Water, Not Waste: FCT Minister Opens Usuma Plant As IGR Rises To ₦30bn Monthly
…Wike vows Abuja’s funds will deliver water, roads, schools, and security — not ghost contracts or frivolous foreign trips
Dr. Nafisat Makinde, Abuja
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, has declared that his administration will prioritize tangible, people-centered projects over wasteful spending and corrupt contract practices, as he commissioned the rehabilitated Phase II Water Treatment Plant at the Lower Usuma Dam, Bwari Area Council.
The ₦50 billion project, originally awarded in 2022, was completed under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. Wike said the successful delivery of the facility, which restores the plant’s full capacity of 5,000 cubic meters of clean water per hour, is a testament to government’s commitment to critical infrastructure under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Water is life, and it is an essential service that we must provide for the residents of Abuja. This project is crucial because it increases the carrying capacity of the plant and will improve the supply of clean and potable water to our people,” the Minister stated.
Wike revealed that Abuja’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has surged from ₦9 billion monthly to not less than ₦30 billion since his assumption of office.
“When we came on board, we had a monthly IGR of ₦9 billion, but today we are generating not less than ₦30 billion every month. If we were not saving and using this money judiciously, could we have paid the contractors or commissioned this project? With discipline and focus, we are not only delivering water to Abuja city but also to Bwari, Karu, and other satellite towns,” he said.
The Minister further announced that the Federal Executive Council has approved the rehabilitation of Phases I, III, and IV of the Usuma Dam water plants, in addition to new water projects in Bwari and Karu valued at over ₦90 billion.
Addressing recent protests over alleged debts to indigenous contractors, Wike dismissed the claims as blackmail by entrenched interests threatened by reform.
“When you fight corruption, corruption will fight you back. Civil servants sat in offices and awarded billions in contracts without ministerial approval. Then suddenly, you are told you owe ₦15 billion. Not under my watch. If I award contracts, I will pay. But nobody can intimidate me into settling debts I did not authorize,” the Minister declared.
He added: “Let us work for our people and change lives. Buying computers every year will not help us. Flying abroad for endless conferences will not help us. What will help is the development of our people, our communities, providing roads, schools, water, and security. That is what is important.”
Wike also rejected the notion that his administration focuses only on roads, pointing to ongoing investments in education, including the rehabilitation of rural schools.
“I have directed the Mandate Secretary of Education to publish the number of schools we have completed under President Tinubu’s administration, alongside those still ongoing. Nigerians will see what we have done in the education sector,” he said.
Earlier, the Minister of State for the FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, hailed the completion of the Usuma project as a major milestone and thanked President Tinubu for his unwavering support for infrastructural renewal. She stressed the importance of maintaining the facility for future generations.
The Executive Secretary of the FCDA, Engr. Richard Yunana Dauda, explained that the extensive rehabilitation work — including repairs to the inlet pump station, clarifiers, filters, electromechanical systems, the water testing laboratory, and power infrastructure — has restored the plant to full capacity, ensuring that Abuja residents continue to enjoy safe drinking water that meets international standards.