* AWDROP urges FG to declare state of emergency on water resources
The Chief Executive Officer of Global Initiative for Nigeria Development, Mr Michael Ale, has expressed the organisation’s commitment to monitor the disbursement of government’s palliatives to poor Nigerians to ensure adherence to principles of transparency and accountability.
Ale said that GIND would deploy its track and trace technology in monitoring and tracking all projects relating to palliatives whenever the Federation Allocation Account Committee began disbursement of the funds to states and local government in the country.
The development expert, in a “press statement” made available in Ado Ekiti, said that GIND’s resolved to monitor the disbursement “to ensure that the palliatives promised poor Nigerians by the Federal Government to cushion the effect of economic hardship brought by fuel subsidy removal is creditably implemented”.
He said, “Our Track and Trace volunteers and advocates are being recruited nationwide to monitor and report how palliatives are being utilized through T&T technological device. The purpose of this is to ensure transparency and credibility in the disbursement process”.
Ale, who is also the National President of Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owners Practitioners, urged President Bola Tinubu to consider declaring a state of emergency on water resources, saying it was time water was given priority in national development strategies to forestall an imminent scarcity of the resources.
The water expert, who tasked government at all levels to pay important attention to the issue of water resources, called for synergy among government, media and nongovernmental organizations to ensure that water issues were addressed through policies and effective implementation.
The AWDROP boss said, “Water is very critical to daily human existence, but unfortunately, our government at all levels do not pay attention to the issue of water in terms of its availability, affordability and management”.
“Water level is receding and there is an urgent need to pay attention to its accessibility, affordability and management as critical part of livelihood for all Nigerians, especially the rural dwellers who may be badly affected.
Ale harped on the need for Nigeria to attain net zero emission in order to meet the global benchmark of emission reduction by 2030 and to attain net zero by 2060.
He bemoaned the present situation in Nigeria where every compound has boreholes and used generator to pump water into the overhead tanks thereby discharging carbon into the atmosphere and other ecological problems.
He said, “To get to the next zero emission, you need to look at the source of your water. The developed world has centralized power system that pumps water for distribution and consumption, but in Nigeria and, of course, Africa, individuals provides water for themselves”.
