Dialogues: USA Africa Dialogue Series - RE: COME AND GIVE ME WATER, OBI TELLS WATER MINISTER

Opubo G Benebo,

I am not sure States have Commissioners in charge of water, power, science/tech, military etc. There may be Commissioners in-charge of Environment, Land/Housing at the State level. There is the Federal/State exclusive lists in the Nigerian constitution that can help clarify this. The deal is that most Nigerian leaders can be very hypocritical; imagine giving the impression that some of them are trying to save Haitians while Nigerians are dying and they can't save them. In this Day and Age, these leaders are running about in the international community, trying to show they GAT IT; but guess what: there is no village, town or City in Nigeria with clean pipe-borne water, convenience (rest rooms etc), electricity, or any major City with mass-transit system, waste/sewer management system, et cetera. How serious is such leadership!

That reminds me Of Adams Oshiomhole's notable quote that he reiterated in Atlanta over the weekend (at the Annual Conference of Afenmai World Congress): "The Purpose of Governance is Welfare of the People and Development of Society. The problem with Nigeria is that the nation has enough to take care of the people and develop the society but not enough for the insatiable GREED of most of the leaders."

Take care. JUI

From: NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com [mailto:NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Alabo Opubo
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 12:16 PM
To: naijaintellects@googlegroups.com
Cc: nidoa@yahoogroups.com; Nora; afenmai@yahoogroups.com; Afenmai Forum; Ajambene; Jua onye isi State; Ogbako Umunee; Oka Nna; ya kpotuba; ndiigbo_forum@yahoogroups.com; Nmenme Ndiigbo; Ama Ndiigbo; Okpo buru na anya; oburu ya omee gini ?onye si na oburo ya; agbara aka na azo ani; Shove truth Down the troat; Punch me I deck U; Bring your baseball bat; TalkNaija
Subject: [NIgerianWorldForum] RE: [Naijaintellects] RE: COME AND GIVE ME WATER, OBI TELLS WATER MINISTER

Greetings Joe I,

It is Abraham Madu who says "HO HA"; sometimes I even wonder if the name Abraham makes him assert the finality to his post, hence the "HO HA"

But I am curious and you probably know this better than I do: Is there no Minister of Water resources in the Amanbara State? After all, water is a need and should be under State rights. No?

Regards,

Opubo G Benebo

There is no earthly hope for a man who is too lazy to acquire enemies [be forthright and you will acquire enemies, be truthful and you will acquire enemies] -- a Noble Canadian.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Naijaintellects] RE: COME AND GIVE ME WATER, OBI TELLS WATER
MINISTER
From: "Igietseme, Joseph (CDC/OID/NCPDCID)" <jbi8@cdc.gov>
Date: Tue, August 10, 2010 8:30 am
To: Ajambene <NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com>, "Jua onye isi State"

The absence of water in EVERY VILLAGE AND TOWN in Anambra is a source of a major disaster that Gov Obi should focus on. May be this will convince Gov Obi that he has no business in Haiti while there is a disaster in Anambra. Somebody said Ho Ha! Take care. JUI

From: NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com [mailto:NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Oderaigbo
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 11:22 AM
To: Jua onye isi State; Ogbako Umunee; Oka Nna; ya kpotuba; ndiigbo_forum@yahoogroups.com; Nmenme Ndiigbo; Ama Ndiigbo; Okpo buru na anya; oburu ya omee gini ?onye si na oburo ya; agbara aka na azo ani; Shove truth Down the troat; Ajambene; Punch me I deck U; Bring your baseball bat; Egbuwara isi group; TalkNaija
Subject: [NIgerianWorldForum] COME AND GIVE ME WATER, OBI TELLS WATER MINISTER

COME AND GIVE ME WATER, OBI TELLS WATER MINISTER

Gov. Peter Obi has called on the Federal Minister of Water Resources, Chief Obadiah Ando to come to the rescue of Anambra State with regard to the provision of Water and other related issues.

Speaking in the Office of the Minister yesterday, Obi said that he had come to thank him for the service to the nation and to bring the critical issue of water problem in the State to him. Obi, who said that Anambra was the only state in the country that he knew that had no functional water scheme, appealed to the Minister to do something urgently on that.

Obi also brought the issue of the Anambra-Imo River Basin Authority to the Minister and, besides other requests, appealed to the Minister to allow Anambra State have a stake in the water contracts awarded by the Basin, especially in the form of allowing the State take ownership with the view of monitoring any contract the Basin executes, insisting that most of the contracts it executed in the past were not executed properly.

Responding, the Minister apologized that he was not able to see the Governor the three times he had sought to see him due to communication gap. He said that the Governor's persistent was a sure sign that he was really a servant interested in the welfare of his people.

The Minister said that Mr. President had given then clear targets on water and that they would meet it. He said that the target had also taken Anambra state into consideration. Speaking further he said that some staff of the Ministry had already visited the State to do some preliminary assessment. Among others, he said that the Ministry would look at the issue of water reticulation in some critical areas in the State, rehabilitate some dysfunctional boreholes, look at Water schemes in the major cities.

Speaking to the press, Gov. Obi said that his Government was reaching out to other investors with regard to the issue of water supply. He said that he was already discussing with some Belgian group and that those efforts did not stop whatever the Federal Government could do.