Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa
The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo had once said to his audience in one of his political campaigns to a riverine community in the First Republic: ‘You are surrounded by water and yet you have no water to drink’.
So also are the inhabitants of Yenagoa, the sprawling state capital of Bayelsa State, are surrounded by water and yet they have no water to drink.
This is even as paltry sum of about N2.96 billion was provided as budgetary allocation in three years to the state Ministry of Water Resources but has may have gone down the drain.
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Impeccable sources alleged that even the allocation does not get to the coffers of the ministry.
The issue of provision of potable pipe-borne water, in Yenagoa, has been a mirage since the destruction of water pipes laid along majors roads for reticulation years back.
The development is also coming on the heels of lamentations from workers of the Ministry who alleged that it was the worst neglected ministry in the last four years.
Investigations by members of the Federated Correspondents Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists, in Yenagoa, revealed that provision of potable water for Yenagoa residents was not in the agenda of the administration in the last four years.
This informed several residents of the state capital to depend on borehole water which in most cases, some are not well treated, leading to water born diseases.
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Some concerned citizens, who spoke in this regard, pleaded that the second tenure of the Governor Douye Diri-led governmnent should see the provision of water for its citizens as a matter of urgency.
Investigations into three years of allocations to the water ministry revealed that from 2021 to 2023, the annual budgets to provide potable water in the metropolis were put at N600 million for 2021, 2022 had N248,675,727 while 2023 had N1,441,938,082.
However, at his second tenure’s inaugural speech, Governor Diri had again promised that he wil provide portable water for Bayelsans.
“Pivotal in our second tenure will be to address potable water distribution challenges via a comprehensive approach that focuses on efficient utilization and equitable access to this precious utility.
“We will thus invest in water production and reticulation, particularly within the state capital”.
A resident of Yenagoa, Preye Thompson, who lamented the hardship being experienced in the course acquiring portable water noted that they are most times at the mercy of Hausa water sellers (known as Mairuwa).
He, however, pleaded with the new prosperity administration on board for the next four years to provide potable water to the residents to ease the hardship associated with lack of water.
“Please let the new government provide portable water for us. People are digging borehole in their houses while those that can’t afford it are buying a 25 liter jerry Can of water from water vendors , Mairuwa ( Hausa water vendors ) at N70 while some sells for N100”.
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Also speaking in the same vain,a resident Ovom, Yenagoa, Madam Joy Owei, pleaded with the government to make potable water available.
“Let the government give us water. We are suffering too much because of water. Things are also very expensive. So if we have water now, it will help us to do our house chores. We are at the mercy of Hausa and Igbo water vendors
“We are surrounded by water ,yet we have no water to drink,” she said.
Over the years, most motorists and meme Napep riders have complained of how they have been competing with trucks of water vendors along the roads of Yenagoa, the state capital.
Several accidents have also occurred in the process of struggling space on the narrow streets of the state capital.
A staff of the State Water Board who spoke on camera disclosed that offices in the water board buy water from water vendors.
But ashamed of the development, the leadership of the Board dug a bore whole in the premises.
Even a sources at the state secretariat says the whole secretariat buy water from water vendors because of lack of water in all the secretariat buildings.
Attributing the lack of potable water for Yenagoa residents to none inaccessibility of funds by the board, Joy said, “There is no money to do anything in the board”.
A visit to the water Ministry and the Board which are housed in the same office revealed that workers were seen playing and having fun without work.
Some were either watching Television or having discussions on political issues plaguing the state.
“We have no work to do. That is why we are idle.
“You could see that nothing is happing in either the ministry or the board,” noted a staff who pleaded not to be named .
Efforts to know why World Bank water projects being executed in sister states are not in Bayelsa state was in vain.
All efforts to get Fredrick Suku-Ogbari the General Manager of Water Board proved abortive as all calls put across to his phone were not responded to.
Also a text message sent to his phone was not also responded to.
