NEWS
“Water Is So Critical To Life” — Governor Alex Otti Flags Off ₦1.3 Billion Ubakala, Ariaria Water Schemes, Vows To Deliver Potable Water Across Abia
The Executive Governor of Abia State, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, OFR, has officially flagged-off the rehabilitation of the ₦1.3 Billion Ubakala Water Scheme and Ariaria Water Scheme Projects in Aba, in a major step towards restoring potable water supply across the State.
The flag-off ceremony, which took place at Ubakala in Umuahia South Local Government Area, formed part of activities marking the third anniversary of Governor Otti’s administration and attracted top government officials, stakeholders, development partners and community leaders.
Speaking during the event, Governor Alex Otti expressed profound appreciation to Mercy Corps for its support and commitment towards improving water infrastructure in Abia State, describing the intervention as timely and impactful.
Governor Otti explained that although the ceremony was held at the Ubakala Water Scheme, both the Ubakala and Ariaria Water Schemes had simultaneously been flagged-off and would equally be commissioned together upon completion.
“I want to thank them for this support and their resilience. 1.3 Billion Naira is a lot of money and we cannot take it for granted.
“We are going to flag-off this project and as we flag it off, we will assume that we have flagged-off the two projects.
“So, when we return here again, it will be for commissioning the water scheme,” Governor Otti said.
The Governor stressed that access to clean and safe water remains one of the most critical needs of every society, noting that many lives have been lost due to consumption of unsafe water.
“Water is so critical to life and a lot of people have passed on because of unsafe water,
“And that is why this government has taken it as critical project, one of her critical projects, to ensure that we have potable water across the State,” Governor Otti stated.
Governor Otti further revealed that the Aba Regional Water Project has already attained 95 percent completion, adding that the newly flagged-off projects would further strengthen and complement water supply efforts in Aba and surrounding communities.
In his address, the Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Engr. Ikechukwu Monday, commended Governor Otti for his unwavering commitment towards providing safe and accessible water to Abians, noting that the project aligns perfectly with the objectives of the Abia Integrated WASH Accelerated Programme earlier launched by the Governor.
Engr. Monday disclosed that the project had encountered multiple setbacks before eventually taking off, including the kidnapping of financiers and the withdrawal of international aid support.
“This is the third time that the flag-off of these projects has been planned. The first time, we had a date, the financier was on their way to this place, and along Anambra, they were kidnapped. As you know, this project was initially financed by USAID through the Mercy Corps.
“The second one was in January last year after His Excellency, the President of the United States of America took over and you know what happened to USAID. All the aids were withdrawn.
“Since then, His Excellency has provided leadership and through the support of Mercy Corps. Last year, we got the private financier who has accepted to finance this project,” he said.
The Commissioner emphasized that the project goes beyond ordinary infrastructure rehabilitation, describing it as a restoration of dignity and confidence for the people.
“As we break the grounds of this project, we are not only rehabilitating the water project, but we are restoring the dignity of our people.
“And this is what the government of His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti stands for,” Engr. Monday stated.
Earlier in his remarks, the representative of the Country Director of Mercy Corps, Mr. Rabiu Sani, explained that Mercy Corps is a global humanitarian organisation operating in more than 40 countries with interventions spread across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
He reiterated the organisation’s commitment to sustainable development and improved livelihoods for communities.
“We want to improve livelihood and then we also want to ensure that our projects are sustainable.
“This is over 10 years now that we’ve been in the country and I can say that Mercy Corps has touched virtually all the geographical zones in in the country,” he stated.
Mr. Sani disclosed that the project scope includes the rehabilitation of existing boreholes, testing and rehabilitation of water pumps, as well as the installation of renewable energy-powered systems.
“Your Excellency, let me also add that, it’s not just a water supply rehabilitation. We would be putting in a renewable energy system which is solar and we are looking at, at least 280 panels of this, each with 580 watts.
“So, together these two projects represent a combined investment of at least 1.3 billion Naira courtesy of Mercy Corps in partnership with Abia State government.
“So, our three impacts are very clear. We want to improve public health. We want to reduce dependence on unsafe water. We want to support homes, markets with infrastructures to restore confidence in public delivery.
“We also value community ownership because it’s not just enough to do this project and we go. Part of the things we’ll be doing before the commissioning is to train a community and build a technical team who will now be handling this system.
“So, this is what we have,” he stated.
While appreciating Governor Otti and the Ministry of Power and Public Utilities under Engr. Ikechukwu Monday for their collaboration and commitment, the Mercy Corps representative assured that the organisation would continue to work closely with the Abia State Government towards sustainable development initiatives.
The event was attended by members of the National and State House of Assembly, the Secretary to the State Government, Chief of Staff to the Governor, Honourable Commissioners, the Mayor of Umuahia South, along
side other top government functionaries and stakeholders.