Environment
Abuja Residents Want Water, Toilet Facilities
Some residents of Gwagwa
and Waru communities, suburbs of Abuja, have appealed to the Federal Government to provide them potable water and public toilets.
They told newsmen in Abuja that the provisions of these facilities would afford them to live a healthy live.
The Sarkin-Yakin of Gwagwa, Alhaji Jafaru Gwagwa, said that the community was faced with having access to potable water, saying the only source was from a well.
He expressed regrets that wells dug for the community by private individuals hardly supply enough water especially during the dry season.
According to him, most people usually take turns before getting water to fetch from the wells for all purposes, saying more needed to be done to provide for the people in the community.
“When you look at Gwagwa community, we have lots of challenges. One of it is the issue of potable water, most times, what we use is well water.
“Ironically, the water from the gutter flows into some of the wells.
“Since it is the only source of water in the community, the people are, usually, left with the option of using the water the way it is.
“We want the Federal Government and the FCT Administration to come to our rescue, so that our children will stop falling ill from something that can be prevented.”
Gwagwa said children from the community usually fall sick from cholera and diarrhoea, saying this had led to most of them not being punctual at schools.
This had brought untold hardships on their parents, he said.
The community leader also said that they lacked enough public toilets adding that most residents would, most times, have to N20 each before they could use it.
He said that most people did not build toilets in their houses but always preferred to defecate in the bush to defecate.
“Most of the people in this community usually defecate in the bush, if it is late at night, some prefer to do it in nylons or somewhere and throw them away in the bush in the morning.”
Also, residents of Waru community in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) urged the various agencies of government to provide them potable water.
Its spokesman, Mr Isuwa Kura, said that inadequate water supply was affecting the community’s social and economic growth.
Kura said that the two boreholes and the stream, the main sources of water were insufficient to serve the community.
“As I speak with you, we have just two boreholes for a population of no fewer than 3,000 people.
President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Mrs Margaret Oguntala, has inaugurated the construction of 18 units residential terrace in highbrow Alausa area of Lagos toward bridging the nation’s shelter gap.
Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation has launched the 1GOV Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to enhance digital governance and improve service delivery.
The launch, held on Thursday in Abuja, marks the ministry’s transition from paper-based operations to a smart, integrated and technology-driven work environment.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, said the deployment aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
Utsev said the system would improve data management, streamline workflows and strengthen transparency and accountability across the ministry.
According to him, the ECMS will enhance productivity, preserve institutional memory and reduce operational costs in the ministry.
Launching the platform, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, said the initiative is a major step in public sector reform.
She said the ministry’s mandate affects Nigerians through water supply, sanitation, irrigation, river basin development and climate resilience programmes.
Walson-Jack said the 1GOV ECMS enables secure digital records management, automated workflows, electronic approvals and real-time collaboration across MDAs.
She added that the deployment aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 and the directive for full digitalisation by December 2025.
“Effective governance cannot afford delays caused by manual bottlenecks or avoidable inefficiencies,” she said.
She directed that all official correspondence in the ministry must henceforth be processed through approved digital registry channels.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Dr Emanso Umobong, said the system would eliminate workflow inefficiencies and improve service delivery.
She urged staff to fully adopt the platform and engage in continuous capacity building.
Research shows that local communities and citizens living at the grassroots, particularly women, are directly impacted by the environmental degradation, flooding and others that result from these manifestations.
In the light of this, non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has held a forum for women and other members of oil impacted communities, tagged: ‘Voices from the Grassroots,’ and aimed at building their resilience and mitigation efforts against climate change and environmental degradation
The forum, with the theme: ‘Building Resilience for Oil Spill Impacted Ahoada Communities,’ organised with support from Global Green Grants, was held in Ahoada Community, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, on December 5, 2025.
Executive Director of Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development, Mercy Elemchukwu-James, said women are at the forefront of efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change and environmental degradation.
The event, therefore, was “designed for community women impacted by oil spills, flooding and other environmental degradation,” she said.
Community women were enlightened by resource persons on new opportunities for sustainable agricultural practices and water management techniques that cushion the impact of oil spills.
Lectures were also delivered on Self-care and Trauma-care, with focus on physical and mental health of the population, and increasing access to health-related resources and services; as well as on Food security and women’s critical role in decision making in oil spill and flood situations in communities
Elemchukwu-James pointed out that the event created a forum for stakeholders, civil society actors and others to dialogue on measures at advancing inclusive and sustainable livelihoods of community women.
She stressed the need for collaborative efforts towards achieving mitigation efforts, while underscoring EUFORDe’s commitment to “fostering partnerships as a critical driver for achieving a healthy community and sustainable development.”
Elemchukwu-James described participants’ design of ‘Community Resilience Plan,’ to manage and combat environmental degradation and crises, as part of achievements recorded at the event.
The forum also witnessed the launching of EUFORDs’ Center For Resilience and Rights.
“This center is established to build resilience as Trauma-Care for victims of environmental degradation, support for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and a platform where victims of environmental injustice and other GBV cases can seek redress,” Elemchukwu-James said.
Participants celebrated the milestones achieved and charted a path toward greater impact in the coming years. They also described the event as “an inspiring and transformative experience.”
Elemchukwu-James said the awareness creation workshop “reaffirms EUFORDe’s mission to create an equitable society in which the rights and capacities of women, youth, children and underprivileged are integrated in the socio-economic planning and development of communities, for the attainment of equity and peace.