Speaking when he met with Suleiman Adamu, minister of water resources, on Tuesday, Bello said Hongao Mining Company Limited acted against Nigeria’s mining policy.

The company operates with water from a stream in Kutasa in Karshi area of the FCT under the protection of officers of the Nigerian police force.

The stream is the only water source for at least six communities in the area. The villagers, mostly farmers, said some of them drink from it.

A laboratory analysis carried out on the water confirmed that it is highly turbid and unfit for drinking.

In the analysis done at the FCT water board, Okobi O. Y. who signed the report on behalf of the general manager, said the “physio-chemical analysis shows high levels of turbidity, nitrate and iron” and that “water may need further treatment”.

Austine Akpuma, a director at Hongao, had admitted the company was using the water in washing excavated stones, but he gave security challenge as an excuse for not providing a borehole since they started operation in 2019.

Kenechukwu Offie, spokesman of the ministry of water resources, said in a statement that the two ministers and officials of the Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC) met in Abuja to discuss the development.

He said the FCT minister “noted with dismay that the company undertaking the mining activities in Kutasa Community was not granted lease to mine gold in that Community”.

On his part, Adamu told the session that he directed the NIWRMC to investigate the matter after he learnt of the development.

“The outcome of the investigation revealed that ‘Gold’ mining activities was taking place in that Community,” the statement added.

“Engr. Adamu said that the report from Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission indicated ‘a red flag’ to us that must not be allowed to fly further.

“Engr. Adamu, therefore, reiterated that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, will not allow the experience of Niger State where people died of lead poisoning to repeat itself in FCT.

“The FCT Minister corroborated the Hon. Minister of Water Resources’s position that the various reports would need to be harmonised into a working document before they take up the matter with the Minister of Mines and Steel Development.”

NIWRMC had vowed to ensure that Hongao Mining Company Ltd provides an alternative water supply for the community after indicting the company for water pollution.

Magashi Bashir, executive director of NIWRMC, had said: “For us, in terms of integrated water resources management, a polluter pays. They have to go and clean that river or they pay for the cleaning of that river to come back to its original state. They have committed something and they are liable to it.”

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Suleiman is the first patient to die of the disease in the state.

Speaking with journalists on Sunday at Lafia, the state capital, Abdullahi Sule, governor of the state, confirmed the demise of the lawmaker.

He said Suleiman died before the result of his test came back positive.

The governor said the house of assembly complex would be closed and all lawmakers quarantined to curb a further spread of the virus.

Sule also said the state has returned about 788 almajiri children to their home states.

On Tuesday, the governor confirmed the state’s first COVID-19 case.

He said the patient is a 25-year-old lady who recently travelled from Kano state to Kokona local government area in Nasarawa.

Currently, Nasarawa has nine confirmed cases of the disease.

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The approval was given at a meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.

Confirming the loan approval, Suleiman Adamu, minister of water resources, said it will be obtained from the China-Exim Bank for the Gurara II Hydropower projects aimed at generating 360 megawatts of electricity.

In 2017, the federal government concluded plans to secure a loan of $550 million from the China Import Export Bank for the acquisition of two new communications satellites for the Nigeria Communications Limited.

In 2018, the federal government had also negotiated a loan of about $6 billion with the Chinese bank for the construction of the Ibadan-Kano rail line.

Speaking on Monday in Nairobi, Kenya, Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, allayed fears over reports that assets built with Chinese loans in some African countries would be taken over by the Asian giant if the countries default.

He said the loan agreement between Nigeria and China does not involve forfeiture of some Nigerian infrastructure if the country failed to pay back.

“I don’t know the arrangement these countries made with Exim Bank, I do not think we will have any problems with repaying our loans,” the minister said.

“The countries that they are talking about are Kenya, Somalia and Sudan. These are countries that have not been able to repay their loans, I think. So what they (China) are doing is that they are taking over to manage and get their money. But it is not so in Nigeria.”

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Buhari, who spoke through the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, during the inauguration of a multi-billion naira water project at Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, said he loves Igbo people.

The President said that the people of the South-East geopolitical zone should rest assured that he woulld fulfil every promise he made to them.

The minister said, “President Muhammadu Buhari holds Igbo people in high esteem and will do everything within his reach and power to fulfil his promises to the people of the region.”

He explained that the water project, which was initiated by Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu (Imo North), was appropriated in the 2019 budget estimate.

According to Adamu, the project will make clean water available to the people of Ehime Mbano.

Speaking at the event, Uwajumogu said his constituents would support Buhari’s re-election bid.

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He said the Federal Government would also eliminate open defecation in the country by 2025, according to the country’s 15-year Partnership For Expanded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) programme.

It was designed to build on previous efforts and also complement existing water and sanitation strategies, by instituting a coordination and prioritisation framework for project delivery.

Adamu explained that the programme has been broken down into stages, with Phase1, from 2016 to 2018, being the preparatory stage.

The Phase 11, which is from 2019 to 2025) is the expansion phase, while the Phase 111 would run from 2026 to 2030.

