The sum of N10.5m has been allocated for the controversial water bill, by the ministry of water resources in its 2022 budget proposal to the national assembly.
The bill which would soon make its return to the chambers of the twin legislative chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives for consideration was thrown out in the Eighth Assembly, owing to the controversy about the right of water bodies in the country by host communities.
It would be recalled that the President of the Senate, Senator, Ahmad Lawan, had charged the minister of water resources to represent the bill, for consideration during the screening of Hon Sulieman Adamu, in July 2019.
Lawan had charged Adamu to work with the Minister of Niger Delta, Goodwill Akpabio, a former minority leader who truncated the passage of the bill in the Eighth assembly over the right of the water banks in a host community.
“According to Lawan: “Actually, Water Resources Bill was turned down unfortunately controversially by a senator and now he is on the side of government.
“I will just advise the honourable minister-designate because I sponsored the bill on behalf of the federal government.
“I think at that time because maybe simple opposition somehow created a story around the bill,”
“Then the bill was opposed and we tried to manage the situation and we couldn’t. Now that person is going to work for this bill to be passed. So you work with him since he is going to be in the same cabinet with you.” Lawan stated.
The ministry in her proposal to the national assembly stated that another N31 million would be needed to implement the national water resource master plan, listed under the budget line ERPG 30124770.
Tribune Online checks showed that N10, 535,168 (Ten million, five hundred and thirty-five thousand and one hundred and sixty-eight Naira was committed for the water bill in the proposed budget.
Code, Economic Recovery Growth Plan, a policy direction of the All Progressives Congress-led federal government, the budget line reads: “ERPG 26173951, Implementation support for the national water resources bill, new, N10,535,168.”
Besides this expenditure, the minister of water resources also sought the approval of the national assembly for the expenditure of N300m on risk management of water resources.
According to the budget proposal, the amount would facilitate ministerial water supply intervention for disaster risk management, coded ERPG 30110871.
The amount was exclusive of the plan to expend N10.9 million on what it termed coordination of annual ministers of water resources, which the proposal document termed as an ongoing project of the ministry.
Further checks by the Nigerian Tribune, on the budget management of water policy and direction, showed that the ministry planned to spend the curious sum of over N12.7 million on an upgrade of the E-Library in the ministry of water resources.
It would also expend the sum of N6,629,303 to develop strategies for innovative funding of water resources projects across the country.
The vote of N10 million was also earmarked to defray the cost of the planned flood master plan for the perennial flood on the River Niger and Benue, which impact the environment and people of Kogi state.
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