In an effort to reposition the water sector for effective service delivery, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, has entered into partnership with the University alongside five other Federal Universities from different geopolitical zones in the country. The partnership would lead to the establishment of capacity building centres through academic programmes up to Master’s degree level on Integrated Water Resources Management, in addition to other capacity building courses offered by the participating Universities.
The project, which is being implemented by the National Water Resource Institute (NWRI), would foster the creation of water-related jobs such as irrigation, aquaculture, hydropower/dam, water supply and sanitation that would enhance expertise in water management in the country. According to the Dean, College of Engineering (COLENG) and the Co-ordinator of the Project, Professor Johnson Adewumi, FUNAAB was one of the institutions that competed to become the
host for the South-west, noting that the University competed with older institutions such as the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the University of Ibadan (UI).
Recalling the first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by FUNAAB and NWRI in 2010, which was meant for three years, but lapsed in 2013. He noted that during the first period, the intention of the Network was to develop capacity in the water sector, the Universities and the polytechnics. He added that the main reason why FUNAAB became a capacity building centre was due to the University’s impressive reservoir of human resources. According to him, “We have Zoologists, we have Scientists, we have Physicists and have members in UNILAG, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), UI, OAU and so on”.
He added that FUNAAB was holding-forth for the South-west, while the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria was for the North-west; University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) was for the North-central; University of Calabar (UNICAL) for the South-south; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, for the South-east while the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), was for the North-east. “This was how we were, so we could co-ordinate the idea and we are supposed to have one management meeting and one technical meeting in a year apart from the activities we were supposed to be doing in the South-west. The capacity building network would be developing courses for the water board, middle level manpower, Ministry of Environment on climate change and anywhere there is a problem in the water sector, we are supposed to raise human capacity to solve it and we are supposed to have data, to save this data and send to Abuja and Kaduna”.
Pointing to the NWRI Building, adjacent to the COLENG Building, the Co-ordinator said the building was part of the benefits that accrued to the University as regards the MoU. He added that the building cost more than N8million equipped with over 10 desktop computers including furniture, a Hilux pick-up van, and a generator in case of power outage.
According to him, “N11million was sent to us and for the next four years from 2015 to 2019, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, through the World Bank, would be giving us N5million for management and training. It could be more than that, depending on the review and it would be like that for the next four or five years. And after five years, if they would not be able to give us any money, we are to generate our own money and share the profit, giving 60 percent to FUNAAB and 40 percent to NWRI, Kaduna”. On the immediate benefits of the project to the University community, he said the fact that FUNAAB was the one hosting the Network, the benefits could be quantified in terms of equipment, as well as building and “if there is anything to be upgraded in terms of equipment, FUNAAB would benefit and we are also to key into it if they can help us to have a University Dam”, he added.
The Co-ordinator stated that “They would also be giving us some money every year to do some programmes. They have actually mandated us to float a Professional Master’s degree in Integrated Water Resources Management, which we have developed and it would be passed through the Postgraduate School and to the Curriculum Committee. It would also admit students from other West African countries”. He, however, described NWRI as an advisory arm of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to train people for the bagging of the Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) certificates in Water Resources. Professor Adewumi disclosed further that the Institute was in place to gather and develop a databank for the country in the area of water sector management.
