By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, on Friday, asked the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to forget the Waterways Bill for now.
Afenifere in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary Comrade Jare Ajayi in a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan frowned at the insistence of of the federal government to pass the repeatedly rejected Waterways Resources Bill into law.
According to the Pan Yoruba socio political organization, the time has come for the Federal government to ” set machinery in motion for the return of the country to true federalism as that would solve most of the problems that appear to be intractable in the country presently”.
“ In addition to advising President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to forget the Waterways Bill for now, we urge it to set the machinery in motion for the return of the country to true federalism as that would solve most of the problems that appear to be intractable in the country presently”, it said
Afenifere added, ” were the present administration truly committed to the best interest of the majority of Nigerians, issues that would be of major concern to it would be the insecurity that has made life unbearable for a lot of people, collapsing economy that has made nonsense of the people’s welfare and the ignoble state of social and infrastructural facilities in the country.”
The Pan Yoruba socio political organization described the insistence of ” the federal government to pass the repeatedly rejected Waterways Resources Bill into law as another instance of how the government is often hell-bent on going ahead with what majority of Nigerians frown at while neglecting the ones Nigerians yearn for.”
Afenifere stated that with the Minister of Water Resources, Mallam Suleiman Adamu insistence on the Water bill, Federal government was only trying to disguise the real intention behind the insistence, saying, “ the Bill provides for professional and efficient management of all surface and ground water for the use of all Nigerians.”
” The Minister’s assertion smacks of arrogance, disdain for the people of Nigeria and insensitivity to the things that are of immediate concern to Nigerians. It is unbecoming of a public officer to describe Nigerians as hysterical simply because they express their displeasure to a government policy.
” Secondly, given the fact that the attempts to pass this bill have been consistently rejected since its first mentioning in 2020 during the 8th National Assembly, it ought to dawn on the federal government that Nigerians are not ready to accept the Bill in its present form. Rather than acting as though it can force its plan down the throat of the people, what the government ought to do is to listen to the people and adjust in accordance with the aspirations and feelings of the people”.
Afenifere maintained, ” but what have we been experiencing in the hands of government officials, especially those serving under President Muhammadu Buhari? Disdain, lack of respect for the people, actions depicting the government as one of conquest rather than an elected one,” he said.
