We Are Working To Attain FG’s Goal For Water Sector – Minister
The Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, has said his Ministry was assiduously working towards the attainment of the Federal Government’s development and growth plan for the water sector in Nigeria.
Addressing a forum of Directors, Deputy Directors, Managing Directors/Chief Executive Officers and Directors of Agencies under the Ministry in a retreat in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, Adamu said the ministry has been galvanizing human and material resources towards achieving the mandate.
He recalled that the foundation for the actualization of the major goal of revamping the water sector was laid in his first tenure as Minister when the framework for the repositioning of the sector for sustainable impact was laid in 2015.
According to him, some of the recommendations of the initial water development summit had been achieved, including approval for the national water resources bill, national water resources policy as well as national irrigation and drainage policy, which were approved by the Federal Government in September 2016.
Besides, the minister said his ministry had been repositioned for enhanced service delivery through manpower review and streamlining the workforce in all departments “to give the Ministry a more technical and professional character.”
River Basin and other professional departments, the Minister said were also subjected to reorganization and reforms to address some major challenges confronting the sector especially in the areas of portable water, sanitation, hygiene and a commitment towards ending open defecation by year 2025.
“We have made concrete steps to revitalize our River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs)”, the Minister said, adding that new agricultural innovations were also brought to bear in the operations of RBDAs including the Songhai model to be replicated across all the 109 Senatorial Districts of the country.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs. Ekaro Comfort Chukwueboso, explained that the retreat became necessary to rally top management officials to ensure effective implementation of government policies aimed at addressing socio-economic challenges confronting the nation.
“Consequently, this retreat will avail us the environment to brainstorm, gather information and share ideas and experiences towards the betterment of our sector and the nation as a whole.
“This retreat is to review the progress made on the Ministry’s roadmap, consider challenges encountered and proffer appropriate solutions,” she explained and charged participants to aggregate ideas that would actualize the Federal Government’s plans to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years.
