Table Water Crisis:
Benue Residents Lack Water in River Benue
Jimmie Adzande-Makurdi
The residents of Benue State are wondering why table water is becoming an expensive commodity, even with the abundance of natural water resource in the River Benue.
Those who spoke in Makurdi said it is failure on the part of government that a bag of sachet water, popularly called pure water now sells for between 250 and 300 naira in the state capital.
The residents also said water is fast becoming a commodity that many families can no longer afford in the state, even with the advantage of one of the two biggest rivers in Nigeria. Abubakar Musa and Usman Dauda reside in the Wadata area of Makurdi, they lamented that the situation is getting out of hand. Particularly, Dauda said:
“My house is just a few kilometres away from the Greater Makurdi Works. This place is supposed to be the engine room of water board charged with the responsibility of water treatment and reticulation. The Suswam government made noise about this project and yet, a sachet of water is twenty naira in my area.”
When asked why the situation is so, some water retailers in Makurdi including Patience Abu and Augustine Edeh said the cost of buying from the producers is the reason for the rising cost.
To some like Others Gabriel Femi who is a traveller from Kogi State, said:
“In Lokoja, Kogi State where I come from, a bag of pure water is between 150 and 200 naira. Since I came to Makurdi, I buy it for between 250 and 300 naira, depending on the brand. This is not good for low income households.”
Another Makurdi resident who Preferred to be called Ugbakri lives in the Angwan Jukun area of Makurdi town. He told The Transmitter Media that the Nigerian government has priotized the petroleum industry with little or no consideration on water which in his words is “more important.”
Haruna Mohammed of North-bank area said without prompt intervention, the situation may get out of hand, for low-income families. He asked the government to make water available for all.
The water crisis in Benue State, home to river Benue is blamed on poor government policies and corruption with successive administration at the state level. According to a source in government who prefers not to be named: “attempts in the past to provide water in Makurdi, Otukpo and Katsina failed, because most of the policies were faulty. Besides, government agents and their accomplices have made fortune from the failed attempt at rehabilitating the Greater Makurdi Water Works.”
Officials in the relevant agencies said they are waiting to receive directives from the new governor of the state and refused to speak further on the matter.
