Funmi Lawrence
Mr Suleiman Adamu, the Minister of Water Resources has solicited the support of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Nigerian Chapter to achieve an Open Defecation Free country by 2025.
Adamu made this appeal when the President of the society and his team paid him a courtesy visit on Tuesday in Abuja.
The minister said there was need to take a cue from the Indian government while hoping that by 2025, open defecation would have ended in the country.
On the need for repositioning the country’s Ministries, Department and Agencies, the minister clamour for professionals to heads professional/ technical ministries to be able to develop the country to its optimal capacity.
“I welcome any suggestion of the association in the area of capacity building. And we will be very glad to support that.
“What we have been doing in the last four years is to restore back professionalism to the highest level, this is because when I came on board, I was disappointed with the professionalism especially in the area of technicality of the ministry.
“But going forward, things have changed positively in the ministry and I hope professionals will speak when things are not going on the way it should go.
” I also advice the political leaders on the best approach to things.I also believe that going forward, successive administration will begin to put professionals/technical people in the professional ministry,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Ajose Otinwa, President of the society in his remarks congratulated the minister on his reappointment saying it was well deserved.
He commended the minister on the recently signed Executive Order 009 on open Defecation Free Nigeria by the year 2020.
Otinwa said the order would help improve the healthy living standards of Nigerians by eliminating water and environmental pollution.
He, however, sought the collaboration of the minister in the area of water management improvement with ASCE members who had been operating in water resources sector and possess capacities for effective collaboration.
Otinwa added other areas of partnership to include capacity building of the ministry’s key staff in conjunction with it’s members at the headquarters while also carrying out a membership drive in the ministry among other collaborations.
“Our members in Nigeria are registered engineering professionals, ASCE Nigeria international section supports development of younger members and students through various development and memtorshiy programmes,” Otinwa said.
ASCE is a global body made up of 152,000 members cut across 200 countries in all continents and with the largest online library.
