WATER and SANITATION

You won’t see or fully appreciate the excruciating pain and paralysis Rural-Nigeria goes through in search of WATER unless, and until, you go live with them. I have been and I feel so sad, so sorry and so powerless in the face of their agony that I must sadly APOLOGIZE on behalf of us all to them all. Dear Nigerians (I mean those of us with our conscience in place, plus those of the ruling class still left with any conscience at all!), please join in in this perplexing apology. Even if you are waterless like most of us, or live in Rural-Nigeria like most of our folks, let’s just APOLOGIZE.

Commonsense dictates that without water, talk not SANITATION. Nigeria’s government says only 35% of Nigerians have access to safe water (read potable water) - after 50 years of independence, and being in the tropics, surrounded by numerous water bodies! Then there is the small matter of 37 MDAs with regular and irregular annual budgets in the WATER sector. Repeat that in the HEALTH sector, in the AGRIC & RURAL DEV sector, in the MDGs Portfolio, in the DEBT-RELIEF Portfolio, and in several DEV-ASSIST cum DONOR-SUPPORT Programmes. It is simply unconscionable! And, yes, we must APOLOGIZE.

In all conscience, we must now resolve this issue once and for all. Any governor or local government chairman that cannot or will not provide safe drinking water to their citizens MUST be recalled or impeached by the people! Note I did not include the president? Yes, because I see little business of the federal government in water supply - except of course in mega dam projects and selected regional schemes. Yes, because I say we must review the revenue allocation formula to give more resources to states and local governments for sustainable development. Yes, because right now the federal government is collecting obscene sums and simply squandering same!

We speak of Water & Sanitation today because the world just celebrated World Water Day. Nigeria observed its rituals but not its rigours!

To do it right, we must use Election 2011 to clear the deck. Vote right, folks, vote the right people this time!

Legacy: Is Bair bound to Bush?

One of my favourite prime ministers is in a bind! Tony Blair must be wondering what led him to George Bush or, better still, why he over-stretched the Clinton-Blair coziness to the war led by President Bush. He must really wonder! The twists and turns this day are no sweet portends.

It's bad news all the way from Washington to London, and around the world, for both tough leaders. Iraq, accept or not, has failed. So has Afghanistan. There are some chances of positive possibilities, but only if the White House be willing to change course AND, especially, talking to Iran and Syria.

As Tony Blair and George Bush ponder their legacy and review their political past & fortune, things don't look good. We may have need to feel for them but we cannot make their legacy for them!

So, where are things heading or pointing for both men? Dreary, it seems. Why? Apart from the obvious issues in the public domain, to wit the wobbling war on terror, there is the small matter of Mr Blair lacking any leverage with Mr Bush - despite his seeming staunch, some say blind loyalty! Not on global warming. Not on debt relief. Not on the International Criminal Court or War Crimes Court. Not on the wider Middle East question. Not on UN Reforms. The list seems endless - according to their critics.

I do feel for them, though. Let's still wish them the bloom of the silver lining.