By Tosin Kolade
The Borehole Drillers’ Association of Nigeria (BODAN) has lauded President Bola Tinubu’s renaming of the Ministry of Water Resources to Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation.
The president of the association, Mr Francis Uzoma, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the action was a welcomed development as it would help to improve sanitation in the country.
He urged the minister, Prof. Joseph Utsev, to prioritise funding that would stimulate progress in the country’s water and sanitation sector.
Uzoma said that with improved funding and commitment, the ministry would be able to fast-track and stimulate effective management of the nation’s water and sanitation resources.
“Sanitation needs to be scaled up in terms of funding and investment to ensure that Nigeria is open defecation free in line with the sustainable development goals six.
“Having the sanitation aspect standing would enable priority of attention and more strategies to be scaled up for the needed investments required in the sector.
“A lot of efforts have been put in place by past administrations to achieve the SDG goal six 1 and 2, and in ending open defecation in Nigeria.
“This is a welcome development and it will usher in a renewed hope and vigor in actualising the ministry’s core mandate of ensuring safe water supply and sanitation services for all,” he said.
Uzoma, also the President of Safe Water Global Initiative, pledged the organisation’s commitment to partner with the ministry in ensuring that the administration’s goals and objectives were met.
He said that state governments must do more by prioritising funding for water infrastructure, saying delay in doing so may lead to proliferation of unregulated boreholes in many parts of the country.
“I am confident that the team in the water sector is going to do so well, and my hope is that other state governments would also emulate what the federal government has done in terms of repositioning the ministry to be purpose driven,” he said.
The president said the association had commenced sensitisation of its members on the need to obtain their drilling license and adhere to the National Drilling Code of Practice, saying this would enhance management of water resources of the country.
He said that indiscriminate drilling of boreholes was fueled by the inability of tiers of government to provide potable water for citizens, adding that more effort was needed to change such scenario.(NAN)
