Kaduna State has battled persistent water shortages and poor sanitation for years. In 2015, with the backing of development partners like the World Bank, the government vowed to resolve these issues.
However, eight years later, the promised improvements remain elusive, and communities continue to suffer. Enoch Oyedibu reports.
At Unguwar Nasarawa, a community in Kaduna South Local Government Area, Khadijat Yaya, a heavily pregnant trader, stands at the edge of a crumbling well which is the only source of water for hundreds of residents. Sweat beads on her forehead as she joins a growing line of women, some with babies strapped to their backs, waiting to draw water from the dirty, uncovered well. Yaya, now in her third trimester, has just walked more than two kilometres under the scorching midday sun. This is her reality on a daily basis.
“It has always been this way,” she says, her voice resigned to the struggle.
Women, including a pregnant woman, climb local stairs with water fetched from a lake, in Kaduna South Local Government Area.
The water is often tainted with dirt, but for Yaya and her neighbours, there is no alternative.
Just 60 kilometres away, in Kagarko, another rural community, Mariam Usman, also pregnant, carries a similar burden. With her husband away on the farm, the daily task of fetching water falls squarely on her shoulders. She walks over 1.5 kilometres to collect water from a dilapidated well that depends on rainfall.
Women in a single file going to fetch water
When the well runs dry, the community is left vulnerable to outbreaks of diseases like cholera and diarrhoea. “I do all the house chores,” Usman sighs, “It’s not easy, but we have no choice.”
An uncovered and unhygienic well at Kargako.
For years, Kagarko has battled waterborne diseases, and yet, some locals still see it as a divine trial. “In the last two years, we have seen many cases of vomiting and diarrhoea, mostly in children and women,” says Hammed Sani, the community’s Mai Agwa (Head). “We don’t know if it’s the water or a test from God.”
Across Kaduna State, this is a story all too familiar. From urban centres to remote villages, the story remains the same. Billions of naira have been spent on grand water projects, yet for many, clean water remains an unfulfilled promise, leaving residents stuck in a cycle of waterborne diseases, stagnant wells, and fading hopes.
Billions in funding, little to show
Kaduna State has invested billions of naira in water infrastructure through agencies such as the Kaduna State Water Corporation (KADSWAC) and the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA). Interestingly, successive administrations especially that of the former Governor Nasir El-Rufai channelled vast resources into the sector, yet the results have been underwhelming.
Take, for instance, the Zaria Water Supply Expansion and Sanitation Project (ZWSESP), a N24 billion initiative funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). The project, commissioned in 2019 with great fanfare by former president Muhammadu Buhari, was supposed to deliver 150 million litres of water daily to Zaria and its environs. Yet, only a few years in, the project is on the brink of collapse.
Findings by this reporter revealed that since 2022, the project has been crippled by unpaid salaries and non-payment of water bills by consumers including some government agencies. The Old Water Works in Zaria is now ineffective due to a “failed weir,” and the New Water Works operate below capacity, hindered by persistent power outages and ageing equipment. As a result, most rural communities remain underserved, according to a KADSWAC official who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak.
RUWASSA, tasked with improving water access in rural areas, has also faltered. In communities like Kagarko, residents are left waiting for emergency NGO supplies or temporary repairs to wells which are quick fixes that do little to address the deeper systemic failures.
Efforts to obtain official comments from government officials were met with delays and evasion. Mr. Mubarak Ladan, Director General of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), proved difficult to reach from August through September. Despite visits to his office and repeated calls, X (formerly Twitter) messages, and texts, Ladan remained unavailable.
When he eventually responded in September, he downplayed the challenges in rural water provision, stating, “Water is not something you can provide 100 percent, but I can assure you, all local governments have the presence of RUWASSA, providing water as we speak.”
Ladan admitted that billions of naira would be required to cover all local governments in Kaduna State and alleviate the water scarcity. Although he acknowledged the state had received funds from development partners, he was unable to confirm how those funds had been utilised.
Kaduna State was among the recipients of the $700 million Nigeria-World Bank Sustainable Urban Water Supply and Sanitation (SURWASH) loan in 2021, receiving an initial allocation of $352,855.00. The funds were intended to support rural water access through RUWASSA and KADSWAC, the state’s water corporation. However, the effectiveness of the program remains in question.
When asked about the specific appropriation of the SURWASH funds since 2021, Mr. Ladan abruptly ended the call. Upon follow-up, he declined to provide further details, stating he could not comment on the matter.
Similarly, KADSWAC Managing Director, Mr. Kabir Rufai, initially ignored requests for an interview. When he finally responded via WhatsApp, he stated that he was “not around” and declined a telephone conversation, promising to follow up later. However, no further communication was received as of the time of filing this report.
