By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
As the world marks 2018 world water day, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has urged the Nigerian government to prioritize the protection of nature over profits in the pursuit of providing the citizenry portable water for drinking and other uses.
The World Water Day reminds government and peoples about the importance of sustainable management of water. The 2018 theme is Nature for Water and focuses on how to reduce water pollution by exploring nature based solutions to the water challenge and restoring wetlands to improve human lives and livelihood.
In a statement issued by head, media and Campaigns, Philip Jakpor, ERA/FoEN said that for Nigeria the theme is a reminder to government at all levels that water is a human right and in its provision, the livelihoods of people should not be mortgaged to privatizers who, in their bid to sure up profits, cut corners and contaminate water.
ERA/FoEN Deptuy Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi said: “as we mark this global event the Nigerian government must now stop sloganeering and join the rest of the world in taking the responsibility of protecting the environment and nature from the abuse of corporations as priority”.
Oluwafemi explained that transnationals are implicated in the pollution of water sources which ultimately deny the poor access to clean and odorless water. This development has compelled most nations to start adopting democratically-controlled water systems in a growing wave of remunicipalizations.
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