Ushafa, a fast-growing community tucked in the fringe of the Federal Capital Territory, hosts the Usuma Dam that supplies water to the entire capital city and satellite settlements downtown. It’s a community sited at the ‘river bank’ but the residents wash their hands with ‘spittle’. FRANCA OCHIGBO reports
Ushafa played host to a former American President, Bill Clinton when he visited Nigeria in 2000. Clinton met a rustic community of peasants and artisans going about their daily activities with the hope of better living conditions in the future. But 19 years after Clinton’s historic visit, the residents of Ushafa have remained in the same situation the former American President met them – living without water.
It takes the residents about 15 minutes’ walk to get to the Usuma Dam, the only source of water supply to the entire capital city and its adjoining satellite towns. Located in the Bwari Area Council, Ushafa and its neighbouring communities like Peyi, Kogo, Pambara and Bwari town, which is the council headquarters, have no water supply.
A modestly bourgeoning community, Ushafa boasts good road network and beautiful landscape. Modern residential and commercial buildings, shopping complexes, schools and other structures under construction dot different parts of the town. For the community, the only source of water for drinking and domestic use is borehole, as countless promises by the authorities of the Federal Capital Territory to give them water have continued fall flat over the years. Many households and small businesses that cannot afford the cost of sinking boreholes rely on water vendors. More confounding to the residents is the fact that Kubwa, an adjourning satellite town within the same council area enjoys regular water supply from Usuma Dam. Same as Gwarimpa Estate, which is a few kilometres away.
Some of the residents that spoke with our correspondent bemoaned the fate of the community. Mr John Paul Nwadibe who runs a small business at Ushafa deplored what he described as the insensitivity of the FCT authorities.
Nwadibe said: “What we are suffering at Ushafa is the same thing as Bwari, Peyi, Pambara, Army checkpoint, then Kogo. All these areas have no pipe-borne water. It is not affecting Kubwa because Kubwa residents know their rights and they have rich people living there”. According to him, Ushafa is fast developing, which is clear to see. But even with that, the residents are all living at the mercy of boreholes and water sold by water vendors popularly called mai-ruwa in the Hausa language. Ushafa is right at the back of Usuma Dam where water is being supplied to the whole of Abuja, yet lacking pipe-borne water completely.
“We are happy that you have come over to see what is happening to the residents of this community. Please get our message out to the Federal Capital Territory Minister and all those in charge that there is no water in these areas. We see water being supplied to the whole FCT but we do not have access to this water, which is very bad. How can an old woman be selling chewing stick and her children are suffering from tooth decay. It is not right at all.”
Another resident, who simply gave his name as Solomon, likened Ushafa to a filling station that sells fuel and kerosene but has none of the products for its own use. “That is exactly what we are passing through in Ushafa. Usuma Dam supplies water to the whole of Abuja. Every house in Ushafa has a borehole”. When asked if the residents had approached the relevant authorities over their plight, Solomon said they did on several occasions but that the FCT Water Board appeared not keen in addressing the situation. “If you ask them, they will say they have the days which the tap runs, which is not every day. We all know that water is very important and everyone needs a constant supply of water.
“That is the reason almost all the houses went into the drilling of boreholes. If you ask me, Usuma Dam, through the Water Board, is supposed to supply water to this area. There was a day I was asking myself that Ushafa here supplies water to every area in Abuja but we don’t have water, which is very disappointing.
“It is just recently that they started laying pipes all over the place; that was two weeks ago. One of the pipes that are being laid got burst right in front of my shop a few days ago. The Water Board officials have been seeing it on their way to work every day but they have refused to repair it. The Water Board gives water occasionally, like Sundays and Wednesdays. But the water does not run for long on those days, just for a few hours.”
Curiously, the residents have been receiving bills from the Water Board on a monthly basis despite the irregular or zero supply. And they are forced to pay the bills for fear of having the irregular supply cut off completely.
“The Water Board finds it convenient to cut off supply. It’s the provision of water that is the problem. We need water to be centralised. The growth of any city requires three things; water, light and roads. If we can have water in Ushafa, I don’t think we will have many problems. Let them know what to do about it. We are not happy.
“Excessive sinking of boreholes in this area may cause problem one day. Most houses in Ushafa now have boreholes and it is not good. Have you seen where they sink a borehole in rainy season? It is supposed to be during the dry season so that people can get water. But in Ushafa, people sink boreholes in the rainy season because they want to have water. Ushafa is drinking almost from the gutter.”
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Some of the residents told our correspondent that they have been engaging officials of the Water Board at frequent intervals with the view to knowing when the installations would be completed but that there has been no firm assurance from the authorities. “We see staff with Water Board jackets. We have been asking them questions but they have not given us any reasonable answer. Some say they are not in a position to answer. They will tell you they are only doing their work, often referring us to the authorities to answer us,” one of the residents said.
The story is the same in nearby Bwari, which is the headquarters of the Area Council. The Bwari Area Council is strategic for the fact that it is home to some critical Federal Government agencies. The Nigerian Law School and the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) are located in Bwari, which is about 40 kilometres from the city centre.
Also, the National Defence College has its permanent site close in the area. Similarly, the Department of State Services (DSS) also has its training school close to Usuma Dam. Just like the residents, these government agencies also rely on boreholes for their water requirements. A resident of Bwari, Udenna Kalu, who spoke with our correspondent, said water supply to the town has remained epileptic over the years.
“If we get water today, we will not get it again until one month’s time. There are some that see water on a daily basis in Bwari. These are people who pay money to officials of the Water Board in Ushafa, particularly those that use water for their businesses. All these water vendors come to buy and sell. All over Bwari and its environs, it is water vendors that people buy water from. A 20-litre keg of water sells for N30, a trolley of water is N300, sometimes we beg to pay N500 or above when there is acute water scarcity”.
Lamenting further, Kalu said: “There is always scarcity of water here during the dry season. We need water in Bwari. All the pipes around are mere decorations; there is no water in them. When you see these pipes, you would think they are working but they are not working at all. If they are serious, we will all look up to them to give us water. Ever since I moved to this part of Abuja called Bwari, there has never been pipe-borne water.”
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