Association tasks new water minister

The Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP) has tasked the newly-appointed Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Adamu Suleiman, to unfold in earnest the federal government’s policy direction for the water sector.
It also enjoined the various state governments to set up regulatory commissions for water production and supply in their respective states.
At a press conference in Ibadan, the national president, Engr. Michael Ale, expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for acceding to public outcry that the Ministry of Water Resources should not be merged with any other ministry “so as not to cause backwardness to the water sector in the country.”
AWDROP then emphasised the need for the water resources minister to convene an all-inclusive stakeholders forum with a view to identifying the current water situation in Nigeria and proffering enduring solutions to the problems inhibiting effective production and supply of potable water to all the nooks and crannies of the country.
The association also advised the minister to strengthen the value chains around water resources so as to make the water sector a profitable business in the country.
While lamenting that 80 per cent of reported sicknesses in hospitals in Nigeria are related to waterborne diseases, AWDROP urged the minister to vigorously pursue the Nigerian Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC) Bill, which has been gathering dust on the shelves of the National Assembly for years.