Adamu said the overarching goal of PEWASH is to contribute to improvements in public health and eradication of poverty in Nigeria.

The minister cited the key issues affecting the sector to include low political will, weak governance, poor data management, and poor sector funding.

Others are low private participation and emergency coordination.

He stressed the need to increase access to water in small towns/urban areas, public institutions, schools, market, offices, and public places.

In a related development, WaterAid Nigeria has urged government to provide water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools.

This, it said, would facilitate safe and private spaces for schoolgirls to manage their periods hygienically.

The country Representative Dr. Chichi Aniagolu-Okoye stated this Wednesday during the celebration of World Menstrual Hygiene day in Abuja.

The country representative explained that menstrual hygiene management is not just about providing sanitary pads, but also helping young girls and people around them.

These include the men in their lives to have the information, awareness and knowledge around the issue.

“It is about helping girls to have confidence to manage their hygiene safely and with dignity.

“It is also to ensure that wherever they are, provision is made for them to manage their menstrual periods safely and hygienically and for the products to be collected and disposed effectively,” she said.

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The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the assurance in Sabke, Katsina State, during the commissioning and handing over of three water supply schemes on Monday.

He said the three water supply projects, for Sabke, Dutsi and Mashi communities, started in 1998 but were abandoned by subsequent administrations.

Alhaji Mohammed said the commissioning of the three water projects marked the second time in a week that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources was inaugurating a completed water supply scheme, following the one in Edo State last Thursday.

“The commissioning of these projects fits into our ongoing agenda to showcase the achievements of the Buhari Administration, especially in the area of Infrastructure where the Administration has spent an unprecedented 2.7 trillion Naira in just two years,” he said.

The Minister recalled that the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture had recently kick started a nationwide tour of Federal Government projects as part of efforts to showcase such projects.

He said the team had inspected ongoing work on the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Guage Rail, which is the first leg of the Lagos-Kano Standard Guage Rail Project.

“We then followed up by touring the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where work has been epileptic until this Administration came into office

“Our next stop was the commissioning of an erosion and deflooding project in Osogbo – an Ecological Fund project – last week, which has given the people of the Osun State capital a new lease on life.

“From there, we inspected the Oyo-Ogbomoso road, the dualisation of which was awarded in 2010 and expected to be ready by 2013 but has been stalled due to lack of funds until this Administration assumed office. Today, we are here to commission three key water projects.

“What these show is that this Administration is delivering on its promises to ensure better life for Nigerians, irrespective of what the naysayers are saying,” Alhaji Mohammed said.

In his remarks, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, said the Sabke Dam, Irrigation and Water Supply Project was first conceived in 1998, and that after several years of neglect, the project was completed and commissioned by the present administration.

Adamu, who commissioned and handed over the projects, said the Sabke Water Supply Scheme is a conventional Water Treatment Plant with the capacity to provide 1 million gallons per day of potable water to Daura and Mai’adua areas.

“The Dutsi and Mashi Water Schemes are package plants with each having capacity to provide 1,000 m3/day or about 250,000 gallons of treated water per day to Dutsi and Mashi inhabitants. In all, the three plants have a combined capacity to serve over 100,000 people daily. We have also provided for the construction of 38 borehole schemes to serve all the villages along the Sabke-Daura water transmission pipeline,” he said.

Dignitaries at the occasion include the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Faruk Umar, and the Secretary to the Government of Katsina State, Dr. Mustapha Inuwa, who represented the State Governor.

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Adamu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that this had shown the impact of climate change as it was affecting livelihoods in parts of the country.

He said the ministry had carried out assessment of the dam two years ago, with obvious devastating evidences, saying that the recent visit had revealed an immediate threat.

“Well, I am really shocked about what I saw, you will probably recall that in less than two years ago, I was there and was marveling at the amount of water that remained in the dam.

“And to come and see this desolate place in less than two years, I think it is mind bugling.

“Obviously, we can see the effect of climate change right on our doorsteps, for those that were skeptical about it, this is real’’.

He said Goronyo Dam, which was the second largest earth dam in the northern part of the country, was built to store one billion cubic metres of water, saying that its reduction to only 10 per cent of its required storage was alarming.

“We didn’t expect this from such a large dam, but then for the fact that it has happened showed that we have a serious challenge of climate change,’’ he said.

The minister said the ministry would set up a technical committee, which would consists of team of experts to look at the issues, saying that climate change was not the only issue affecting the dam.

Adamu listed poor watershed management, deforestation, irrigation system, waste and poor management of Hydrology in the catchment area as some of the factors affecting the dam.

He urged the National Assembly to pass the bill on the National Water Resources to enable the establishment of a comprehensive law to allow setting up of a catchment modeling committee to manage Nigeria’s water bodies.

According to him, the idea of desilting the dam is not an option as there will be the issue of where to drop the spoils. This will be too expensive to do.

