President Buhari, who spoke at a ceremony for the commissioning of the Zobe Regional Water Supply Scheme in Katsina State, was in the company of the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Hussein Adamu, who has been the arrowhead of the campaign for passage of the Bill.
The National Water Resources Bill was stepped down by the House of Representatives in September 2020 following findings by members of the House that its promoters did not follow the “right process”.
Before then AUPCTRE, CAPPA and other groups across the federation and prominent personalities including Professor Wole Soyinka had written to the President asking him to recall the contentious document from the legislative quarters and kickstart a fresh process which will entail consultation with Nigerians from the initial stages through the entire process at the National Assembly.
In a joint statement issued in Lagos, AUPCTRE and CAPPA said the president’s remark is disturbing and at variance with what Nigerians from all walks of life have asked for, including the need for a fresh process.
AUPCTRE National President, Comrade Benjamin Anthony, said: “We are shocked that the President is throwing his weight behind a Bill that would further fracture the unity among Nigerians and impugn on the rights of its citizens. Nigerians said it when the Bill was being debated, and Nigerians are saying it again: the National Water Bill is obnoxious, anti-people and unacceptable.”
