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THE NATION FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012
‘Greed, corruption bane of Nigeria’s development’ •Continued from Page 15 Onokerhoraye described social services which include schools, health, water, power and road infrastructures as part of development, saying that people all over the world yearn for these services. He also lauded the administrative style of Comrade Adams Oshiomole in Edo State for providing qualitative leadership through the provision of these social services in the last three years. He said the essence of the international colloquium is to review the provision of social service in Nigeria in the last 30 years, identify areas the country has peformed well and chart the way forward. “I feel very much happy that this is taking place today in my honour and also in relation to what I’ve done over 30 years ago,” he said. In a lead paper presentation titled Water Provision and Management in Nigeria, Challenges and Pospects delivered by Boniface Egboka, a professor of Hydrogeology and Vice Chancellor, Nnamd Azikive Unversity, Awka, Egboka pointed out that water is life and providing and managing
water and its attendant resources are highly essential if Nigeria is to achieve sustainable development goals as planned and envisaged. He said poor and inadequate service delivery in the water sector over the last 30 years has exacerbated major incidents of poverty and impairment of public health and that several initiatives by government at all levels to provide potable and sustainable water supplies have not yielded the desired results. Painting a gloomy picture, Egboka regretted that “three years to the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), government at all levels as well as public water and sanitation agencies in Nigeria still lack the human and financial resources to provide adequate water and sanitation infrastructure services for the total populace”. “Water supply services in Nigeria are irregular and unreliable. It is shrouded in poor educational training, weak institutional framework, weak data base, fragmented responsibility, weak strategic plan of action and poor management. This situation has adversely com-
I feel very much happy that this is taking place today in my honour and also in relation to what I’ve done over 30 years ago •Continued from Page 15 our priorities right, in order to cope with the challenges of our time in this global village. “We cannot continue with military campaigns and capturing of kingdoms to pay tribute to us, as our forefathers did. “We shall give up fighting wars to attract foreign investment into our land, in order to bring about economic development. If we choose the path of peace, every Jukun would be better”. Kente donated the sum of N10 million, through the Ajikwen Educational Trust Fund (AETF), to assist Jukun youths go to school, noting that “education (not fighting) is the life wire of the modern society”.
•Participants at the colloqium pounded the challenges of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of water resource delivery projects” Reeling out statistics, Egboka in the paper presentation said the country has four large surface water basins providing opportunities for migrated agriculture as well as fisheries. “The two longest, the Niger Basin and Lake Chad Basin cover 83% of the country. Rivers and lakes make up approximately 16% of Nigeria’s total surface area. Two river systems-The Chad and Niger Benue dominate the country’s hydrology
in Nigeria. Nigeria has an annual internal renewable water resources of 221 cubic kilometers, 69% of water is used for agriculture, 21% for domestic uses and 10% for industry. 47% of the total population (30% of the rural population) has access to safe water,” he said. Egboka also identified the unavailability of accurate data and non absence of sanitation object as twin challenges in water and sanitation issues in Nigeria. He also noted that majority of the 774 local government areas in the country do not have water, sanita-
Jukun celebrate peace Wukari Local Government Council Chairman, Hon. Dan’Azumi Agbu said the continents and different countries were moving towards urbanization, they were still upholding their cultures and traditions. “Jukun has a rich culture, which we must not allow it to decay. We cover almost all parts of the country, unfortunately unity is eluding us as a nation. It is my hope that this occasion would rekindle the lost glory, unity and strength of the Jukun kingdom”, he said.
The Aku-Uka, His Royal Majesty Dr. Shekarau Angyu welcome the audience to his palace and the ancient city –Wukari, which he said was established some 400-years ago. He said the occasion was being celebrated in the recent past but the latest event was special; all the Kwararafa descendants, which he said exist in 24 states of the federation, were brought together. The Jukun ruler proposed to establish a large Kwararafa Ethnic Nationalities Museum to preserving their
various cultures. He concluded his address by suing for peace and unity of purpose, for development. Aku-Uka said: “let me use this opportunity to remind you that the Kwararafa was not only an organized society, it was a great civilization. “We the descendants have every reason to show good example by living in peace and harmony with all our brothers and sisters in Nigeria. “To build a better tomorrow, we must remain law abiding to continue to support government policies and programmes, and as well, pursue education with vigour, especially now that a federal university has been established in our community”. Former Governor of Nasarawa State
tion and hygiene (WASH) departments which contributes to the inadequate water and sanitation budgets in the local councils. He posited that there is need for greater participation of non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations in water supply, sanitation and management programmes as government has limited capacity to take behavioral change intervention required in achieving the water and sanitation millennium development goals.
and Guest Speaker at the occasion, Alh. Aliyu Akwe Doma traced the history of the Kwararafa confederacy to embrace a plethora of ethnic groups like the Alago, Igala, Geomai, Igbirra, Yala, Rindre, Chamba, Idoma, Etulo and Koro, among others. All these tribes, he said, once lived side by side. Doma said, in spite of the military exploits of the Jukuns, “they were neither colonialists nor oppressors. He said: “this festival and carnival should be used to enhance inter-ethnic and cross-cultural interactions in our efforts to mould our diversity in unity. We the Kwararafa descendants have a great deal in common. “Our children need to grow together, know themselves and study the past, towards the understanding and revival of Kwararafa within the context of modernity and the Nigerian nation”. High point of the two-day occasion was the honour and chieftaincy titles conferred on some illustrious sons of the Kwararafa kingdom.
We the descendants have every reason to show good example by living in peace and harmony with all our brothers and sisters in Nigeria
•Chairman, Yaba Local Council Development Area, Hon. Jide Jimoh (left) and former Director, Lagos Ministry of Local Government, Alhaji Fatai Oluwole during a training for clerical officers in conjunction Southern Bridge Limited Management Consultancy in Lagos