The National President of Association of Waterwell Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners, Michael Ale has blamed the outcry that trailed the Water Resource Bill 2020 on the government’s inability to communicate the benefit of the bill to the people.
Ale while speaking with SaharaReporters, maintained that the bill will help regulate the water resources and the usage for commercial purposes in the country if properly implemented.
He said, “If when passed, this particular bill will definitely save us from oppression. Oppression comes in the sense of big companies into water production. They are using this resource, which belongs to every one of us without any payment.
“The bill is a perfect bill meant to operate on the economy scale. It will stop the oppression of water resources as it is.”
He stated that when regulation is introduced into water resources, it would protect other users of water in different states.
He noted that the people should desist from building along waterways to avoid casualty of flooding.
He added, “Government lacks development communication strategy. They don’t know how to bring things to Nigerians.
“Even if there are sentiments, there are ways to convince and educate Nigerians not by forcing it.
“Our ministers cannot force the bill that we do not want on us and it is making it look suspicious because of the way it is being said, because of the urgency.
“Rather, they should allow this thing to go in a more articulated manner by educating the citizens on the content of the bill.”
Ale also posited that the non-passage of the bill could lead to a war on lands between states.
“I wish this thing doesn’t cause war because water causes war. We may be thinking it is a small matter but no.
“If it doesn’t result in war today, I can tell you that very soon, two neighbouring states will fight over water and that is where war will emanate from.
“This should not just generate into war among people. We should see how we don’t force the bill on people. We should know how things are done and the government should know how to carry the people along because it is the people they are leading,” Ale said.
