By John Peters
The affirmative impacts of the water value chain on the entire universe and global communities cannot be overstressed. Many logicians support the aphorism “water is life” because human existence in every ramification relies on the availability of the water value chain. The entire universe cannot function for a second without H2O; thus, water is the air we breathe. It shelters us, and machines cannot be made without water. Every living and non-living thing begins and ends with water. Subsequently, “water is indeed life.” Life without water is meaningless.
Thanks to the late Afro-beat artist Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who praised the neutrality of water in one of his albums. Though many may interpret Fela’s song on water as having no time to keep enmity, if he were alive today, I would have given him accolades for praising water’s neutral stance. Fela anchored that water has no enemy, as even adversaries cannot do without water.
Besides, the Bible describes the world as being without form and void, with the spirit of God moving upon the waters (Genesis 1:2). This means the universe came to meet water on earth. I would have loved to sing more praises of water, but I must switch to the main issue that motivated me to write this piece: the impactful policies of Professor Joseph Utsev, the present Honorable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
No doubt some readers may have different views regarding his policies; however, facts don’t lie, and technology has made every segment of human existence and the global community transparent. So, I may be correct in respect of the facts at my disposal to appraise his remarkable policies on the water value chain in Nigeria.
The positive policies of Professor Utsev, a thoroughbred engineer with a proficient touch, cut across over 80,000 council wards that formed the 777 local government areas in Nigeria. His leadership has positively impacted every segment of Nigeria. To say the Federal Ministry of Water Resources under President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s administration is renewing Nigerians’ hope in water supply, sanitation, and economic purposes could be an exaggeration. However, Professor Utsev’s visionary leadership style, attested to by experts as the best thing that has happened to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources since its establishment, is beyond imagination. His technocratic display of leadership prowess has placed the water resources ministry on the map of best-performing countries in the water value chain.
To say the Federal Ministry of Water Resources under the administration of His Excellency President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is renewing Nigerians’ hope in the area of water supply, sanitation and using water for economic purposes could be said to be an exaggeration. This is true because the visionary leadership style of Professor Joseph Utsev which many experts in the water value chain attested to as the best thing that has ever happened to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources since her establishment is not just beyond imagination but a wonder and technocratic display of professionalism which in all standard is placing the water resources ministry under the renewed hope mantra of his Excellency President Ahmed Bola Tinubu on the map of best-performing countries in the water value chain.
His technocratic display of unimaginable leadership prowess on assumption in office, having devoted the best of his time as an erudite scholar for the past 17 years with broad knowledge and experience on water sanitation, hit the ground running as Nigeria’s Honorable Minister for Water Resources by instantly putting up suitable modalities to curb the then high rate of flooding in the year 2023 raining season which caused a lot of devastation across the 36 states of Nigeria especially the flood-prone areas in Nigeria.
He also in the year 2023 on assumption in office achieved a lot in the area of erosion control especially in the south-eastern region of Nigeria, which before he was appointed Honorable Minister for Water Resources caused a lot of havoc in most of the communities in the five state in south-east Nigeria. At this moment, due to the visionary leadership styles of Professor Joseph Utsev as Honorable Minister for Water Resources, most of the communities seriously damaged as a result of erosion in Nigeria especially in the southeast geo-political zone in Nigeria can now have a sigh of relief. His combined proficient efforts with the state minister of water resources Barrister Goronyo are also yielding positive results, especially in the area of dry season farming which normally commences after raining season.
To achieve greater output in the area of irrigational farming, he and the minister of state Barrister Muhammed Goronyo initiated an irrigational farming campaign across the six geo-political zones within the federation and the riverine areas in particular. As expected, the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) as a result of the irrigational farming system is increasing beyond imagination, especially in the area of fruit farming, rice and other cash crops. The 12 River Basin area in Nigeria is also receiving qualitative attention from Professor Joseph Utsev’s fantastic and highly productive leadership style. On his assumption in office, he hit the ground running by holding frequent meetings with the twelve Managing Director of the 12 River Basin Authority in Nigeria.
The aim is to arouse them to come up with workable policies that can be used to cushion or even to alleviate the suffering of Nigerian masses through the use of water to initiate projects that have positive impacts on every Nigerian in the area of rural, urban and economic development. After the meeting with the Managing Director of the Twelve River Basin Development Authority, he embarked on a tour of all the River Basin headquarters for firsthand information about their operation to know the precise challenges they are facing. During most of the tour, he was moreover able to visit the locations of the Earth warn dam established by the federal government but needed the necessary professional touch to keep them functional to boost the economy of the country.
A prominent earth warn dam visited in the course of his national tour was; the Hadeja Dam in Kano, Kano State. Due to space constraints; I may not be able to highlight all his earthshaking achievements over the last year of piloting the affairs of Nigeria’s water resources value chains, which is making his name become a topic of discussion in every nook and cranny of Nigeria. However, let me highlight just a few! Professor Utsev as a technocrat in the water sector clearly defines dreams and visions for Nigeria’s water value chain, on assumption in office, initiated the taken off of the fractional commercialization policies of the 12 River Basin Development Authority across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. The aim is to boost productivity and to as well fuel effective service delivery.
For instance, during his tour to the Hadeja water Dam in Kano, Kano State, he commissioned some projects that have good positive impacts on people, especially in the area of job creation which of course will boost the economy of Nigeria especially the indigenes of Kano State. Before I forget, his impacts on the staff welfare in the Ministry and all the agencies, parastatal and commissions domiciled under the Federal Ministry of Water Resources is second to none. A mere look at the staff working at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources will convince an individual that they are doing very well all thanks to the good leadership prowess of Professor Utsev who is doing his best that their emolument is constantly paid to boost their working spirit.
The infrastructure of the ministry is also receiving good attention above all in the area of renovations and provisions of working tools. It is also on record that the 777 LGA in Nigeria including the six area councils in Abuja is receiving serious attention in the area of providing constant pipe-borne water as well as rehabilitating some of the water plants that for so many years have been in comatose. It is given this few out of his tremendous mindboggling encouraging performance across the board both at the rural and urban areas that experts in the water sector and community development commentators are daily singing his praises by saying that if at all there is any minister that deserves excellent award or reward for keeping to the renewed hope agenda of His Excellency President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, such person should be Honorable Minister for water resources Professor Joseph Utsev.
*Peters writes from Lagos