Experts urge Buhari to review water ministry

Members of the Association of Water Well Drilling, Rig Owners and Practitioners have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to review the activities of the Ministry of Water Resources and ensure that only qualified water engineers are appointed into key positions.

National president of the association, Mr. Michael Ale who spoke with reporters in Ibadan pleaded with the government not to scrap the ministry in his quest to prune the number of ministries to reduce cost of governance.

He said, “President Buhari should write his name in gold as the first Nigeria President to appoint a team of water technocrats with requisite educational background and expertise to handle water ministry so that we can once and for all solve myriads of problems confronting the sector and save Nigerians from water-related health hazards”.

“Let’s focus more on water through integrated approach to solving water problems in Nigeria by institutionalising a culture of safe and clean environment for Nigerians in order to wage war against water borne diseases and dreaded diseases like cancer and so on,” he added.

Ale decried the activities of quacks in the sector saying this was responsible for lack of safe and clean water for use of the people.

The group pointed out that placing political consideration ahead of merit in appointing people to key positions in the ministry could take the nation many years back in its effort to provide clean and safe water for Nigerians.

“We have many qualified trained water engineers in the country but they are often overlooked. How then do we contribute to the nation’s development? They have ideas but nobody seems to care about their expertise and experience.”