PRESIDENT BUHARI AND WORLD BANK: CONSIDER $700M URBAN WATER FACILITY FOR HERDERS-FARMERS WATER FACILITY

$700 MILLION Urban water facility should be changed to herders-farmers water facility to open up Nigerian economy and help to diversify our economy. It will be a boost for agriculture in West Africa. I am appealing to World Bank and President Buhari to consider the change of urban water facility to herders-farmers water facility to assist millions of Nigerian herders and farmers.  It will stop their deadly clashes. This herders-farmers water facility will put a stop to farmers-herders clashes in Nigeria by providing water. World Bank and President Buhari should channel the $700 million facility to the provision of water for farmers-herders in Nigeria. The major challenge in the 21st century that Nigeria is facing is farmers-herders clashes across Nigeria. $700 million World Bank water facility is the solution to farmers-herders clashes in Nigeria. The money can construct water pipelines from River Niger and Benue to pump water water to desert farmlands in the north. Water is the problem behind herders-farmers clashes in Nigeria. I want to appeal to World Bank and President Buhari to design projects of $700 million water facility in such a way that it will address farmers-herders clashes which is the greatest threat to Nigerian federation today. World Bank should change the urban water facility to herders-farmers water facility to stop deadly clashes in Nigeria. The problem is not urban in Nigeria today but herders-farmers clashes.
The Federal Government has announced that it had begun discussions with the World Bank to secure $700million facility for urban water supply. World Bank provides loans and expert technical assistance to implement innovative water projects and raise investment for water projects throughout Africa.
Since its inception, the World Bank has been outstanding in providing grants for project preparation with measures to strengthen water governance and water knowledge management. Overall, the Facility’s action is to support projects designed to increase water, energy and food security, enhance regional cooperation and promote socio-economic growth in Africa.
Under the 2017-2025 Strategy, the World Bank will focus its activities and operations around three strategic priority areas, which together provide a comprehensive approach to project preparation that creates a favourable investment climate, develops sustainable infrastructure and promotes the financing of investments until they are completed.
The Federal Government has announced that it had begun discussions with the World Bank to secure $700million facility for urban water supply. Engr. Suleiman Adamu, Minister of Water Resources, who stated this on a live radio programme monitored in Abuja, said the facility would facilitate the provision of potable water supply to five or six states in their urban centres. Adamu also explained that the proposed facility from the World Bank would guarantee the provision of water supply to all nooks and crannies of the metropolis of the benefiting States for 24hours a day, He said the project would serve as a model for other states to invest in water supply.
The minister further lamented that states government, over the years, have been paying lips service to the provision of water supply, sanitation and hygiene to the citizenry. According to him, “For me, I have spent the last two weeks, since the pandemic started to manifest in Nigeria on lessons learnt from this pandemic. “Since I came to the office in 2015, we have stepped up our campaigns on sanitation, hygiene and water supply.
“I have been saying it, the states government, whose responsibility it is, to provide water to the people, have not been investing enough in water supply and sanitation. They have not. “This is a wake-up call to everyone. They should stop paying lips service to water and sanitation in Nigeria and just do the needful.
“Nigerians should be provided with adequate water supply wherever they are. “It is not only to contain COVID-19, which we hope, will be contained, but there are other diseases such as typhoid, cholera, that have been with us for a very long time. “We need to get states to invest more in water supply because it is their constitutional responsibility. “It is not the responsibility of the Federal Government to provide water on our taps.
“But the Federal Government supports the States. Since 2017, we have had a new budget line to support the states that are working on urban water schemes. “The Federal Government can support the states with up to 30percent investment for urban water schemes. “My experience in the last five years is that many states are paying lips service to water supply. They need to understand that it is so important. Water is the basic ingredient of life.
“It affects a lot of things such as health, education. Whatever you want to do outside hygiene, water is number one. But we have not been giving water the priority it deserves in this country.” He pointed out that water supply and sanitation in the country are already in the emergency situation, following the declaration of the state of emergency on the sector by President Muhammadu
It is good that this water facility is directed towards farmers-herders as a solution to their deadly clashes. Nigeria is facing dangerous threat from farmers and herders. $700 million World Bank water facility is the solution to farmers-herders clashes in Nigeria. The money can construct water pipelines from River Niger and Benue to pump water water to desert farmlands in the north. Water is the problem behind herders-farmers clashes in Nigeria. I want to appeal to World Bank and President Buhari to design projects of $700 million water facility in such a way that it will address farmers-herders clashes which is the greatest threat to Nigerian federation today.
Inwalomhe Donald writes via inwalomhe.donald@yahoo.com