The Ebonyi State Government has intensified efforts to restore reliable potable water supply across the state, with the administration of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru rehabilitating abandoned water schemes and expanding reticulation to strategic urban and public facilities.
The Commissioner for Water Resources, Victor Chukwu, disclosed this during an interaction with journalists in Abakaliki, saying the administration had committed substantial resources to reviving critical water infrastructure that had remained moribund for years.
Chukwu said the Oferekpe Water Scheme, which he described as a critical infrastructure capable of transforming water supply in the state, was among the major facilities being restored by the Nwifuru administration.
According to him, the scheme had gulped about N16 billion as of 2013 but was subsequently allowed to deteriorate, making its rehabilitation necessary to preserve the huge public investment already committed to it.
He said: “Imagine a facility that the state spent over N16 billion as of 2013 to put in place. Such critical infrastructure was allowed to lie fallow until the present governor came.”
The commissioner said the government had also rehabilitated the Ezillo Water Scheme and the Old Abakaliki Water scheme, noting that the Ezillo water facility was currently operational and supplying water to parts of the state capital.
He, however, identified damaged pipelines, leakages caused by prolonged disuse and vandalisation as some of the challenges affecting the full restoration of water supply to all parts of Abakaliki.
Chukwu said the Oferekpe scheme was capable of returning to full operation once the state addressed an obstruction affecting the free flow of water to its central reservoir.
He explained that the government was awaiting a reduction in water levels at the Azuiyioku River during the dry season to enable engineers undertake the necessary repairs.
“Currently, Ezillo Water Scheme is in full operation. Water comes into the city. The few problems we are having are maintenance issues along the line from Ezillo water facility because of rust and leakages,” he said.
He added that the government was also working to restore the Old Abakaliki Water Scheme, where developmental activities had damaged sections of the pipeline connecting the low-lift and high-lift systems.
According to him, some of the facilities had also suffered equipment cannibalisation and vandalism during the years they remained out of operation.
The commissioner maintained that the current administration had adopted a coordinated approach to resolving the state's water challenges through the rehabilitation of existing infrastructure rather than abandoning old projects for new ones.
He said funds had been released for the repair of electromechanical equipment, completion of outstanding works and procurement of water-treatment materials required to restore the affected schemes.
Chukwu said the administration's approach reflected Governor Nwifuru's commitment to continuity in governance, arguing that abandoning viable projects inherited from previous administrations would amount to waste of public resources.
“Government is supposed to be a continuum. The height or the peak of corruption is people abandoning critical projects of preceding governments to start new ones, ignoring the ones that have been put on the ground," Chukwu said.
He cited the Oferekpe project as an example, stressing that reconstructing an entirely new water scheme today would cost substantially more than completing and rehabilitating infrastructure for which billions of naira had already been expended.
The commissioner also disclosed that the ministry had extended water reticulation to the International Market and other markets in Abakaliki as part of efforts to ensure that major public facilities have direct access to potable water.
“Our intention is that every populated public place in the state will have direct water supply from us,” Chukwu said.
He said the state government would intensify reticulation in the coming months, with particular attention to improving access to potable water for both urban and rural communities.
Chukwu further rejected claims that the state was incapable of providing adequate access to clean water, arguing that the administration had made significant investments in water infrastructure and was determined to address remaining gaps.
He, however, acknowledged that Ebonyi still faced water-supply challenges, particularly in maintaining ageing infrastructure and protecting pipelines and equipment from vandalism.
The commissioner also criticised what he described as the politicisation of water-supply issues, saying public discourse on the subject should be based on the realities on the ground rather than partisan considerations.
He said the governor's approach to governance was driven by the need to complete and maximise existing infrastructure while simultaneously initiating new projects.
“Administrations will come, administrations will go, but the state remains,” Chukwu said, stressing that government investments should be structured to deliver lasting benefits to the people.
The commissioner said the administration's ongoing rehabilitation programme was part of a broader effort to strengthen the state's water infrastructure and improve access to potable water across communities.
He expressed optimism that the measures being implemented by the ministry would significantly improve water availability in the state in the coming months.
Recent reporting has also documented the government's rehabilitation of the Oferekpe and Ezillo water schemes amid water-supply difficulties in Abakaliki, including infrastructure damage and vandalism.
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