By Hussaini Ibrahim Sulaiman
Kano citizens residing in the urban and peaceful suburban savoured a heart–soothing news of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s visit to the Challawa Water Works, barely 48 hours after his inauguration as governor on 29 May 2023, to assess the hitches that forestalled the flow of tap water in the ancient city and environs. This is a great temptation that deserves applause.
Fixing the problem is one of Gov. Yusuf’s priorities, I guess. The inhabitants of the city have been grappling with the poor dearth of water for a year or two–long. In Sept. 2022, torrential rainfall washed away a thumping pipe that channel the water to the metropolis. Sadly, the previous regime neglected to repair it.
Sir, the tragic incident plunged a mixed number of residents into an unbearable situation these include pupils, civil servants, students and equally crippled businesses—despite the giant strides of your administration towards overhauling the sector as no phase of it is lagging since the contract for the project has been awarded.
Initially, local governments in the state metropolis were virtually only enjoying the gesture those are; Nassarawa, Tarauni, Kumbotso, Gwale, Dala, Fagge, Kano Municipal, Ungogo and some LGAs in the outskirts like Wudil and Dawakin Kudu, while other proximate LGAs share a little of the gesture portion and mostly rely on the philanthropist’s borehole and water vendors.
A pupil identified as Abdul-Jalal situated at Unguwa–Uku quarters, Tarauni Local Government Area of the state revealed how he has been affected. He said: ”Is hardly I attend school at the specific prompt time even though we woke up early in the morning to fetch water.
“We walk, along my siblings, to 2-3Klm to fetch the water to bring home. It takes a half or sometimes an hour to pour the water in our bowls if there’s a long queue. I was beaten up daily basis for coming late to school. I often miss the first period.”
His 36–year–old mother, Shamsiyya further detailed that her lads couldn’t attend school punctually due to the lack of water. Mrs Shamsiyya argued, “There are a lot of things to do to them in the morning and all require water.”
According to her, the consolation is only when you have a steady or reached an agreement with a water vendor who’ll bring it either late at night or early dawn.
Muhammad Abdullahi, a resident of Fagge, said the Kano water scarcity had been a major challenge in the State.
“It is pretty dismal that up to now, the residents are battling water scarcity in Kano metropolitan areas,” stressed Mr Abdullahi. “It is high time for authorities to address the problem squarely because it has thrown many people into more hardships, particularly during Ramadan fasting.”
Water vendors are making brisk business from the situation.
A 25-litre jerrycan of water, which hitherto sold at N30, now costs between N80 and N150, depending on the area.
Another resident, Idris Abdullahi, lamented how water scarcity continuously affects the residents, a basic necessity.
“Yes, because whenever there is a water shortage, the problem will affect almost all aspects of human life,” he said.
I was opportune to have a fortuitous interview with a casual staff of the Kano Water Board who preferred not to be named and who elaborated to me some of the major challenges that encircled them with the hope of getting them resolved.
“My core concern is how I spent 10 years as a casual staff. I was employed in 2015 by the then-governor, Engr. Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso with the agreement to be fully employed as permanent staff after six months. We’ve been receiving ten thousand (10,000) as a monthly salary since then despite the high rate of cost of living and inflation,” he said.
He revealed that they undergo screening not less than nine (9) times to give them a permanent offer but nothing like that has been done since then. A baffling which he described as terrible was that most of his colleagues are married with kids, adding that also most of them take the responsibility of their parents.
I believe you are carefully studying everything in the state and you won’t come up with hasty decisions or policies that would cause more harm than good.
I am, therefore, appealing to the state government to speed up work on the project to bring succour to the population.
I pray, hope and believe that you will make us proud.
Sulaiman is a journalist, who resides in Kano
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