He is easy going and unassuming but frank to a fault. A professional to the core, he knows his onion and has remained a reference on the job, making him a round peg in a round hole. He has been in the business of rural water and sanitation for years.
He is such a professional that even if you wake him up from sleep, he can talk about rural water and sanitation for hours without recourse to books. A geologist par excellence as he has shown that he knows his onions on this job of piloting the affairs of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, RUWASSA.
Dr Mohammed Ali Dan-Hassan, the amiable Executive Director of FCT RUWASSA, was born in Kaduna, Kaduna state, but hails from Kura local government area of Kano state. He has a Ph.D. in Geology (Hydrogeology), from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger state. Before then, of course, he bagged his masters degree, M.Sc., in Applied Geology (Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology), from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun state, Nigeria, and his first degree, B.Sc., in Applied Geology, from Ahmadu Bello University, Bauchi Campus, Bauchi state, Nigeria.
With about 1.8 million out of the six million residents of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, still taking pleasure in using walkways, bushes and unconventional methods of defecating, Dr Dan-Hassan has set in motion means and ways to eradicate open defecation by 2025.
He is not happy with this development; hence plans and efforts are on to ensure the number reduces drastically or totally for those who defecate in the open because they derive pleasure in the cool breeze that open defecation gives to them.
The executive director said he is determined to end this bad attitude among the Abuja residents, as such the directorate has provided more than 100 public toilets in some of the communities and most especially in the city environs.
The mission of the agency, according to Dan-Hassan, is to ensure sustainable provision and access to potable water, hygiene and sanitation facilities and services to rural and peri-urban communities in Abuja.
The fact remains that RUWASSA’s main source of water supply to the rural and peri-urban areas is groundwater. Access to improved water supply in rural areas in FCT is estimated at about 65% and access to improved sanitation at less than 30%. Open defecation is still practiced in most parts of the rural communities and some areas in the urban centers.
The FCT RUWASSA boss said the Presidential Executive Order 009, which has set 2025 as a target to eradicate open defecation, would be pursued with vigour and all hands-on deck to ensure the rural communities enjoy hygienic environment.
According to him, in a bid to rid the Federal Capital Territory of open defecation, and ensure adequate supply of safe water and sanitation services in rural communities of the territory, the FCT Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Directorate has stepped up efforts to collaborate with stakeholders and partners to work out achievable strategies to comply with the Presidential Order 009 to end open defecation.
According to Dr Dan-Hassan, water, sanitation and hygiene, these three components are key to survival of the human being. When you have safe drinking water, you are putting 95% of diseases away. You take care of your water; you take care of sanitation and hygiene. So, that will ultimately result in good health conditions of the citizens, such that the money that would have been spent on health issues will now be diverted to other productive ventures.
The directorate not just providing the water schemes, also went into community mobilisation and awareness programme to sensitise the communities because it’s one thing to provide the facilities, while it is another thing to maintain the facilities, so every stakeholder in this programme is encouraged to buy into it.
The directorate, this month, marks three years of its establishment, and according to Dr. Dan-Hassan, the agency has reasons to commend itself for the laudable giant strides it has made in eradicating open defecation and ensuring provision of water to the rural communities in Abuja and sustaining hygiene in these areas.
The sheriff at the FCT RUWASSA has working and other experiences. In 2013, Dan-Hassan was deputy director, FCT Water Board/Programme Manager, FCT-UNICEF “WASH” (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) and in 2009 assistant director, Federal Capital Territory Water Board, Abuja. Inn 2005, he was chief hydrogeologist; 2001, assistant chief hydrogeologist. He was also the field geologist, Water Surveys (Nig) Ltd., Bauchi, after his mandatory National Youth Service Corp, NYSC, as a geologist in the same company.
Dan-Hassan has had several trainings in Sustainability of Water and Sanitation Projects, National Water Resources Institute, Kaduna/UNICEF-sponsored Refresher Course; July, 1996: Computer Applications to Water Resources Data, Information & Management, National Water Resources Institute, Kaduna/UNICEF Refresher Course
He was head of Department, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department, FCTWB, chairman, Board of Trustees, Nirek Nile Foundation (WASH NGO); President, Rotary Club of Wuse Central, Abuja, Rotary International (2019/2020); Team Member, Feasibility Studies of WASH Package, EU/UNICEF/FGN Pro); chairman, Committee on production of Operational manual (s) for FCT Water Board
He was also chairman, Special Committee on Public taps and related matters; Community mobilisation and participation in developmental projects: >200 communities; Project Manager, FCT UNICEF-Assisted Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme for FCT, Abuja. He participated in hydro-geophysical investigation for water resources development in semi-urban towns.
He was one time project Manager, Rural Water Supply Programme, Abia State, under Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund (1998-99), ad-hoc National assignment as he organised communities to form water users associations and Village Level Operation and management (VLOM) of “WASH facilities
In 1992 he was a Lecturer II: Geology Programme, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University. Bauchi. Involved in teaching and research (water/mineral resources development and management). In 1987 as Exploration Geologist, Water Surveys (Nig.) Ltd he was Involved in groundwater exploration and exploitation, shallow alluvial aquifer studies for irrigation, hydrogeological mapping, aerial photo interpretation, feasibility studies of dams, township water supply pipe network and distribution, monitoring a surveillance of urban water supply and distribution systems, community mobilisation and participation in projects, etc
Of membership of professional bodies; he is a Fellow of Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS), Fellow Nigerian Association of Hydrogeologists (NAM) and member, International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH).
Going through these laudable achievements within just three years, indeed, Dr. Mohammed Ali Dan-Hassan remains an asset to the FCT RUWASSA as he has elevated the agency to be better organised and operated than many states’ RUWASSA and has every reason to celebrate the laudable progress in eradicating open defecation and maintaining good hygiene in rural communities and the urban centres.
Abdul, Abuja based journalist, writes via [email protected]
