Water Resources Bill Too Obnoxious and Against Federalism – COSEYL

The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, the apex socio-political youth group in the South East, without the merest of displeasure condemns, in its entirety, an attempt by certain vested interests within the presidency in cahoots with certain members of our National Assembly, to push through an obnoxious bill reintroduced in our ninth assembly by a clique of land hungry grabbers.

The Coalition regrets to state categorically that the bill was first introduced to the National Assembly in 2017/18 during the eighth assembly. Upon introduction by its sponsor(s), however, the divisive bill set southern and northern lawmakers on collision course whereupon heated arguments along regional lines tore the house apart. After hearings and readings, the said bill could not get concurrence at the senate, however.

The Coalition now asks: What happened to other important pieces of legislation the National Assembly has concluded legislation but are still waiting executive or presidential assent? Why is it that a certain part of the country, under the ninth assembly, appeared to be sponsoring bills to censor social media through anti-social media bill; freedom of speech through hate speech bill and even a bill to ban the use of generator set in a country where currently electricity tariff skyrocketed by beyond 100 percent as current realities dictate? When is the government for once going to be pro-people and pro-poor?

According to the Land Use Act, lands and natural resources (including water) thereof were never the exclusive preserve of the federal government. But this obnoxious bill seeks, among other things, to not only annex or appropriate people’s lands but to place all river basins, water bodies, atop and beneath Nigerian soil, under the control of the federal government. What becomes of areas like Niger Delta regions and Lagos should this bill see the lift of the day?

In the spirit of federalism (which Nigeria adopted since 1954), federal government cannot solely and singularly own assets such as land. The Coalition regrets that the bill now being reintroduced was contemporaneous with grazing bill which Nigerians saw as a design to grab their lands and resources attached to same. What is the plot behind this if not to further fan the embers of division and bad blood as seen before evidently?

It is a shame that the federal government now seems to tell Nigerians that the bill was not actually dropped on the basis of its merits or demerits but simply because of the need to win election in 2019 at all costs, otherwise why reintroduce the rejected bill years after? Alarming as it is, section 13 subsection 2 (13 (2)), of the bill is clear and revealing of something sinister at a time armed herders are overrunning settled human spaces with bandits carrying out wholesale slaughter without any form of resistance. This must be resisted by lovers and friends of democracy as well as well-meaning Nigerians.

For the record, the Coalition wishes to remind the presidency, the executive and those legislators who left the yearnings and aspirations of their constituents to pursue this object that the electoral amendment act, which would have allowed use of server and electronic voting if passed into law, could facilitate peaceful and smooth conduct of elections in Edo and Ondo is still waiting for executive assent. Equally is the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which would have, if revisited, protected the interest of host communities and thus allow Nigerians to own artisanal and modular refineries is waiting for presidential assent. Also jettisoned is the confab report of 2014 which for the first time saw Nigerians come to renegotiate British terms. Why do the executive together with its legislative agents ignore more vitally pressing issues to chase what has been rejected.

The Coalition will and is resolved to do anything within the law and constitutional limits of our nation to stop this move. We shall call, communicate our legislators to this end.

Signed:

Hon. Goodluck Egwu Ibem
President General

Comrade Kanice Igwe
Secretary General