Ugwuanyi Urges FG to Upgrade Enugu Water Scheme …as Minister orders Adada Dam Contractor back to Site
Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has appealed to the federal government to assist the state towards the upgrade of the Enugu Urban Water Supply Scheme to meet up with the water needs of the people.
Gov. Ugwuanyi made the appeal when he played host to the Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu Kazaure and his entourage, at Government House, Enugu.
The Minster and his team were in Enugu State to inspect some water project sites with a view to completing some of them.
The governor, who expressed delight at the visit, noted that the gesture was in line with the efforts of his administration to provide and significantly improve the supply of portable water to all parts of the state.
He therefore appealed for the urgent intervention of the federal government through the Water Resources Ministry to address the challenges faced by the people in sourcing for portable water.
Gov. Ugwuanyi pointed out that the Water Scheme, incidentally, “was executed with the support of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) then under the Chairmanship of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari”, and with the present Water Resources Minister as the Principal Consultant to the establishment.
The governor stated that the equipment were now obsolete and in a state of disrepair, stressing that the state government couldnot afford the huge maintenance costs with “its meager financial receipts”.
He added that erosion and other environmental factors had continued to damage the facilities, disrupting the operation of water supply.
Earlier in an address, the Minister informed the governor that the federal government had prioritized the completion of Adada Dam Water Scheme, which will supply water to the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) and its environs.
He stated that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had ordered the contractor back to the site, adding that it was the intention of the federal government to complete uncompleted water projects in the state before embarking on new ones.
“It is our desire that we finish as many as possible, our uncompleted projects to make sure that the investment that was made before will be completed. Adada Dam Water Scheme is a top priority project for us”.
CHUKWUMA EZEOGU