With over 15,000 cubic meters per hour, and about 131 million cubic meters per annum, the FCT Water Board can be said to be one of the best potable water providers not only in Nigeria but in the sub-region.
It is a government utility organisation saddled with the responsibilities of providing safe, adequate and affordable water supply service in the country. And it has not failed in that aspect desite its challenges.
The board was established in 1989 with the sole responsibility of providing safe, adequate and affordable water supply in accordance with World Health Organization and Nigerian drinking water quality standards to residents of FCT, Abuja.
With six departments and eight operational units and 17 area offices, only 40 per cent of FCT is having potable water, the desire is to increase the percentage.
Its main source of raw water are from Lower Usman Dam (LUD) in Abuja and Gurara, in Kachia, Kaduna state. It has six storage tanks and 13 booster stations for high elevation.
The board has 54,584 customers that it services. Some of its major consumers are Julius Berger, Transcorp, Sheraton, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, NIA, NAF, CBN, Nigerian Army, 7UP, Coca-Cola, Dantata and Sawoe, Presidential Fleet, NNPC, CGC, ACG, among others.
Since the appointment of Dame Joy Okoro, as the acting general manager of the board late last year, there have been some changes that are reflecting in the increase of its revenue generation and performances.
For her intolerance for corruption, she has warned the board staff to desist from collecting cash from customers with the claim to help them pay. She vowed that any staff caught would be dealt with; this she said would stem tide of corruption among its 1,361 staff.
She has therefore urged customers to make use of the four platforms for payments which include direct payment to commercial banks at the various 16 area offices of the agency, e-Transact, Remita and Nibox. She has also encouraged the regular customers meetings with the area offices, where complaints are tabled and addressed and payment methods explained and warnings against illegal connections and non payments of bills.
Before her appointment, the revenue was as low as N95,000 to N150,000 monthly, but now the revenue has increased to N195,000 and N209,000 monthly; an improvement that stakeholders are commending.
Meantime, funding of the board is through FCT annual statutory budgetary appropriation and donor agencies. Unfortunately though, the funding has been irregular, insufficient and inconsistent with attendant consequences in slow operation and dwindling revenue generation.
For instance, in 2011, the board was able to realise N2.195 billion while in 2016, it realised only N1.585billion and as at August last year, it only generated N895million. A poor outing one may say. But since the arrival of Okoro, the revenue has increased to an average of N200million every other month.
In spite of this, however, the board has been able to serve the city effectively. It has also over 40 per cent coverage level of water supply to the city and environs. It has introduced Automated Meter Reading (AMR), pre-paid with a PRS to enhance billing efficiency and revenue generation.
The infrastructural development plan was designed to be implemented in five phases, which unfortunately was not followed hence the hicups in smooth flow of water to every crannies of the territory.
The Abuja Water Supply Master Plan first phase is fully operational and has raw water supply source from Lower Usuman Dam and Gurara located in Kachia in Kaduna state.
The 1, 2, 3, and 4 Water Treatment Plants, WTPs, are fully operational, while six Storage Tanks at periphery of the city (2,3,4 and 5 are completed, while 1 and 6 are under construction which are located at Katampe, Maitama, Asokoro, Apo, and Lokogoma Districts of Abuja.
It has Trunk mains for raw water from LUD to WTP and Trunk mains for raw water from Gurara to LUD. Also there are associated trunk mains for treated water and 13 booster stations for high elevation, Satellite towns and University of Abuja located at Maitama, Asokoro, Karu, Kubwa Airport, University of Abuja Permanent Site, Bwari and Gwagwalada.
Meanwhile, all capital water infrastructure projects are under the supervision of Engineering department of the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA but there are some projects that are jointly supervised by FCT Water Board while others were solely supervised by the Board.
The board main activities are majorly production of potable water, transmission, storage, distribution to various types of customers and distribution of bills for revenue collection.
In exercising the autonomy bestowed on the board by the Establishment Act 2017, the board with the approval of the Minister proposes the re-positioning and establishment of the Boards financial autonomy, which will boost the IGR drive and further request that 35 per cent of the IGR be retained as operational cost to run the board.
Whenever this approval is eventually given, as stated by a staff, the Board has the potential to improve the IGR to a minimum of N400 million monthly. It was reliably gathered that actual releases from the Board appropriation have been nose diving for the last 3 years.
A recap of some releases in the past years will help out. In 2011, for instance, it was able to generate N2.195 billion while its operational cost released to it was N436.4million. In 2013 also, the Board was able to generate N2.165 billion but was given only N270 million as running cost. In 2016, it realized N1.585billion and was given N112million as running cost. In 2019, it generated N1.185billion and was given N95million to run its activities for that year.
From this statistics, it is clear that the yearly revenue collection is directly proportional to the operational cost released. The higher the release, the higher the collection and vice versa. It is therefore needless to say that this hampered efficiency and effectiveness in revenue collection.
In spite of these challenges, the Board is serving the city with potable water, payment of outstanding liabilities to contractors owed, increment in urban water supply coverage, automation of some of its activities including the billing and payroll.
Successful integrated FCTWB with electronic payment gateways for ease of customers; payments, tracking and monitoring of revenue. Initiation and the creation of synergy of purpose, public awareness among departments, units, staff and management within the Board.
The challenges are numerous just as it is expected of human endeavours which include lack of befitting office accommodation, increase in population without corresponding increase in water supply infrastructure.
It lacks maintenance manual, lack of on job specialise training and vandalisation of appurtenances on the trunk mains. Multiple water inlets to some high-rise structures and lack of As-built drawings (water distribution network) for some Districts and Estates developed by private estate developers.
Okoro said another major headache for the Board is illegal house connection, ageing infrastructures and irregular payment of approved operational cost.
However, she said in spite of these challenges here and there, the Board is desirous to have 100 per cent water supply coverage to FCT, have 24 hours water supply in all areas of Abuja.
The board is desirous to produce its own bottle water, anxiously waiting to implement the Board autonomy and to be the hub for urban water training and capacity development in Nigeria.
Indeed the water board management can raise the cup, cling the glasses and say with conviction that it has not disappointed the mandate given her so far.
Indeed the water board management can raise the cup, cling the glasses and say with conviction that it has not disappointed the mandate given her so far.
Jelil, Abuja based journalist, writes via [email protected]
