Nation
FG Expresses Commitment To Acceding Water Convention
The Federal Government through the Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, expressed commitment to acceding Water Convention.
Adamu stated this in his opening address while declaring a 3-Day National Advocacy/Sensitisation Workshop on Nigeria’s Accession to the ‘Convention on the Protection and Use of Trans-boundary Watercourses and International Lakes’ for Key Stakeholders open in Abuja.
He said acceding to the convention provides an additional legal and institutional cooperation framework essential in the management of these trans-boundary waters.
He said: “Acceding to the Water Convention is important to us as a country because the two main surface water bodies in Nigeria, namely, rivers Niger and Benue are trans-boundary in nature.
“Another trans-boundary water body is the Lake Chad which is shared by four countries including Nigeria. This is not peculiar to Nigeria as more than 40percent of the universal populations depend on trans-boundary waters for their livelihoods.
“Therefore, acceding to this convention provides an additional legal and institutional cooperation framework which is essential in the management of these trans-boundary waters to ensure environmental sustainability, economic growth, and conflict prevention.”
He also maintained that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources is desirous of contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 which seeks to – “Ensure Availability and Sustainable management of water and Sanitation for all”.
“Target 6.5 focuses on trans-boundary cooperation to implement integrated water resources management and the Water Convention is an excellent tool to achieve this target.
“Be rest assured that the ministry will do all in its power to facilitate Nigeria’s accession to the UN Water Convention.
“I urge you to give this workshop the attention it deserves and look forward to the integrated Accession Roadmap that will be developed during the course of this workshop”, he added.
In a remark, the Chair of the Bureau of the Water Convention, Harry Livv, asserted that, “International practise during last decades show, that principles and obligations of the Water Convention improves water resources management and water governance. So, in large extent there are many positive examples about that.
“During last decade many studies showed, that we all need to pay more attention to ecosystem and water resources as a whole, both for surface and for groundwater.
“Here, enhanced systems for trans-boundary water resource management and implementation of relevant plans are effective and can help.
“Work in frame of Water Convention can also strengthen cooperation in the basins they share; cooperation between countries also. That is very important to have peaceful and constructive management in practice.
“Political will is important factor, as we see in many places.Participation in the Water Convention and compliance with its provisions serve a clear evidence of the willingness of riparian countries to cooperate and thus enhance the eligibility of international funding.
“Funding is key factor to improve real environmental situation in basin. So, I hope, that during this workshop we are able to discuss over several important topics, with the idea speed up accession to the Water Convention.”
In another goodwill message, the Secretary of the Water Convention, Dr Sonja Koeppel, pointed that effective global legal and intergovernmental framework needed for shared waters, including groundwaters.
Koeppel also explained that the Water Convention workshop represents an important milestone and unique opportunity for thoroughly analysing the obligations of the convention, the practical tools it offers to support countries’ efforts, and the benefits associated with its accession.
She said: “At the global level, Nigeria is already a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, commonly referred to as the 1997 Watercourses Convention.
“However, Nigeria, like many other countries worldwide, still faces significant challenges in trans-boundary water cooperation and national water management, such as increasing water scarcity due to economic development and population growth, but also climate change impacts, floods, increasing pollution, and others.
“This leads partly to conflicts and competition over water resources.For this reason, an effective global legal and intergovernmental framework for cooperation and sustainable management of shared waters, including groundwaters, is needed: such a unique platform is provided by the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention).”
According to her, the Water Convention comes with a lot of benefits; which helps countries to address challenges.
“Accession can enable support by the community of parties, experience-sharing with basins and countries worldwide, facilitate access to financing and raising the country profile at the international level.
“It also strengthens national water management and trans-boundary cooperation. It offers a global platform where to bring forward your concerns, challenges and good practices”, she pointed.
Nation
Council Boss Impeached 48 Hours To LG Polls In Katsina
The Chairman of Malumfashi Local Government Council of Katsina State, Maharazu Dayi, has been impeached.
Maharazu Dayi was impeached yesterday by 11 out of 12 councillors, barely two days before the local government elections in the State.
The councillors reportedly took action following allegations of misconduct and poor governance against the chairman after a dispute over the distribution of the council’s Paris Club funds.
The development has sent shock waves across the local government area, especially as the impeached chairman is among those who failed to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest in the forthcoming election.
Nation
Association Tasks Fubara On Rumuwoji Market Phase Three
The Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association, Mile 1, Port Harcourt, has urged the state government to utilise the available spaces within the area to build phase 3 of the Rumuwoji Market in order to solve the ever increasing needs of traders.
The association, which said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, also described as a welcomed development the decision by the state Governor to open the phase 2 of the market for business.
According to the association, “We consider it as an answer to the various cries of the people, because he is a man on a mission who is out to place the interest of Rivers people first. It is a dream come true for the first time for the market to be dully allocated and open for business”
Chairman of the association, Hon Godspower Wobo, who briefed the press shortly after a meeting of the association in Port Harcourt, also urged the public to disregard the activities of some persons whose stock in trade is to cause disaffection in the market.
He said the attention of the association was drawn to the activities of some strange fellows who went about misforming the people about situation in the market, stressing that apart from his association, no other group exists in the market except subdiary unions.
Wobo also tasked the reallocation committee to tread with caution so as to avoid being deceived by any group.
According to him, time has come for the state government to engage in robust discussion with aggrieved shop owners who went to court and those who paid monies to the state coffers and issued with allocation certificates for the overall interest of peace.
He also advised the public to deal directly with his association, stressing that the meeting was to review activities for the last year as well as unveil their new Constitution.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the association, Deacon Kenneth Eze urged the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to open the phase 2 of the market, as it is long overdue.
Eze who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association also urged the public to do business with only the Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association as it is the only union recognised by the traders.
Nation
AfDB President Denies 2027 Presidential Ambition
The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has debunked reports linking him with the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Reacting to the report on his X handle yesterday, following a recent interview with Arise TV, the AfDB boss said his quotes were misrepresented and misinterpreted in several Nigerian media reports.
However, the AfDB president denied the media reports, stating that he never said that he wanted to contest for President.
“A segment of my recent interview on @Arise TV has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.”
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina said.
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