Pan Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere has urged the National Assembly to drop the controversial Water Resources Bill which was earlier rejected by the 8th Assembly.
In a communique issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin after its national caucus meeting on Monday which was held online and presided over by the leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Afenifere said the bill is dangerous and should be dropped immediately.
The Communique reads, “The meeting reviewed the latest invitation for memoranda by the Senate for constitutional review and observed that the exercise has become a ritual every four years without tangible progress. It would be sad if the country is being taken through another motion without movement in the midst of its constitutional disorder.
“We, therefore, recommend the reports of the 2014 national conference and other profound positions on restructuring as a basis of a meaningful new constitutional order for Nigeria. The mainly pro-federal reports have enough provisions to take Nigeria out of its present crisis.
“The meeting also discussed the Water Resources Bill rejected by the 8th National Assembly which has been revived surreptitiously by the House of Representatives and concluded that a dangerous agenda is being pursued by the Executive in wanting to subvert the Land Use Act in the constitution that vests lands in the states in the govern.
“The bill is so dangerous as it seeks to convert waterways to RUGA facilities for the Federal Government. The bill seeks to give 18km after river banks to the Federal Government when in a state like Lagos you hardly can go beyond a kilometre of any river before meeting residential buildings. We ask that the bill be dropped immediately except there is an agenda to divide the country being pursued frenetically.
“The meeting considered the recent increases in the prices of petroleum products and electricity as the most insensitive policies against people being ravaged by a national pandemic without adequate support from their government. To ask Nigerians to pay more for these facilities is wicked and inhumane. We call on the people to use all constitutional and peaceful means to resist and reject the hikes.”
On Amotekun, they said, “We fully back our governors that being a product of law by federating units , the outfit should be independent and not be muzzled under the failure of single police that necessitated it in the first place. Seeking to take Amotekun over negates the untruth by the federal government that it has commenced restructuring.”
