By Emma Amaize
NATIONAL Chairman of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (retd.) said the Water Resources Bill was unnecessary and even when it is re-gazetted, it will still fail.
His words: “The people of South-South region have rejected the bill from the beginning and we still reject it because we do not think it is necessary. We think it is beyond just being water bill, we do not know what the issues are, for example, is it that the herdsmen do not have water to give to their cow and must we carry for those fishing to give to their cattle?”
“What is the issue, we believe that it is because of the land around that water area, so we expect that the National Assembly should not approve or pass a bill that will continuously be a source of conflict between the people. Because they can pass the bill, no doubt about that.
“But at what cost? Will people obey it, will they obey without grumbling? You can pass a bill but you cannot implement it, why should we bring a bill that will be a source of conflict for future generation because as far as we know, people will still live by that water, are they going to count them the human beings as belonging to the federal or they belong to state.”
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“It is the state governor that signs the certificate of occupancy, CofO, holds the land in trust for the people, if they now say the land and water belongs to the federal, where will the people be living, so they are just trying to create conflict where there is none.
“I am happy that the thing was withdrawn, let them re-gazette it, in the final analysis, even if they pass it, our people in the National Assembly know that they would have no house, no home to come back to,” he said.
