Hope rises for Otukpo, Katsina-Ala water works

Our correspondent reports that the Otobi/Otukpo water works which was the first project the immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan, commissioned after his electoral victory, stopped supplying water to Otukpo town and environs, including that of Katsina-Ala since September 2013.
The stoppage has in no small measure caused hardship for the residents, many of whom have resorted to trekking long distances to fetch water from streams and other unhealthy sources for their daily needs.
Addressing newsmen at Otukpo-Icho, his country home at the weekend, the state deputy governor, Benson Abounu, assured that the Ortom’s administration has resolved that water supply be restored to the two major towns of the state in one week.
The decision, he said, was reached after an exhaustive meeting with CGC, the contracting company which built the water facilities.
Abounu also disclosed that the firm had entered into contractual agreement with the immediate past state government to operate and maintain the water works, but that it later stopped supplying water to the two towns because of the administration’s inability to maintain its part of the agreement which accumulated to N1.980 billion.
“After an exhaustive meeting we have held on how to go about the debt with CGC, we have resolved that the water works be opened to supply water to Otukpo and Katsina-Ala within the next one week. The past administration had an agreement that is based on operation and maintenance of the two water works, contractual agreement for N1.980 billion approximately and had constructed the two water works for N2.6 billion for Otukpo and N1.5 billion for Katsina-Ala,” he said.