The silence from officials has left many questions unanswered, especially as the water crisis in Kaduna State worsens. Despite the SURWASH initiative, which aimed to improve access to clean water and sanitation, the program has largely failed in some parts of the state, leaving rural communities underserved and still reliant on inadequate and unclean water sources.
Government sources revealed that the immediate-past administration in Kaduna State failed to disburse allocated funds for water infrastructure until it exited office in 2023.
This delay left Kaduna with the lowest disbursement rate among participating states in the SURWASH program, a shortfall that has worsened the ongoing water crisis in communities like Kargako, Unguwar Nasarawa, and Zaria.
In a statement, ex-aides under the former administration refuted these claims, stating that the $352, 855 allocated for the SURWASH program was only disbursed to the state in June 2023, after the El-Rufai administration had left office.
Despite substantial budget allocations in 2021, 2022, and 2023, the funds did little to alleviate Kaduna’s worsening water scarcity. In 2022, the state experienced severe dry zones, and while rural communities were already struggling with inadequate water supply, urban areas which previously had reliable water supply faced an unprecedented shortage. According to the former Managing Director of KADSWAC, Mr. Sanusi Maikudi, “The recent water crisis in Kaduna actually started in 2022.” This failure to act in time has left both urban and rural areas grappling with severe water scarcity, worsening the state’s long-standing challenges.
Poor value for funds spent on water projects
In an interview with SolaceBase , the Kaduna State Commissioner for Public Works and Infrastructure, Ibrahim Hamza, acknowledged that the capacity utilisation of water treatment plants was below 8 per cent when the current administration under Governor Uba Sani took office in May 2023.
This, he noted, was despite the El-Rufai administration’s investment in water schemes in the state.
“When we came into power in 2023, the capacity utilisation of our water treatment plants was below 8 per cent, which is a very bad state…they were underperforming,” the commissioner said.
Meanwhile, findings showed that efforts to improve rural water supply, particularly through RUWASSA, in areas like Kagarko, Kaduna South, and Kaduna North Local Governments have yielded limited results.
The current administration continues to face significant challenges, as residents across rural and urban areas still depend heavily on unhygienic water sources.
In Kaduna South LGA, the water crisis is compounded by poor sanitation practices, including open defecation and waste dumping, which underscores the failure of past interventions. “Getting water is a daily struggle,” said Mr. Kunle Olaonsewa, a resident of Unguwar Nasarawa community.
Olaonsewa explained to SolaceBase that without functional pipe-borne water, the majority of the community rely on unclean sources, particularly well water, which has contributed to widespread cases of diarrhoea, especially among children.
Dr. Jeremiah Daiko, an epidemiologist with the Kaduna Health Ministry, confirmed the dire situation. “At the moment, there is water scarcity and a high prevalence of waterborne diseases in Kaduna State,” he said.
In other affected areas like Unguwar Yero and Kawo in Kaduna North LGA, residents are battling waterborne diseases, largely due to the use of contaminated water. Amidat Aliyu from Unguwar Yero stated, “Waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, and cholera are acute. Sometimes people vomit profusely and defecate uncontrollably. I haven’t experienced it personally, but I know of children who have.”
Similarly, Patience Aliyu from Kawo lamented, “I can estimate that 95 percent of our community lacks access to clean water. We rely on well water which is often dirty and sometimes boreholes for cooking, bathing, and washing.”
A well in Kargako community, Kaduna State.
Muhammed Ahmad, who resides near River Kaduna in Unguwar Mu’azu, Kaduna South LGA, painted an even grimmer picture. “Getting clean water is one of the most difficult tasks for us,” he said.
He attributed part of the problem to the indiscriminate dumping of refuse, which is often washed into the river during the rainy season.
“People bathe in stagnant water around the river and this makes the area a breeding ground for mosquitoes and diseases. For those who cannot afford good alternative sources of water, the water source they often rely on is usually unsafe and unclean, leading to widespread illness. Instead of seeking proper medical treatment, many resort to oral rehydration salts from pharmacies.”
A woman fetching water from stagnant water, Kaduna South LGA.
Why water scarcity continues
Several reasons have been attributed to the causes of water scarcity in Kaduna. A review of documents submitted to the Kaduna State House of Assembly’s Ad-hoc committee set up in April 2024 to investigate finances, loans, and contracts awarded under the administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, highlights underfunding of KADSWAC as a major factor.
Former Governor El-Rufai declared a state of emergency on water in 2020, pledging to significantly boost funding for all agencies involved in water management. However, rather than enhancing financial support, his policies such as the privatisation of KADSWAC and the relegation of the Ministry of Water Resources under the Ministry of Public Works further diminished the state’s capacity to effectively tackle the water crisis.
