Adegoruwa backs Lagos government over control of waterways

Lagos based lawyer, Ebun Adegboruwa yesterday backed the Lagos
State government in its agitation for the control of waterways in
the state.

Adegboruwa who spoke with Daily Trust against the backdrop of
the raging battle between the state government and National Inland
Waterways Authority (NIWA) over the control of waterways, said
Lagos State should be allowed to control its waterways in line with
the current agitation for restructuring.

Following a July 18 Court of Appeal judgment, both parties have
been laying claims to victory in the exercise of control over
activities and resources generated from waterways in the state.

However, he said the parties can as well appeal the verdict at
the Supreme Court to get clearer pronouncement on who has the
control over waterways.

He said the judgment had stripped the Federal Government of the
powers to regulate waterways, stressing that the verdict is a
victory for the proponents of restructuring and resource
control.

Adegoruwa said: “I believe that the judgment of Court of Appeal
of July 18, 2017 has further strengthened the call for
restructuring and engendered true federalism in Nigeria. The mood
of the nation presently is that of restructuring and the major
plank of that restructuring is devolution of power from the federal
to the unit- the state and the local government.

“So I believe that the point that the Court of Appeal has made
is to strip the Federal Government of its power and begin to
decongest the exclusive legislative list of the second schedule to
the 1999 constitution. It was during the military regime especially
of General Ibrahim Babangida that the NIWA Act was promulgated
which seeks to take away the control of the state in respect to
waterways within the state and I believe that would not be proper
in a federation that the Federal Government would be controlling
waterways of a state.”

Lagos based lawyer, Ebun Adegboruwa yesterday backed the Lagos
State government in its agitation for the control of waterways in
the state.

Adegboruwa who spoke with Daily Trust against the backdrop of
the raging battle between the state government and National Inland
Waterways Authority (NIWA) over the control of waterways, said
Lagos State should be allowed to control its waterways in line with
the current agitation for restructuring.

Following a July 18 Court of Appeal judgment, both parties have
been laying claims to victory in the exercise of control over
activities and resources generated from waterways in the state.

However, he said the parties can as well appeal the verdict at
the Supreme Court to get clearer pronouncement on who has the
control over waterways.

He said the judgment had stripped the Federal Government of the
powers to regulate waterways, stressing that the verdict is a
victory for the proponents of restructuring and resource
control.

Adegoruwa said: “I believe that the judgment of Court of Appeal
of July 18, 2017 has further strengthened the call for
restructuring and engendered true federalism in Nigeria. The mood
of the nation presently is that of restructuring and the major
plank of that restructuring is devolution of power from the federal
to the unit- the state and the local government.

“So I believe that the point that the Court of Appeal has made
is to strip the Federal Government of its power and begin to
decongest the exclusive legislative list of the second schedule to
the 1999 constitution. It was during the military regime especially
of General Ibrahim Babangida that the NIWA Act was promulgated
which seeks to take away the control of the state in respect to
waterways within the state and I believe that would not be proper
in a federation that the Federal Government would be controlling
waterways of a state.”