Water, Electricity Shortages Degrade Social, Commercial Activities in Niger

Laleye Dipo in Minna

For upwards of two weeks, social and economic activities in parts of Niger state have been grounded as a result of lack of supply of potable water by the State Water and Sanitation Board and poor electricity supplies.

The State Water and Sanitation Board and the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company AEDC which has the franchise to distribute electricity in the state has remained mum over these incidences

Investigations revealed that though the state water board allegedly did not have the chemical for treatment of water, the situation has been compounded by lack of electricity supply to the major water works across the state.

It was learnt the state government has not released the needed funds to the water board for it to make the purchase of the needed water treatment chemicals since the beginning of the financial year even after the stock left in the store in 2025 had been exhausted.

Initially the water board was engaged in skeletal services purchasing tokens at N6m every other day to run its plants the amount later became inadequate especially when the AEDC stopped supplying electricity to most parts of the state.

As a result, the board closed down its activities forcing its workers to go on forced leave resulting also in water consumers seeking alternative sources of getting water for domestic and other usage.

The development has now resulted in housewives and their children searching for water from any available source.

Owners of boreholes who could use generators to pump water into their overhead tanks now sell water to water truck pushers at very high rates while the water vendors (Mairuwa) sell each truck load of 10-liter Jerry cans at between N2500 and N3000 depending on the location of the town where they are operating.

In the last three weeks the AEDC has been engaged in serious rationing of electricity across the state without offering any explanation.

Most consumers now go for between two and three days without getting electricity supply for one hour. Those on the 33kva are also not spared as they enjoy supply for only two or three hours daily.

Some youths last Friday after the Jummat Service brought the predicament to the notice of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago who told them that the matter was being looked into.

The Niger State House of Assembly on Tuesday failed to intervene in the problem offering to step down a motion on matter of urgent public importance brought before the legislature by member representing Suleja constituency, Alhaji Adamu Murtala Badaru.

The motion was over the acute shortage of water and epileptic power supply across the state which he said has crippled both government and commercial activities in the state.

The decision to step down the motion was taken after an inhouse deliberation between the sponsor of the motion and some key members of the house.

The Deputy Speaker, Mrs. Affiniki Dauda, who presided over the sitting said the decision to step down the motion was due to the ongoing efforts by Governor Bago towards addressing the situation.

She said although the current situation affects everybody in the state including the house members, there is the need to allow the governor to intensify effort to bring the situation under control and alleviate the sufferings of the people.