Armed Conflict Threatens Water Availability, Say UNESCO, Fordmax

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and a firm advocating for water supply in the country, Fordmarx Nigeria Ltd, have called on the federal government to address the ongoing armed conflict in the country as it threatend water availability.
The duo said the ongoing crimes of insurgency, armed banditry and spiralling kidnapping in many parts of the country could compound the situation if not urgently addressed.
The Head of the UNESCO office in Nigeria, Abdourahamane Diallo and the Executive Director of FordMarx, Oforbuike Clifford,
spoke at an event organised to commemorate the World Water Day in Abuja.
Diallo, however, assured the Nigerian government of the UNESCO’ s readiness to help the country on its sustainable water management.
“Conflict can excabate water. The existing water crisis in the country. The linkages between water and armed conflict are complex. Sustainable water management leads to prosperity and peace depending on the decisions taken by the government.
“We will continue to support the Nigerian government on its sustainable water management of water resources for peace and prosperity as well as achieving the SDG goal six, ” he said.
Nnaji said he planed to create 50 million jobs through solar powered irrigation and increase access to potable water to all Nigerians.
He said no Nigerian should lack potable water if not for corruption in the country.
He said while water is commonly attributed to life, water can also be a purveyor of death if contaminated.
He said Nigeria has been bedevilled with the challenge of how to make safe water available and affordable to the people.
“Governments have come and gone, water projects have been established here and there, policies have been made, including ones not implemented, all aimed at tackling the challenge of availability and affordability of safe water, but regrettably these have not addressed the issues in the water sector.
“Inefficient governance systems, corruption, among others, have made it impossible for policies and efforts aimed at addressing the challenge of safe water provision in Nigeria to be realised. Nigerians still drink unwholesome water and rely on all manner of unclean water for their domestic activities” he said .
Nnaji said Fordmarx Nigeria Ltd as part of its contribution plans to donate 37 solar-powered water boreholes to all the States of the Federation and FCT.
“This is in addition to a separate 37 solar powered irrigation projects in all the States”, he said.
He added that the firm was also offering to train free-of-charge, 10 engineers and technicians, per state of the federation including FCT, “thereby empowering at least 370 trained engineers and technicians in the industry, in Nigeria”.
“Subject to the requisite cooperation of the various Governments throughout Nigeria, it is our ultimate desire to create a minimum of 37 million jobs in our industry, across the States and the FCT”, he said.
Speaking further, he said the initiative when accomplished would increase access to good potable water, good health, and food security, through the modem solar-powered irrigations infrastructure.
“In fact, without doubts, solar-powered irrigations infrastructure alone, can create more than 50 million jobs nationwide, in just one year alone”, he said.
He further expressed willingness to “partner security agencies by donating solar-powered water boreholes, based on our mutual assessment of their needs for same”.