Water resource Bill

Water Resources Bill and What It Means To You

The Water Resources Bill at the National Assembly has joined the list of controversial proposed legislations generating outrage from Nigerians. Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka criticised the bill saying it gives the president “absolute control over the nation’s entire water resources”. What is it about this bill attracting such a wide public condemnation and allegations? We will explain why some of the provisions in the bill is generating wide outrage from Nigerians.


Section 98: Licensing Section 98 of the bill states that “the use of water shall be subject to licencing provisions.”

This simply means that anyone that wants to embark on any water project will have to get a license from a designated government agency.


Section 104: Emergency powers in case of shortage of water.

The bill will empower the government to “direct a person who has a supply of water in excess of his needs for domestic purposes to reduce the amount he is permitted to abstract under the terms of any license or general authorization.”


Section 107: License may be canceled

This section says that a license may be canceled if the licensee “fails to make beneficial use of the water.”


Section 120: Nigerians must get a permit before drilling boreholes.

Due to lack or ineffectiveness of the public water system, Many Nigerians fall back on a private water system, that is, drilling boreholes in their homes. However, Section 120 of the proposed water law makes it compulsory for Nigerians to obtain a driller’s permit before sinking a borehole in their homes.


Section 125: Entry onto land in furtherance of duties.

“An authorized person’ may, at any reasonable time and on the production of their identity card or other instrument or certificate of designation if so required, enter a property with the necessary persons, vehicles, equipment and material in order to carry out routine inspections of the use of water or disposal of wastewater under any authorization.”


Section 131: Non-compliance

No person shall use water otherwise than as permitted under this Act.


In summary, the bill seeks to put control of water directly under the federal government and clip the wings of state and local government authorities. The bill if passed into law will also stop individuals from making use of the water in their backyard without a permit from the federal government.

Endsars people power

How Nigerian Youth Found Voice With #EndSARS Protests

What began as a hashtag campaign – #EndSARS – with a demand by youth to disband Nigeria’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a special unit of the Nigerian Police Force, has grown to become a rallying cry demanding good governance, challenging bad infrastructure, massive unemployment, increasing poverty, and a need to improve the general standard of living for Nigerians.


Young Nigerians have used the #EndSARS campaign to grab the attention of the international community to issues affecting them. They have shown how to utilize social media as an ally and a powerful tool for civic engagement and activism. Through social media, they shared updates, alerted each other about local protests, crowdfunded to pay for protesters’ food, water and medical supplies as well as bail and legal fees. The well-organized protests had no clear-cut organisers or leaders other than aggrieved youths bonded by pains inflicted by police brutality and a desire to achieve a better Nigeria. Soro Soke, a Yoruba phrase which translates to “Speak Up”, became the mantra for the movement. This is apt as the youth in Nigeria have found their voice to speak up against social injustice, systemic corruption, and bad governance. With close to 100 million people under 30 years old, the Nigerian government can no longer ignore the voice of its young people; and they demand change! An #EndSARS protester held up a placard that sums up the situation: “The power of the people is stronger than the people in power.”


In response to pressure from protesters, the Nigerian Police Force announced on October 18, 2020 that they will dissolve SARS and reassign its officers. Unfortunately, this same script has been played out several times with no real change. But this time young people in Nigeria have realized they have power! What started as a grass-roots movement with a few tweets to end police brutality grew to become a global phenomenon. This shows the power of an awakened citizenry. Police brutality may have sparked the protest, but bad governance was the fundamental reason.

Election Candidates


  1. Babajide Sanwo-Olu (All Progressive Congress APC)
  2. Jimi Agbaje (Peoples Democratic Party PDP)
  3. Owolabi Salis (Alliance for Democracy AD)
  4. Babatunde Gbadamosi (Action Democratic Party ADP)
  5. Olufunsho Awe (National Conscience Party NCP)
  6. Adetokunbo Pearse (Social Democratic Party SDP)
  7. Olumuyiwa Fafowora (African Democratic Congress ADC)
  8. Ifagbemi Awamaridi (Labour Party LP)
  9. Joseph Beckley (Accord A)
  10. Temidayo Onileowo (Advanced Congress of Democrats ACD)
  11. Opeyemi Balogun (All Grassroots Alliance AGA)
  12. Adewale Samson (All Grand Alliance Party AGAP)
  13. Musa Mutairu (Advanced Nigeria Democratic Party ANDP)
  14. Oluyinka Oyeniyi (Alliance for New Nigeria ANN)
  15. Johnson Lawrence (Alliance National Party ANP)
  16. Felix Owasanoye (Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance APDA)
  17. Patience Omeebere (Allied Party Movement APM)
  18. Babatunde Lee (Alliance of Social Democrats ASD)
  19. Adeyemi Dauda (Change Advocacy Party CAP)
  20. Uduak Afangireh (Democratic Alternative DA)
  21. Adeyemi Abiola (Democratic Peoples Congress DPC)
  22. Ika Willie (Democratic Peoples Party DPP)
  23. Joseph Ogebule (Freedom and Justice Party FJP)
  24. Kehinde Orji (Green Party of Nigeria GPN)
  25. Adekunle Abiola (Independent Democrats ID)
  26. Ifedayo Olorungbohunmi (Justice Must Prevail Party JMPP)
  27. Ishola Atoyebi (Mass Action Joint Alliance MAJA)
  28. Moses Okintilu (Mass Movement of Nigeria MMN)
  29. Babatunde Aiyeola (Mega Party of Nigeria MPN)
  30. Samuel Odudiran (Nigeria Community Movement Party NCMP)
  31. Akintola Bello (Nigeria Peoples Congress NPC)
  32. Pauline Adegbe (Progressive Peoples Alliance PPA)
  33. Omolara Adesanya (Providence Peoples Congress PPC)
  34. Victor Adeniji (Peoples Party of Nigeria PPN)
  35. Babatunde Sarumi (Peoples Redemption Party PRP)
  36. Yakubu Olateju (Re-build Nigeria Party RBNP)
  37. Uchenna Anyamele (United Democratic Party UDP)
  38. Michael Okereke (United Progressive Party UPP)
  39. Francis Ajayi (Young Democratic Party YDP)
  40. Adebisi Ogunsanya (Young Progressive Party YPP)
  41. Olorunfemi Onikoyi (Zenith Labour Party ZLP).


  1. Ifeanyi Okowa – PDP
  2. Great Ogboru – APC
  3. Brando Omu – AGAP