Yesterday, I took time to listen as Governor Fashola spoke on the efforts of the Lagos State Government in the provision of stable water supply to Lagosians. He took time to analyze the impact of the phase 2 of the Adiyan water works on water supply in Lagos. The Adiyan water works is a facility that will pump 70 million liters of clean water everyday for the use of the people of Lagos. According to him, by 2020, that is in 6 years time, Lagos will meet 100% of her water needs. In Calabar, water runs from public taps and the State Water Board is alive to her duties and collects revenue. Anytime I visit Calabar and sleep in the house of my man Dr. Kelechukwu Ahaiwe, I am usually amazed how the tap runs with ease. I now turned my attention to my state, Abia. When last did I hear any government official talking about water supply? The Abia State Water Board has been existing with a full complement of staff who collect salaries every month and collect pension when they retire. We also have a Ministry of Public Utilities with a Commissioner, Permanent Secretary, Directors, etc. Yet, you can hardly find anywhere in the state with a functional public tap running. The last time we heard anything about public water supply in Aba was during the government of Dr. Ogonnaya Onu when IBB was still President and he came to commission the Aba Water Works...a facility that has the capacity to supply clean water to the entire Aba and environs. That project situated somewhere around Ngozi Avenue off Faulks Road has since been abandoned. The massive overhead tank there and the dilapidated pipe works remind you of a once glorious past. That project was done by the Mbakwe government in the old Imo State. Today in Aba, private boreholes have become a key aspect of our landscape. What the shameless Water Board people do is to chase borehole owners all over the place and collect all manner of levies from them. A visit to the Aba Office of the Abia State Water Board along Ikot Ekpene Road shows nothing but despondency and frustration. You will usually meet workers who look every inch battling with depression. They usually spend their office hours eating groundnuts bought on credit and reading newspapers for free from passer by vendors. Since the advent of democracy in 1999, not even one single concerted effort has been made to give people water. This is absolutely disgusting! Ordinary water o! Yet, people dance and sing praises of our leaders! Tufiakwa! Sometime ago, it was in 2003, I think. We were sinking a borehole in our house. A private borehole o since government failed to provide any for us. Some fellows drove into our compound with one rickety vehicle with the inscription ABIA STATE WATER BOARD written with faint and failing paint. They had come to serve us papers to come their office and pay money. Money for what? I asked the team leader who looked more like a man on hunger strike. After explaining to me that people who sink boreholes must pay money to the board, I gave him a piece of my mind that day. I warned the man not to enter this compound again or be carried out it. I rushed inside and got my machete which we call OGBUADANI in my place and by the time I came out, I saw the vehicle leaving our compound in potpourri of carbon monoxide fumes. Nonsense! Come and collect money ! Anyways, let me take my afternoon snuff before I finish the gist....I dey come.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 10:13:08 +0000
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