Aliyu Wada
The Sokoto State Government has dismissed orchestrated reports accusing it is spending huge sums of money to rehabilitate 25 boreholes across some communities in the state.
Speaking in a statement signed by Abubakar Bawa, Press Secretary to Governor Aliyu Sokoto, the state government said the reports bothered on misconceptions about its interventions in providing potable drinking water to the rural dwellers through the sinking of boreholes across the state.
“In the misconception, which the enemies of progress are spreading, it was said the Sokoto State Government spent N1.2 billion to renovate boreholes in some areas of Wurno Local Government,” the government said.
It, however, stated that “the fact of the matter is that the state government, in collaboration with the World Bank, under the ACReSAL programme drilled 25 boreholes domiciled in Munki, Marnona, Dinawa, Lugu and Wurno, perimeter fencing as well as a 40-kilometer shelter belt, all at the cost of N 1.2 billion.
“As against the insinuation that it was the renovation of the 25 boreholes that gulped N 1.2 billion, the fact is that, it is actually the drilling of 25 nos solar-powered boreholes and other projects that gulped the said amount and not the renovation.
“It is equally important to make it categorically clear that, boreholes never existed in those areas before the coming of this administration.
“Therefore, it is the present administration that initiated these projects in order to assist those communities to address the perennial water scarcity they have been facing long ago.
“It is a well-known fact that the people of Wurno Local Government have for a very long time been facing acute water scarcity which forced the residents of several communities to travel to far distances to fetch water in order to meet up their domestic needs.
“This scenario has contributed greatly to low pupils’ enrollments and retaintion in schools in Wurno Local Government, because children have to be sent to fetch water to be used for domestic purposes.
“It is against this background that the Ahmed Aliyu led administration decided to come to the rescue of Wurno communities by drilling solar-powered boreholes in many areas under a collaborative effort by the World Bank, Sokoto State Government as well as ACReSAL programme.
“You can’t renovate a project that does not exist, so there was not a single borehole drilled in those areas before the advent of the present administration in Sokoto state.
“These communities never experienced what is called ‘a borehole’ until now that Sokoto State has a listening and hardworking Governor.
“Therefore, the aim of this laconic piece is to put the records straight, and explain the boreholes issue that is being misconstrued by the enemies of progress and politicians with ill- motives.”
The statement added that the government of Gov. Aliyu Sokoto “did not repair neither renovate boreholes in Wurno Local Government. What the government did was drilling of the brand new 25 solar-powered boreholes spread in Wurno, Lugu, Munki, Marnona and Dinawa, perimeter fencing, 40 kilometer shelter belt as well as 500-hectare forest enrichment.”
