Cross River Board To Prosecute Suspected Vandals, Debtors

In Cross River, the state’s water board has pledged to prosecute anyone involved in illegal connection of water and vandals.

The Managing Director of the board, Prof. Godwin Igile, made this known yesterday in Calabar as part of the event.

He said that the board, which distributes 180.000 cubic metres of water every day from its seven water plants across the state, had faced a lot of challenges in maintaining the facilities due to vandalised installations.

Igile, who said the practice had hindered the efficient water distribution across the state, warned that the board would not hesitate to punish offenders when caught.

He said: “Those who illegally connect water would soon be arrested because they are thieves and those who consume water without paying are also thieves. We have partnered the internal revenue service to raise a revenue court to prosecute offenders.”

Igile stressed that the N250million target proposed by the state government was still achievable, with the completion of six other water plants across the state.

He said more households would soon be connected to boost the revenue earnings of the board.

“Despite the increase in our electricity tariff from N9 million to N15 million monthly and our chemical supply from N10 million to N16 million, with the challenges of illegal connection and indebtedness, we are still able to produce the cheapest water in the country,” he added.

In Nasarawa State, the newly appointed Commissioner of Water Resources and Rural Electrification, Dr. Abdulkarim Cana, explained that he inherited a decayed water ministry.

Source: Guardian