Governor Umaru Bago of Niger has appealed to residents to exercise patience as his administration embarks on a comprehensive overhaul of water infrastructure, power collaboration, and security interventions across the state.

He said in Minna, the state capital, on Saturday that his government inherited water facilities that had suffered decades of neglect, with pipelines over 30 years old either broken or completely collapsed.

“What we inherited is a decay of pipelines; some of them are more than 30 years old and broken.

“We have taken a holistic review, and we are carrying out a total overhaul of the entire water system,” he said.

He explained that the original water design for Minna was meant to serve about 150,000 people, but now struggles to meet the needs of a population estimated at one million.

The governor lamented that key reservoirs, including those at Police Secondary School, Bosso Secondary School, Paida, and Shiroro Hotel, had not received water for years due to infrastructure decay.

“You can imagine the four major reservoirs serving Minna have not received water in a long time.

”It is painful now, but this is the only lasting solution that will bring potable water to our people,” he added.

Mr Bago assured residents that the state government was desilting the Tagwai Dam, replacing old pipelines and reticulation systems, expanding distribution networks, and constructing additional reservoirs to ensure a sustainable water supply.

He said that as interim measures, the government had deployed water tankers to affected communities and was collaborating with the World Bank to drill boreholes across the state capital and other communities.

On electricity, the governor noted that power distribution was a private-sector venture but said the state was engaging the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to improve supply.

“We are going to work with AEDC to create a task force to tackle the menace of non-payment and meter bypass.

“I appeal to our people to pay their bills and urge AEDC to give us more light,” he said.

Mr Bago added that the state was working with development partners to transition hospitals, schools, and other public institutions from off-grid power sources.

He described the current situation as a trial period and also addressed security concerns, saying the state government was collaborating with the federal government and security agencies to restore peace in affected communities.

Mr Bago disclosed that Niger had received relief materials from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction to support victims of natural disasters and insecurity.

The governor reiterated his administration’s commitment to delivering lasting solutions in water supply, power improvement, and security restoration across the state.

(NAN)