The citizens of Delta state have ran to Mandate Against Poverty (MAP) to give them a voice to canvass against the State’s levy on borehole and other water-allied levies.
The Delta state government recently updated an order for the collection and payment of borehole levy and other water-allied levies in the state, and reiterated commitments to pursue offenders.
The order stipulates that domestic, industrial and commercial boreholes are to be levied. The order places application form for borehole at N1,000.00 and inspection fee at N1,000.00.
While the State government license fee for domestic boreholes according to the order will cost citizens of the state N2,500.00 per annum, the license fee for commercial boreholes costs N35,000 per annum, and for industrial and government establishments, the license fee is N50,000.00 per annum.
The order stipulates that while private hospitals in the State would be charged N10,000.00 per annum for the water license, churches and mosques would be charged N5,000.00 and industries using water as raw materials would be charged N50,000.00.
“All Nations must enact and domesticate the law that water is life, availability is compulsory and it is human rights.
“The Delta State Government must stop and revoke its order for the collection and payment of borehole levy/levies and other water-allied levies,” the President of MAP, Chief Bobson Gbinije said.
Chief Gbinije said governments must provide drinkable, clean, clear and hygienic water for the vast majority of its citizenry.
He said the recent discovery of a sieve and sift system that can de-salinize water very effectively must be interrogated and put to good use globally, stressing that the menace of water pollution through pipelines vandalization must be forestalled.
The MAP President said “Article 17 under aims and objectives of the UNICEF (an arm and appendage of the UN) and 1999 Constitution tend to agree that, the pursuit of the greatest good and welfare for the largest number shall be the fundamental objective of Governments. Any law deviates from this is anti-people, wicked and ungodly”.
“The apocalyptic narrative of water scarcity in Nigeria and nay our world should now be addressed with soldierly brevity by the United Nations, African Union, OAS, ASEAN countries and governments all over the world,” Gbinije submitted.
He said water is life and every government worth its salt should provide it to the people free of charge.
“The situation is compounded when you build your own borehole and a shameless and non-altruistic regime comes to levy your borehole. We condemn in no uncertain terms such a levy and its executors.
“It precipitates anarchical entropy in the lives of the vast majority. We call for the abrogation of such edicts”.