, 22, 24, 89, 98, 104, 105 and 107. Others are Sections 109, 110, 120, 121, 125, 129 and 131.

In Section 1 (l) AUPCTRE and CAPPA alerted that though on the surface of the Bill, it appears that Public-private partnership is beneficial and will only apply to the infrastructural development of water resources, there was no way private corporations would commit resources to the development of water without a measure of control and ownership.

“We are unambiguous when we say the motives of the promoters of this ill-conceived Bill are suspicious. The Bill will not do Nigerians good and was not intended to do that. We are using this medium to reiterate our opposition to it and want it trashed. There is no other alternative”, they insisted.

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • Telegram
  • More
  • WhatsApp
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Pocket


Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility

Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.

For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.

By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all.

Donate



TEXT AD: Call Willie - +2348098788999






PT Mag Campaign AD

Previous Post

Coronavirus: UNDP, EU partner with FG, Lagos govt on $2.3 million unconditional cash transfer project

Next Post

Nigeria lifts ban on Emirates Airlines

Premium Times

Premium Times

More News

The executive governor of Bayelsa state, Governor Douye Diri.

Bayelsa spends N3.5 billion in May to service debt to banks

August 13, 2022
A Nigerian wedding

How to plan Nigerian wedding with N500,000 or less

August 13, 2022
Newly Completed 13 Floor Twin Tower Ultra Modern Headquarters Building of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)

NDDC reopens portal for scholarship programme

August 13, 2022
Solid Minerals used to illustrate the story. [PHOTO CREDIT: Punch Newspaper]

Low-carbon Future: Minister, others advocate development of critical minerals in Nigeria

August 13, 2022
Foreign devotees at the Osun Osogbo festival

Why we are committed to worship of Osun goddess – Foreign devotees

August 13, 2022
Nigeria Police officers

Police arrest newspaper distributor in Akwa Ibom

August 13, 2022
Read All Comment

Our Digital Network

  • PT Hausa
  • Election Centre
  • Human Trafficking Investigation
  • Centre for Investigative Journalism
  • National Conference
  • Press Attack Tracker
  • PT Academy
  • Dubawa
  • LeaksNG
  • Campus Reporter

Resources

  • Oil & Gas Facts
  • List of Universities in Nigeria
  • LIST: Federal Unity Colleges in Nigeria
  • NYSC Orientation Camps in Nigeria
  • Nigeria’s Federal/States’ Budgets since 2005
  • Malabu Scandal Thread
  • World Cup 2018
  • Panama Papers Game
  • Our Digital Network
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • Projects
  • Data & Infographics
  • DONATE

All content is Copyrighted © 2022 The Premium Times, Nigeria

No Result
View All Result
  • #PandoraPapers
  • Gender
  • News
    • Headline Stories
    • Top News
    • More News
    • Foreign
  • Investigations
  • Business
    • News Reports
    • Financial Inclusion
    • Analysis and Data
    • Business Specials
    • Opinion
    • Oil/Gas Reports
      • FAAC Reports
      • Revenue
  • Health
    • COVID-19
    • News Reports
    • Investigations
    • Data and Infographics
    • Health Specials
    • Features
    • Events
    • Primary Health Tracker
  • Agriculture
    • News Report
    • Research & Innovation
    • Data & Infographics
    • Special Reports/Investigations
    • Investigations
    • Interviews
    • Multimedia
  • Arts/Life
    • Arts/Books
    • Kannywood
    • Lifestyle
    • Music
    • Nollywood
    • Travel
  • Sports
    • Football
    • More Sports News
    • Sports Features
  • #EndSARS Dashboard
  • Projects
    • Panama Papers
    • Paradise Papers
    • Parliament Watch
    • AGAHRIN
  • AUN-PT Data Hub
  • Opinion
  • The Membership Club
  • DONATE
  • About Us
  • Advert Rates
  • PT Hausa
  • Dubawa NG
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Store

All content is Copyrighted © 2022 The Premium Times, Nigeria