Soyinka warns Buhari administration against passage of water resources bill
- The re-introduction of the water resources bill by the Buhari administration has drawn heated criticism from Professor Soyinka
- The Nobel laureate lambasted the administration which he described as "failed" for reintroducing a bill that was earlier dropped due to public outrage
- The controversial bill when passed into law will hand the Nigerian president “absolute control over the nation’s entire water resources"
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed!
Professor Wole Soyinka has condemned the Nigerian government's reintroduction of the Bill on National Water Resources 2020 to the National Assembly.
Premium Times reports that the Nobel laureate made his position on the bill known in a statement on Thursday, August 27.
Soyinka warned that if the bill is passed into law, it would hand the Nigerian president “absolute control over the nation’s entire water resources, both over and underground.”
Source: UGC
He said that the bill had been earlier dropped about two years ago due to public outrage was now being reintroduced by the "failed government" with the consent of the National Assembly.
Premium Times notes that the bill which failed to get a concurrent passage by the eighth National Assembly has passed second reading in the House of Representatives.
Legit.ng gathers that civil society groups, including the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical, have also frowned at several provisions in the bill which would breach Nigerians the right to water.
One of such provisions is in Section 98 of the bill which states that “the use of water shall be subject to licencing provisions.”
Section 120 makes it compulsory for Nigerians to obtain a driller’s permit before sinking a borehole in their homes.
Professor Soyinka said he aligned himself with every voice against the passage of the bill.
The Nobel laureate said it is time to move beyond denunciations and embark on practical responses for the bill’s “formal deactivation and permanent internment.”
PAY ATTENTION: Download our mobile app to enjoy the latest news update
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Professor Soyinka said he did not believe that President Muhammadu Buhari is in charge of Nigeria.
Soyinka made the comment on Thursday, June 4 in an interview with Plus TV Africa.
His comment was in reaction to an open letter written to President Buhari by Colonel Umar Dangiwa (rtd), a former military administrator of Kaduna state.
5 years after, Nigerians speak about Buhari's administration | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
