By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com
A flagship water supply project in Ogoni land, commissioned by President Bola Tinubu’s administration with fanfare just four days ago, has spectacularly failed, leaving communities in Rivers State without a drop of water and reigniting accusations of incompetence and abandoned promises.
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The N1.2 billion Tai Solar Hybrid Water Treatment Plant in Tai Local Government Area touted as a “game-changer” for clean water access in the oil-ravaged region – sprang leaks and collapsed on Monday, barely 96 hours after its November 1 unveiling by Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev.
Eyewitnesses described a chaotic scene: Pipes burst under pressure during a routine test, spewing untreated sludge across farmlands, while the solar-powered pumps ground to a halt. “We were celebrating hope, now it’s flooding our farms with dirt,” said Bariledum Bari-Nwii, a local farmer whose cassava plot was ruined.
The 5-million-liters-per-day facility, funded under the Hydro-GO-SENS initiative and built by a Chinese firm, was meant to serve 200,000 residents in Bodo, Goi, and Kurue communities long plagued by pollution from Shell’s operations. Utsev had hailed it as “Tinubu’s commitment to the Niger Delta,” promising 24/7 supply.
Utsev rushed to the site Tuesday, blaming “sabotage by vandals” and vowing repairs within 72 hours. “This is a temporary setback; federal might will prevail,” he insisted, flanked by soldiers.
But Ogoni activists aren’t buying it. Ledum Mitee, ex-MOSOP president, called it “another UNOGOP – United Nations of Go Slow on Ogoni Promises.”
“Billions wasted on substandard work. This is criminal negligence, not sabotage,” Mitee told DDNewsOnline.
The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) has petitioned the Senate, demanding a probe and Utsev’s sack. “We’ve buried our dead from oil spills; now we bury dead projects,” said youth leader Celestine AkpoBari.
This isn’t isolated: Similar Tinubu-era projects in Bayelsa and Delta have faced delays or failures. Critics link it to rushed contracts amid 2027 politicking, with the Chinese contractor, HydroChina Ltd., accused of cutting corners on subsoil testing in the swampy terrain.
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Residents now rely on contaminated streams, risking cholera outbreaks in the rainy season. “Tinubu promised renewal; we got ruins,” lamented Elder Goodluck Diigbo.
The Presidency has promised a full investigation, but with elections looming in Anambra, the optics couldn’t be worse for the APC.
DDNewsOnline