While KADSWAC’s former Managing Director, Maikudi, confirmed that several government institutions owed significant sums in unpaid water bills, spokespersons from these institutions tell a different story. Mr. Maikudi disclosed that the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force in Kaduna were among KADSWAC’s biggest debtors, noting that “only the Nigeria Defence Academy had their water bills cleared.” He explained that the corporation’s inability to meet its operational demands between 2019 and 2023 was largely due to these unpaid bills, which severely hampered its ability to function effectively.
Women, including a pregnant woman, climb local stairs with water fetched from a lake.
However, Lt. Col. Yahaya Musa, the Nigerian Military spokesperson in Kaduna, denied these allegations, challenging KADSWAC to officially write to the division if any money was owed. “We use boreholes in the barracks,” he said dismissively, questioning the relevance of the water board in the 21st century. Lt. Col. Musa did not respond to further calls from this reporter.
Similarly, ASP Mansur Hassan, the Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer in Kaduna, denied the claim. After initially ignoring calls for two days, Hassan called back, threatening legal action if the allegations were published. “For the past 20 years, the division has not received water supply from KADSWAC. If you write anything, we will sue you,” he said.
Attempts to reach representatives from other government bodies were equally challenging.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Kaduna could not be reached, and messages sent to Alaere Obidake, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Air Force, also went unanswered.
Beyond these denials, SolaceBase found documents dating back to 2015, 2016, and 2018, urging institutions like the Nigerian Armed Forces, NNPCL, and the Nigerian Prisons Service (now Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS) to settle their water bills. By September 2018, the Nigerian Army owed KADSWAC over N612m, while the NNPCL owed more than N2bn. The NCS had outstanding arrears of over N29m as of May 2018.
However, in a telephone interview with this newspaper, Zaki Emmanuel, the Public Relations Officer for the Kaduna State NCoS, denied any knowledge of outstanding arrears. “I’m not aware of this,” Emmanuel said. “I’ve been in service for over 15 years, and to my knowledge, none of our facilities in Kaduna State uses water from KADSWAC. All our needs are paid for by our headquarters in Abuja.”
Contrary to these denials, Dauda Idris, Director of Consumer Affairs at the Kaduna State Water Services Regulatory Commission, confirmed in a separate interview that the complaints made by KADSWAC about unpaid water rates from the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, and other agencies were indeed accurate.
In Kaduna State, three key agencies manage and regulate water services: KADSWAC (Kaduna State Water Corporation), RUWASSA (Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency), and the Kaduna State Water Services Regulatory Commission. The regulatory commission serves as the overarching authority, overseeing the activities of KADSWAC, RUWASSA, and other independent water bodies operating within the state.
Mr. Idris said, “Actually, the complaint is genuine. Actually, we got that information from them (KADSWAC). Because they are privatised, they are now responsible for their revenue and salary payments of their staff. But unfortunately, the money they are generating cannot pay the salaries of their staff.”
Mr. Idris says the recent challenges of KADSWAC are that its customers are not paying for water rates, solely because they’re not getting any water supply. But for those who still owe the corporation, Mr. Idris says KADSWAC can sue them.
“The problem is caused by mismanagement by inexperienced people” – Expert
According to Rev. Kuzasuwat Peter, Kaduna State Coordinator for the Society for Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN), the ongoing water scarcity and sanitation crisis in the state stems from poor management and the premature independence granted to the water corporation.
“There were management issues and the abrupt decision to give KADSWAC independence,” Rev. Peter explained. “Some of us felt the move was premature. Suddenly, KADSWAC was removed from the government’s subvention list and expected to operate independently. As of July 2024, some staff members are still being owed nine months of unpaid salaries.”
Rev. Peter further explained that while KADSWAC manages urban sanitation and water supply, the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) is responsible for rural areas. Despite its ambitious sanitation goals, KADSWAC’s efforts have faltered.
“They’ve only recently tried to establish a sanitation department in KADSWAC, but even that initiative fell into the wrong hands.
“The job was given to a company called GADA, which then sublet it to two consultancies. Against our advice, the project was given to people who lacked the necessary experience. As of now, they’ve achieved nothing, and only recently did they realise they were not executing it properly. That’s when they called NEWSAN to assist,” he said.
On the issue of water supply, Rev. Peter was equally critical of the leadership in place. “Once they brought in someone without experience in managing water utilities, combined with the sudden independence of KADSWAC, things quickly fell apart. Dry zones erupted across the state. We raised concerns and issued press releases, but the damage had already been done. Currently, many
KADSWAC employees are not working due to unpaid wages, and the situation is rooted in mismanagement,” he concluded.
This SolaceBase publication is produced with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under the collaborative Media Engagement for Development, Inclusion and Accountability Project (CMEDIA) funded by the MacArthur Foundation.
