Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state has announced his administration’s commitments to converting all boreholes in Maiduguri and its environments to solar-powered systems for a stable water supply.
This announcement came during a broadcast addressing the issue of water scarcity in the city caused by unreliable electricity supply.
Since January, the power supply to Maiduguri from the national grid has been disrupted due to insurgent attacks on transmission towers.
Also, the new 50-megawatt gas power plant built by the federal government in Maiduguri has experienced intermittent operation due to technical and software issues.
Governor Zulum, who was in Saudi Arabia for the lesser Hajj (Umrah), assured residents in a video message that alternative measures are being implemented to address the water crisis within 48 hours.
Read Also:
He expressed concern about the corruption among some individuals responsible for government boreholes in the city, noting that despite being provided with six hours of fuel daily, they only pumped water for one hour each day.
“We are going to set up committees for the boreholes in each ward, involving residents to monitor and address the problem.
“Residents need to sit up and assist the government in ensuring service delivery,” Mr Zulum said.
He urged citizens to use the period of Ramadan to pray for peace and prosperity and for divine intervention in exposing saboteurs of government programmes and policies.
Mr Zulum noted the recent arrest of some people linked to cases of fire outbreaks in displaced persons camps, adding that with more commitment and prayers from all, God would continue to expose enemies of progress in the state.
