Since the last five months or so the song in FCT has been Nyesom Wike is doing well, constructing roads. Either to those singing his praises or to the Minister himself, road construction alone is tantamount to providing infrastructure. We are not against him constructing roads in FCT, after all, this is the Capital of Nigeria. And it doesn’t matter much to his praise-singers if the people do not know the cost of the roads.But this write-up is not about road, it is about water, one of the few necessities Wike administration has pretended is not necessary for FCT residents.
As an environmental scientist living in Abuja, I have seen firsthand how water scarcity can cripple the very essence of daily life. But never in my years here have I witnessed a crisis as dire as the one residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are facing today. For weeks now, taps have run dry across neighbourhoods in Gwarinpa, Apo, Lugbe, Durumi, Gudu, and even Maitama. Families are carrying buckets around in search of water. Businesses dependent on a steady supply are gasping for survival. Abuja has never had it this bad.
The reality is simple: water is life. A capital city without water is like a body without blood. Yet, under the current administration of Nyesom Wike, water issues have been pushed to the background while roads, bridges, and political battles have taken centre stage.The minister appears more concerned with making cosmetic statements of development through infrastructure projects, ignoring the more pressing need for water. Roads do not quench thirst. Bridges do not cook food. People need water to live.
This prolonged crisis, we are told, is due to bureaucratic delays in approving funds to purchase treatment chemicals. That is an unacceptable excuse. Leadership is about anticipating needs and responding swiftly. When files pile up on a minister’s desk while taps run dry across the nation’s capital, it points to a failure of priority. As one resident lamented, “I have lived here for five years, and I have never seen such a prolonged scarcity.”
In places like Gwarimpa, it is one complain or the other: burst pipe, chemicals, or any other stories that depict an institution that’s not ready to serve the people.
Wike must get off his high horse and listen. He is an appointee, not an emperor. He is not an elected official, and his duty is to serve residents, not to act like a monarch who hoards decisions. Strong-headedness and archaic ideas have no place in modern governance. Abuja deserves better. The minister must understand that he will be judged not by the number of bridges he builds but by how well residents can live under his watch. And right now, residents are suffering.The minister should open his doors to experts and ideas instead of fighting everyone who brings suggestions. Delegating responsibilities is not a weakness; it is wisdom. Competent technocrats exist within the FCTA. Let them work. Let decisions move faster. Most importantly, let the water flow.
The solutions are clear: ensure timely funding for treatment chemicals, invest in modern water infrastructure, and prioritise water security as much as road expansion. Abuja is not just another city; it is Nigeria’s capital, and the taps should always be running.
Water is not a luxury. It is the most basic right of every resident. Mr. Minister, the judgment of history will not be on how many flyovers you inaugurated but on whether the people of Abuja had water to drink, cook, and live.
Momoh, an environmental scientist, writes from Kaura, Abuja.
