After 28 years, El-Rufai Completes Zaria’s Water Project

Residents of Zaria and its environs have lauded Gov. Nasiru El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State for completing the Zaria water project.

The project has suffered neglect and underfunding for over 28 years.

The project started in 1988 during the tenure of late Brig-Gen. Tanko Ayuba as military governor of the state.

About nine successive governors were unable to actualise the project, until the present administration.

Speaking in separate interviews, the residents expressed satisfaction with the completion of the project.

A resident of Zaria-city, Malam Ibrahim Mohammed, said his joy know no bounds over the completion of the project.

He cited areas like Anguwan Iya, Kan Fage, Limanci, Kusfa, Marmara, Anguwan Karfe, Anguwan Nufawa, Salmanduna, Anguwan Bishar and Kofar Gayan Low-Cost, among others, as the worst hit by water scarcity.

“I can authoritatively tell you that an adult of 25 years of age cannot tell anything about tap water, because he or she knew nothing about it.

“This is because tap water had not been running in these areas for over 25 years now.

“If is true that this project is completed and will be commissioned tomorrow, this government had done everything for us,” Mohammed said.

Another resident of the area, Malam Mohammed Shamsuddeen, said: “I have a brother who is now about 30 years of age but could not actually tell where our tap is.

“As I am talking to you now, our children do not know tap water, they can only talk about borehole,” he said.

Shamsuddeen said their families used to go as far as five kilometres to fetch water for domestic use.

On his part, Mr Mohammed Dalhatu, also from Zaria-city, appreciated the efforts of the present administration, saying “it is just like a dream’’.

Narrating the difficulties experienced by residents, Dalhatu said their children sometimes missed their school just because of fetching water.

He prayed God Almighty to enable them witness the actualisation of the project and benefit from it.

Similarly, a housewife, Hajiya Hadiza Hassan of Sabongari, said the joy was not only for the people of Zaria city alone but for the entire people of Zazzau emirate.

She noted that their experience of water scarcity for more than 10 years now would now become history.

(NAN)