By John Oba Abuja
Th e Governors of the six riparian states of Plateau, Bauchi, Kano, Jigawa, Yobe and Borno, have stated their readiness to take over the ownership of the Hadejia Jama’are Komadugu Yobe Basin-Trust Fund (HJYB-TF). Plateau state Governor, Mr. Simon Lalong, reading the communiqué of the summit of the governors of the six riparian states of the Basin-Trust Fund in Jos, Plateau state said the funding of the Trust Fund be included in the budget of states ministries of water resources on annual basis to ensure its continuity and sustainability.
Lalong said the summit has also resolved for better management of the Trust Fund to amongst other resolutions; reconstitute the Board of trustees, provide the sum of N122,000,000:00 for the operation of the secretariat and provide the sum of N200,000,000:00 counterpart funding for the African Water Facility/AFDB HJKYB Projects of the Basin. Th e Minister of Water Resources, Engr.
Suleiman Adamu, who as represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Musa Ibrahim said the Trust Fund would help the federal government in executing some quick-win interventions programmes that would support livelihoods in the North-Eastern part of the country. Adamu called for the resuscitation of the Trust Fund which has been neglected for the past four years. Saying the over 15 million people of the riparian States are struggling with poverty and unemployment as a result of contentious Water Management issues of the Basin.
“Th e Trust Fund was established to serve as a single shared platform through which the states could provide a sustainable funding mechanism for addressing the most crucial Inter-state Water Management issues of the Basin. “Th e Trust Fund created by the riparian States and the Federal Government has been able to address some Water Resources Management challenges which include, the fl ow of water to undesirable destinations, confl icts resulting from shared resources and the restoration of some livelihoods”, he said
