The National Assembly of Nigeria has received the "2022 National Water Resources Bill", which is now being hurriedly considered by the House of Representatives. The bill is obnoxious, repugnant and as controversial as the 2020 Bill which was widely rejected.

The introduction of the 2022 bill is also opportunistic, satanic, hasty and with inherent controversies which point to an ulterior agenda. While the country is distracted by political debates and fights over candidates and the upcoming 2023 elections, certain elements of the government plan to take advantage of the distraction to pass the bill into law.

But we are not fooled. They can even claim to have consulted with relevant stakeholders. The question is with who, when, where and how? Were you consulted? Which stakeholders are more relevant or critical than the very people whose livelihood and lifestyle are all centred around and dependent on water?

To say the least, the bill is draconian with brazen characteristics of a unitary government. It concentrates enormous powers in the federal government contrary to the popular calls for devolution of powers in a restructured and true federal setup. 

We are therefore not oblivious to the fact that this bill as presently drafted is designed to expropriate our ancestral land and water resources. It is purely for the forceful acquisition of land for battles; another RUGA, a harbinger of calamities and ultimately the destruction of our lives and properties. 

To further betray its agenda, the bill lays emphasis on surface and runoff waters, while providing little or nothing for groundwater resources, which are more in quantity and higher quality and or the devastating effect of flooding. In other words, the bill is technically lacking in content as it excludes the full components of the Hydrological Cycle. It equally ignores the socio-economic, historical and cultural factors in the sustainable development and management of the water resources by the peoples of the Niger Delta. 

We, therefore, call on members of the House of Representatives to do the right and proper thing by rejecting the bill in its entirety. It is incompetent and has no merit as was the case with the Moribund 2020 Bill.

Sign this petition to call on the National Assembly to reject the Water Resources Bill now.