Ekiti, Delta, and five states are to receive $50 million World Bank facility to develop “specific” water projects.
The other states are Katsina, Imo, Plateau, Kaduna and Bauchi.
The $50 million, according to the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, is part of the $700 million loan provided by the World Bank water supply to be boosted across the country.
Adamu spoke at the weekly Ministerial Briefing, organised by the Presidential Communications Team, in Abuja yesterday. He said the outcry over the National Water Resources Bill was unnecessary.
He said: ”Some certain criteria were set up by the World Bank and us(Federal Government). And the states had to meet these eligibility criteria. The projects are summarised into two or three, I think there are tiers one and two. Tier one is made up of those that will get a substantial amount, maybe $50 or $60 million for the urban schemes”
The minister explained that the government has taken a firm decision to regulate water delivery system, as no data exists to effectively reform the sector.
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On the Water Resources bill, he said, “we’re still working with the National Assembly on this bill. I think probably they were so engrossed with the PIB (Petroleum Industry Bill) and the Electoral Bill, which are of course, serious national priorities, and they were not able to come to talk about it.
”The Water Resources Bill was deliberately politicised. In any case, 96 to 97 percent of the provisions in that bill are already existing in four different laws.
“We are democratising the process of Water Resources development in this country. And some people went to town and say that we want to cheat people.”
