Why House Speaker Withdraws Contentious National Water Resources Bill For Fresh Gazetting
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Tuesday, withdrawn the highly contentious National Water Resources Bill for fresh gazetting.
The ruled, followed a back and forth session during the consideration of a Matter of Privilege raised by Hon. Benjamin Mzondu (PDP-Benue), stating that it should be stepped down to enable the House gazette the Bill and approve it before transmitting it to the Senate.
Recall that the same bill was passed by the House of Representatives in the 8th Assembly after it failed as an Executive Bill in the Senate.
However, the National Assembly approved a measure that allows Bills passed before the end of the term of the National Assembly to continue to live through the process of becoming law when a new Congress is inaugurated.
Hon. Mzondu had railed against the transmission of the bill to the Senate insisting that he was not privileged to sight a gazette copy of the bill and hence could not participate in the consideration of the report by the Committee of the Whole.
He said: “I wish to refer to Order 6, Rule 1(1), 2 and 3 and Order 12, Rule 18 to state that I was deprived of my legislative Privilege of sighting a gazetted copy of the National Water Resources Bill HB 921, and such could not participate in the consideration of the report by the Committee of the Whole, which also deprived me of my rights and privilege of representation to my people.
Speaking with our Reporter after the plenary, Hon. Nzondu, said that he wanted the Bill stepped down because of the public outcry by the people of his constituent and Nigerians against it.
According to him: “The National Water Resources Bill has raised so much controversy across the length and breath of this country.
“We in Venue State in particular and other parts of the country along the water body see this bill as a decoy to take our lands.
This bill came in the Eight Assembly, the Senate shut it down even though the House passed. It has come back in the Ninth Assembly and we begin to ask questions to know what is special about this bill that will warrant for it coming over and over.
“Laws are made for good governance, peace and order of Nigeria. When we come up with any law that the people are not comfortable with, the responsibility is on us to immediately reverse it.
The position of the people must be made clear because we are in the chamber by the popular vote of people. The people, especially in the Benue valley have said NO to the National Water Resources Bill.
We looked at it in totality and came to conclusion that the manner and procedure it was introduced and passed was not in conformity with our standing rule.
“There was no room for debate and there are clauses in the bill that must be changed or amended. Until that is done, we will continue to fight it.
“The basi principles of the bill does not support the existence and livelihood of the people at the Benue valley.
In the same vein, Hon. Kpam Jimin Sokpo representing Buruku Federal Constituency, reiterated the fact that the people are not comfortable with this bill.
The lawmaker stated that the National Water Resources Bill contradict the land use act which vest the control of land to the states.
“As it were, the bill is seeks to take away land that is around water bodies to the control of the Federal Government and that contradict not just the land use act but the constitution.
The land around the water body is particularly is good for agriculture and the people of Benue State are largely farmers that depend on land for farming.
“Our people raised their voices and complained bitterly about the positions of the bill. If the bill had gone through the proper procedure we would have voiced our concerns.
Hon. Sokpo assures that if the bill comes back, they would have to look at those positions to ensure that the people are comfortable with them.