“It would be better to look for another location to build another dam than to talk about desiltation, we are not ruling it out; we will allow the experts to look at it and advice us holistically.

“There is no quick fix about this; this is a natural phenomenon we are dealing with, if we are lucky, God in his infinite mercy may decides to make the rain to fill up the dam again to the brim

“I am very optimistic about this, anybody that understands hydrology knows that there is a cycle, there is drought, low rainfall and high rainfall, and hopefully it will not happen again.”

The minister said there was the need for all Nigerians to learn from how poor management affected water resources potential, saying that steps must be taken to reverse this trend.

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Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, briefed State House correspondents at the end of a NEC meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He was with Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo and the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, at the briefing.

Obaseki said “The NEC also resolved through the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum to support the effort of the Federal Government in the area of security.

“Pleased with the achievement that had been recorded till date in the fight against insurgency particularly in the North East, the governors of Nigeria through their chairman announced at the NEC meeting that the governors have given permission to the federal government to spend the sum of $1 billion in the fight of insurgency. This money is supposed to be taken from the Excess Crude Account.”

He disclosed that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), in order to have an alliance with states, would organise a retreat for secretaries to the state governments across the federation.

“This retreat will hold from December 18 to 19 and he implored all governors to ensure that all SSGs attend this retreat,”Obaseki said.

According to him, the Council also discussed the issue of fuel scarcity in the country.

“The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources assured Council that within the next 48 hours fuel supply would be restored nationwide because there is enough fuel in our strategic reserves and the ministry has released fuel from these reserves and expects distribution would reach all part of the country within the next 48 hours,” the governor stated.

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In the latest flood alert advice prepared by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources for the country, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, stated that the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, a parastatal of the ministry, had earlier come out with the flood outlook for the country on June 13, 2017.

Adamu stated that the summary of the alert was that approximately 30 states and over 100 local government areas were categorised as high flood risk areas and therefore should expect flooding.

“In the coastal areas, including Lagos, Port Harcourt and Calabar, possible coastal flooding in these places were mentioned in the NlHSA’s flood outlook. However, the case of Lagos State is unique, because it is very low-lying and there is reclamation of wetlands, which ordinarily should be buffers for floods.

“In addition, the rapid urbanisation of the Lagos coastal areas has not been matched with robust drainage provisions as well as adequate seawalls/barriers along the sea stretch.

“It is also important to mention that the monsoon wind (a strong prevailing wind that brings rain), which usually arrives the West African coast around June 22 to September/October, brings in a lot of rain to the land, coupled with the sea rise due to the melting of the glacier in the polar region.”

The minister added, “All these are definitely increasing the amount of water in the low-lying coastal areas of Lagos State. Worthy of note is the fact that the rains did not start early this year, thereby possibly causing long duration torrential downpour and causing unexpected urban/flash floods in areas with non-existing or inadequate drainage systems in the country.”

Adamu stated that urban/flash flood or overflow due to sustained rainfall in the urban cities or semi urban areas could be reduced with effective and adequate drainage systems.

He said, “People must not use this facility as refuse bins, which will block and render the facility useless with the probability of flooding heightened when it rains.

“Furthermore, people in the riverine areas must not erect residential structures on the flood plains as these areas are an extension of the river space. Unfortunately, people have refused to yield to advice.

“It is therefore suggested that state and local governments should do more to enforce environmental laws/town planning guidelines so as to check such uncontrolled physical development activities.”

The minister called for the construction of more reservoirs/dams to harness and harvest the excess water for various uses in agriculture, industry and power.

He said states and local governments should embark on the creation of multipurpose artificial lakes.

“It is hereby reiterated that individuals, communities, LGAs, and state government must always do the needful before, during and after the rains,” Adamu added.

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The ministers include retired General Abdulrahman Dambazau of Kano, Zainab Adam from Kaduna, Senator Hadi Srika from Katsina and Suleiman Adamu from Jigawa State.

The fourth batch of four new ministers were earlier sworn in inside the council chambers of the Presidential Villa.

The ministers include former Ekiti governor, John Kayode Fayemi, Godfrey Onyema from Enugu, Amina Mohammed, former Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs as well as Assistant Secretary General and Special Assistant to the UN General Secretary. She is representing Gombe.

The last in this group is Anthony Onwuka representing imo State.

The third batch of four new ministers are currently being sworn in inside the council chambers of the Presidential Villa.

The ministers include Usani Usoro from Cross Rivers State, Ibe Kachukwu from Delta State, Ogbonnaya Onu from Ebonyi State as well as Osagie Ehanire from Edo State.

The second batch of four new ministers have just been sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The ministers are Senator Heineken Lokpobiri representing Bayelsa State, Audu Ogbe representing Benue State, Adamu Adamu representing Bauchi State and Hon. Sogori representing Borno State.

Earlier, the first batch of four comprising Chris Ngige, Udoma Udo Udoma, Muhammed Musa Bello, and Elamah representing Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa and Abia states respectively.

The programme is being anchored by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, the ministers are being sworn in in nine batches.

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