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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
For retired Staff Sergeant Ahuwa Anthony, the arrival of potable water in his community is more than just another government project. It is the end of years of hardship for residents who had lived without access to reliable portal water.
In most rural communities across Benue State, well water is more popular among the people who dig up the earth to search and provide for their water needs.
Even in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, most families and homesteads depends on well water for most of their daily needs. In the dry seasons, some of the hand dug wells usually dry up resulting to water scarcity and leaving residents, especially women and children, going far distances in search of water while others depend on their rich neighbours who have boreholes.
Pa Ahuwa, who resides at Kanshio area of Makurdi, behind the Mechanic Village, recalled how residents had struggled for years, with little or no assistance to address the water crisis that affected their daily lives.
“It is my joy to see him restore this community and provide water for us because we have been suffering from lack of water for a long time. For years, nobody came to assist us, and there was no water in the area.
“Our wives and children usually wake up early to go search for water. In the dry season, it’s tough. Wells will dry up and in those houses where they have boreholes, many people would be there and the water in the tank may not go round,” he said.
Pa Ahuwa’s excitement was coming months after the chairman of Makurdi local government area, Mr Joseph Keffi, embarked on an aggressive project development and provided a borehole to his community as part of his administration’s intervention in water supply across the council.
For Anthony and other residents, the commissioning of the water project marked a moment worth celebrating.
“He has fulfilled his promise by providing this water, and we are very happy with him,” he said, urging the chairman to extend similar interventions to other communities.
Keffi, who showcased his successes in office, during a visit to his office in Makurdi, said his administration has prioritized healthcare, water supply, infrastructure and security as part of efforts to improve the wellbeing of residents across the council.
Keffi, who spoke on his achievements since assuming office, said his administration had renovated health facilities across the 11 council wards, describing healthcare as one of the areas he considered critical to the development of the local government.
According to him, the council has also embarked on an aggressive water intervention programme, with more than 30 boreholes drilled in different communities, including Mechanic Village and behind it where Pa Ahuwa resides.
He said over 25 boreholes were recently initiated, with about 21 completed and awaiting commissioning, while work was ongoing on others.
The chairman said the council had also extended access to treated water to communities around the University of Agriculture, Makurdi axis, now the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi explaining that water was conveyed over a distance of about three kilometres to communities, including Beetseh and neighbouring settlements.
Keffi said the water projects were aimed at addressing the challenges residents faced in accessing potable water.
Beyond water and healthcare, the council chairman said his administration had improved facilities at the local government secretariat, including the provision of toilet facilities for workers.
He added that the council had constructed culverts and provided mobility support to elected legislators and the 11 ward party chairmen.
Keffi described the interventions as part of efforts to strengthen human capacity and improve the ability of community representatives to carry out their responsibilities.
On security, the chairman said his administration had placed significant emphasis on restoring peace and enabling displaced residents to return to their ancestral communities.
He said his academic background in criminology and security studies, including a master’s degree in the field, had influenced his decision to pay particular attention to security challenges confronting communities in the local government.
According to him, security personnel, including soldiers, were deployed to various communities to restore confidence and create an environment conducive for residents to return home.
He said the intervention had yielded positive results, claiming that residents had returned to some communities and farming activities had resumed.
“People have gone back to their ancestral homes and are staying comfortably. Farming has been going on,” Keffi said.
The chairman also linked the improved security situation to increased political and community mobilization, saying activities in the affected areas had become more stable.
He also named the donation of writing materials to students across the local government area to encourage young learners and ameliorate the expenses on parents
Keffi maintained that his administration had implemented more projects than those highlighted, stressing that the projects were spread across the 11 council wards, including Fiidi, Bar, Modern Market, North Bank Ward 1, Agan, among others and could be verified.
Another resident, Veronica Zengen, also expressed appreciation for the water project, saying residents celebrated with the chairman after the project was completed.
“He has provided water for this community, and when the project was completed, we called him and we celebrated with him,” she said.
Zengen prayed for wisdom, knowledge and long life for Keffi to enable him to continue with his interventions across the local government area, while also appreciating the state government for supporting the administration.
But while the projects, particularly the new boreholes has brought relief, like Oliver Twist, Pa Ahuwa said the community still faces another major challenge – the absence of a motorable access road.
Pointing towards the street, he explained: “This is the road to our Mechanic Village, from up there down to this area, we have no proper road. At least, if there is a way the government can assist us, we would appreciate it.”
