The Kebbi State Governor has given assurance that before 2023 , there would be no community in Kebbi without portable drinking water in the state.
The Chief of Staff Government House Birnin Kebbi, Alhaji Suleiman Muhammad Argungu, Jarman Kabi affirmed the statement of the governor while on inspection of Borehole drilling equipment at the premises of State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency , RUWASSA office in Birnin Kebbi this Monday.
The visit to RUWASSA by the Chief of Staff was sequel to the directive of the governor on his visit to Tsohon Garin Masama in Arewa Local Government last week where he ordered the Commissioner for Water Resources and Rural Development, Hon. Nura Usman Kangiwa to provide portable drinking water to the village after a complaint he recieved from the village head.
Accompanied by the Commissioner of Water Resources, Hon. Nura Usman Kangiwa, the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Suleiman Muhammad Argungu, Jarman Kabi inspected the stores as well as drilling equipments to ascertain the readiness of the agency to carrying out the directives of the governor, under the Ministry of Water Resources.
Shortly after taking the Chief of Staff and the Commissioner round the stores and drilling Machinery of the Agency the General Manager of RUWASSA, Engineer Muhammad Bala, the Chief of Staff told journalists that the visit followed the directives of the governor to ensure that the communities in the state are provided with portable drinking water.
He averred ‘ What inforned our visit here is in compliance of His Excellency’s directives. When we visited Kaare district in Yeldu, one of the village heads stopped us and complained that they are still having difficulty in getting portable drinking water.
” And his Excellency could vividly recalled that about three years back , he has given approval to the Ministry of Water resources to provide those communities with portable drinking water. Unfortunately what we gathered, and what was informed by the village head was that about three locations were selected and drilled.
” Unfortunately up to the depth of 120 meters they could not get water . But coincidentally , just 150 meters away from that community, the same contractor constructed a borehole in that community at 80 meters and reached water source.
‘ So the Ministry, the contractor and the community all agreed after the contractor complained he could not reach water in that location. The ministry directed that he should go to the same village where they got water at the opposite site and construct another well for the two communities to share.
” And the Governor has promised that before 2023, God’s Willing, there will be no community that doesn’t have portable drinking water and that is why having known that , RUWASSA has two drilling rigs that can go deeper than that of the private contractor in all the locations. In Arewa local Government , it can go deeper to the depth where water source can be accessed.
Argungu emphasized that the visit to RUWASSA was to see the drilling rigs, the challeges they are facing to make sure that one of the drilling rigs was mobilized to the village today ( Monday) to one of the villages the governor promised them portable drinking water.
He further said the the GM of RUWASSA and his staff have confirmed to him that they have the equipment and other accessories that the village would get portable drinking water in the next one week.
The Ministry of Water Resources and Arewa Local Government have also been directed by the government to provide portable drinking water to 40 other locations in the area for the people and their animals, he said.
Immediately after leaving RUWASSA, the Chief of Staff and the Commissioner proceeded to Kwalaye in Arewa local Government where the duo also inspected an old artisanal well that gushes out water with a view to refurbishing it by constructing a borehole for possible irrigation purpose.
He further said that the Commissioner had promised that RUWASSA would be mobilized in order to resuscitate it both for farming and human consumption.
In a remark , the Commissioner of Water Resources and Rural Development, Hon Nura Usman Kangiwa assured that the directives of the governor would be fully complied with to ensure that the community particularly that of Tsohon Garin Masama would be provided with portable drinking water.
He appreciated the moral and financial support to his Ministry by the governor in carrying out it mandate.
