Kwara commissioner, predecessor trade words over water problem

The Kwara State Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Femi Agbaje, and his predecessor, Barrister Abdulrazaq Akorede, have exchanged words over the plight of the residents of Dagbalodo community in Patigi Local Government Area of the state who have no potable water for many years. The community has been trending after a report of their pathetic […]

The Kwara State Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Femi Agbaje, and his predecessor, Barrister Abdulrazaq Akorede, have exchanged words over the plight of the residents of Dagbalodo community in Patigi Local Government Area of the state who have no potable water for many years.

The community has been trending after a report of their pathetic situation went viral in many news and social media platforms.

Women and children are seen in the viral video digging the ground to get water.

Following the development, Alhaji Femi, in a statement, said the government took responsibility for the peoples’ welfare and promised it would provide succour to the residents of the community.

He accused the previous government of leaving the water sector in shambles “despite the billions budgeted for it before 2019”.

Alhaji Femi said, “The administration inherited no functional waterworks in the state while the entire staff of the water corporation were on strike for non-payment of salaries.”

The present situation in Dagbalodo, he noted, would spur government to ramp up existing effort and partnerships to bridge the inherited infrastructural in water and other areas of basic human needs across the state.

But Alhaji Femi’s predecessor, Barr Akorede, pushed back the accusation while speaking with Daily Trust on Tuesday.

Barr Akorede said, “The incumbent government must be consistent about what they are talking about. There was never a time we budgeted and failed to deliver; the books are there for them to go over.

“Because of inadequacy of funds, we utilised available resources as at when due and expanded and renovated some dams and waterworks. We actually laid the foundation which they are building on now.

“In 2017, the government planned to drill about 900 boreholes across the state which was to cost over N1bn, but paucity of funds stalled it.

“We tried to take half of that the following year but we couldn’t for the same reason. So where is the money in the first place to now say we budgeted and failed to deliver? That is never the true picture.”