The story of water supply in Kwara State, particularly Ilorin metropolis is a harrowing experience, which is persistently becoming a recurring decimal. The people of the state always have a very bitter story to tell.

Successive administrations [both military and civilian] have at one time or the other during their tenure, faced the herculean task of solving the problem once and for all. This is an indication that the menace is germane.

If you take a tour around the metropolis, one can not but feel pity for the suffering masses over the issue of water that is fast becoming ashes in their mouth.

Water is life, they say. If really water is 'life', then the people of the state do not have life. If successive governments had been tackling this problem gradually as they come and the problem still persists, then something is wrong somewhere.

A brief check at the effort of the successive administrations particularly civilian since 1992 during Governor Mohammed Sha'aba Lafiagi till the present administration of Abdulfatah Ahmad, one will discover that billions of naira had been allocated to water but with present situation of water in the state capital, it definitely did not translate to easing the water problem. Apart from Governor Mohammed Lawal's administration which did a yeoman job in taking this perennial problem in its real sense, other administrations had been paying a lip service in their effort.

Alhaji Mohammed Sha'aba Lafiagi's government was given a huge sum of Two Hundred and Fifty Million Naira [N250, 000, 000] by the Federal Government for the expansion of the Asa Dam. What we can see with all of that money was concrete tank in selected places in the heart of Ilorin and tankers to be putting water for people to fetch. How does that equate to the expansion of Dam?

Equally, the 8 years of Dr Bukola Saraki who succeeded Lawal was no different. His government's common language was embarking on reticulation which never saw the light of the day and millions of naira [only God knows] was sunk into it. Rather than building on what Lawal put in place by completing the uncompleted boreholes and connecting the unconnected tanks, attempt was made to rubbish his laudable feat. If the successive government built on the feat, the current acute water shortage in the city won't have been so acute. Can we then say the huge sum spent on the reticulation was justified with the current situation?

The incumbent government of Abdulfatah Ahmed is not even saying or doing anything about the situation since assumption of office about five years ago. He only said he want to sink 1000 bore holes in his wish list in his recent attempt to obtain a bond of N20Billion. The question now is, will sinking of 1000 bore holes solve our water problem in the state?

Governor Lawal's administration had laid a very solid template for the complete eradication of this perennial water shortage in the state only for the successive administration instead of building on it, completely abandoned it. Lawal did it holistically, sincerely and with all seriousness too.

Upon assumption of office, he did a palliative measure to reduce the suffering of the masses while he embarked on a long term measure, which ought to have permanently solved the recurring water scarcity.

The immediate step he took to cushion the hardship of the people was the refurbished and mobilization of 10 tankers and hired another 11 for distribution of water to various points in the metropolis. The government ensured Immediate installation of 15KVA transformer to increase the power supplies at the dam and paid the outstanding of all the procurement of alum and other chemicals and even procured more.

Then he awarded the contract for expansion of Agba Dam water works in order to increase water supply to the capital and its environs by 2million gallons per day and rehabilitated the 7 water works in the state namely Agba Dam, Asa Dam, Babanloma, old and new Offa, and Sobi to increase the capacity of treated water supply to 12million gallons per day from the previous 8million gallons per day.

He also embarked on the drilling of motorized boreholes with tanks in each of the 193 wards in the state and constructed about 8 Overhead Reservoir Tanks (Up Kwara Tanks) in some strategic places in the state capital to aid the supply of water in the areas where water could not reach from the Asa Dam due to topography of the areas.

Why he was putting all these in place, he had engaged in discussions with African Development Bank (ADB) for assistance to overhaul, expand and complete the Asa Dam.

All these aforementioned projects are still there for all to see but not being utilized, WHY? If the successive administrations had been sincere and really have the common man at heart, all they need to do is to continue from where Lawal stopped by completing the uncompleted and connecting the unconnected so that the interest and welfare of the masses would be met. And the money expended on water would be minimal. Rather all these laudable projects were abandoned because of the political reason and yet, they could not come up with a better way of solving this perennial water problem. Who cares who did what as long as our suffering is alleviated?.

Yusuf is Assistant Publicity Secretary, Kwara State Chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).