FCT’s Water Crisis Persists Despite Minister’s Assurances

Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been experiencing a water crisis since the beginning of the year, casting widespread shortages in the Abuja city centre and satellite towns including Bwari, Karu, and Kubwa. Officials of the FCT Water Board attributed the crisis to a shortage of flowing water from the Gurara Dam to the Usuman Dam, and a debt owed by the water board to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) for electricity and infrastructure rehabilitation.

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike blames the ongoing water shortage on a damaged pipe caused by a private developer, while reports point to a pattern of administrative failures and controversial allegations surrounding the crisis.

After inspecting the projects in the capital on Wednesday, Wike told journalists the FCT Water Board is working to restore supply to affected areas. “Somebody who is carrying out a private development damaged that pipe, and the Water Board is working tirelessly to make sure that the pipe is put back to use,” he said.

“If it means that I have to shut down the project, I will shut it down because you cannot suffer the public and freely go about developing your own property,” he added. He also warned that the contractor could face sanctions. Wike further promised that he would visit the site on Thursday, 17th April to assess the damage, however there have not been any reports of this so far.

Abuja’s water shortage has been building for months, with different reasons given as to why, at each stage. In January, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) cut power to the FCT Water Board over unpaid bills, shutting down operations at the Lower Usuma Dam. The Board’s monthly electricity bill reportedly exceeds N200 million, and the debt had accumulated for several months. AEDC restored power on January 18 after public outcry, but only on condition that the Board presented a repayment plan within two weeks.

Minister Wike Accused of Diverting Water

Ushafa residents and anonymous sources familiar with water supply operations in the FCT have alleged that up to 70% of Usuma Dam water has been diverted to Jordan Farms, a private agricultural estate in Ushafa area reportedly owned by the FCT minister and named after his son. Meanwhile, residents near the dam say their taps are dry even as the farm continues to irrigate. “My house, directly beside the dam, has no water. Yet the farm, which started operations days ago, gets water from the dam regularly,” a resident of the area said.

Although these claims remain unverified, and the FCT minister has not publicly responded to them. Many residents in the affected areas have found the repeated explanations, from chemical shortages, unpaid bills, the minister’s absence, and now a damaged pipe, to be frustrating.

Wike has appealed for patience. “It is not our fault; it is the fault of a private developer, but we have no excuse to put it back. So, that is what we are doing now,” he said.​​​​​​​​​​​​

Private Solutions and Their Dangers

As a result of the government not adequately providing basic amenities like light and water, or maintaining the infrastructure that support them, boreholes and solar panels have become private solutions to public failures..

Environmental geologist, Fidelis Adigwe, who has overseen more than 500 borehole installations across Nigeria, warns that the country is sleepwalking into a groundwater crisis. “There’s a hidden crisis happening, groundwater is depleting because people are drilling boreholes anywhere they want without proper studies,” he cautioned. His research at the University of Texas found that unregulated drilling can introduce PFAS, toxic chemicals linked to cancer and liver damage, into water systems, compounding the health risks already faced by communities with no clean water alternatives.

Water is one of the most basic needs of any population, not just for drinking and cooking but sanitation, hygiene, and public health. When water supply fails, the consequences go far beyond inconvenience. For the capital of Nigeria to undergo persistent water infrastructure failure signals to citizens an administration unable to meet its most basic obligations.