The contentious Water Bill by Buhari is finally repealed by the Senate.

The contentious National Water Resources Bill, 2023, was rejected by the Senate on Tuesday after being placed on the order paper for discussion.

In order to give the federal government control over water resources instead of the states, former president Muhammadu Buhari presented the contentious measure to both chambers of the National Assembly in 2017.

The National Council on Water Resources, Nigeria Water Resources Regulatory Commission, River Basin Development Authorities, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, and National Water Resources Institute were among the organizations that the bill attempted to create.

Upon establishment, the proposed organizations would “provide for the regulation, equitable and sustainable development, management, use, and conservation of Nigeria’s surface water and groundwater resources.”

The debate that the measure had sparked among governors and federal parliamentarians, many of whom were from the south of the country, was put to an end on Tuesday when the Senate rejected the bill.

Senator Gabriel Suswan of Benue North-West raised Order 85 of the Senate Rules, which states that senators must be fully informed on the terms of any bill that is up for concurrence, when the bill was being read for concurrence on the Senate floor.

The Delta South senator James Manager, who seconded Suswan, emphasized the importance of having the bill’s specifics as just its title was provided for in the legislation.

Later, Ahmad Lawan, the president of the Senate, decided in favor of the cited rule.

After siding with those who opposed the bill, the Senate withheld its support for it.

Recall that in 2020, the House of Representatives passed the law over opposition from its members and the public.

The then-minister of justice and attorney general of the federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), as well as the commissioners for justice and attorneys general of the 36 states of the federation, had been consulted, according to House Committee on Water Resources Chairman Sada Soli before the bill was passed, and the opinions obtained would be attached to the bill and distributed to all members.