(Minna)
As part of measures to check indiscriminate waste disposal, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger state has signed into law, a bill establishing Niger State Water and Sewage Corporation passed by the Niger State House of Assembly.
The State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Nasara Dan-Malam, disclosed this on Thursday,while briefing newsman after the weekly State Executive Council (SEC) meeting at the Government House, Minna.
The commissioner explained that enforcement of the law started from March 25, 2020.
“The essence of establishing the Water and Sewage Corporation law is to achieve a developed water and sewage system that would not only be autonomous but commercially viable capable of adding to the revenue of the state,” he said.
Dan-Malam said with the daily increase in population,due to the influx of people into Niger state, the state could no longer cope with inefficient and non-sustainable delivery of safe, clean drinking water for commercial and personal use of the people.
The attorney-general said, “Establishing the Water and Sewage Corporation is the climax of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
“It is a sponsored, Effective Water Sanitation and Hygiene (E-WASH) programme that seeks to give access to potable water to the 150, 000 households in six states across the country, Niger state inclusive.”
In a related development, Bello has also signed into law, a bill for the Niger State-owned tertiary institutions’ academic staff mandatory retirement age from 60 years to 65 years.
Dan-Malam, who also disclosed this said the decision was borne out of the conviction that the older the academic staff,the better their performances.
“The older the lecturers, the better in academic performances of academic staff and we cannot afford to lose them early.
“That is why the Governor finds it very necessary to review the bill which will be to the benefit of the government and people of the state,”he added.
