DETERMINED to find a lasting solution to the persistent water shortage in some federal universities in the country, the Federal Government plans to construct water dams in three of these institutions next year.
The Federal Universities in Owerri, Jos and Abuja have been chosen to have the project on their campuses to mitigate the problems, following the revelation by the Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, that the project has been captured in the 2017 budget.
Adamu disclosed this at the 7th International Conference on Water Resources and Sustainable Development, held at the GidanKwano main campus of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, the Niger State capital, last Thursday.
He stated further that other federal universities that had long made similar requests would have to wait until the 2018 budget preparations, because his ministry did not receive the proposal details before it concluded works on its 2017 budget.
The vice chancellor of the host university, Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, Professor, had raised the issue when he told the gathering the problem the institution had been facing with regard to inadequate water supply.
Professor Akanji, whowas represented by the deputy vice chancellor (Academics), Professor Oluwole Morenikeji, had said that over N4 million was being spent on diesel alone on monthly basis to power the generators that supply water to the university, while an additional N5 million is paid to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) every month as electricity bills, despite epileptic power supply to the university.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Hajiya Rabi Jimeta, who represented the Minister of Water Resources, in her remarks at the occasion informed the university authorities that the ministry had received no official request from FUT Minna for construction of water dam at the GidanKwano Main Campus of the university in Minna.
She said the names of three universities that were so far captured in next year’s annual budget were the three federal universities earlier mentioned. She then advised FUT Minna to submit its request officially to the ministry as soon as possible, with the view to having it captured in the 2018 budget.
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