RUGA Is Back, Gov Ortom Asks MPs To Reject It

By Ella Makondo

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has urged the National Assembly to reject the National Water Resources Bill in the interest of the country, saying the bill was another version of the rejected Ruga policy.

Ortom who  insisted that the bills which seeks to bring all water sources (surface and underground) as well as river banks under the control of the Federal Government through its agencies, was a violation of  the right of Nigerians to their God-given resources.

In a statement the governor’s  Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, noted  that Section 13 of the Bill, states thus: ‘In implementing the principles under subsection (2) of this section, the institutions established under this Act shall promote integrated water resources management and the coordinated management of land and water resources, surface water and ground water resources, river basins and adjacent marine and coastal environment and upstream and downstream interests.

“The Bill is another version of Ruga which objective is to create grazing areas in the 36 states of the federation for herders and their livestock.

The statement commended socio-cultural organisations such as Afenifere, Ohaneze and Middle Belt Forum for speaking against the reintroduction of the Bill at the National Assembly.

It advised legislators in the two chambers of the National Assembly to toe the path of honour by rejecting the Bill like the 8th Assembly did.

The statement therefore, urged the  lawmakers to act as true representatives of the people for the sake of posterity for the interest of the country.

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