Chidinma Iroegbu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that access to clean water is a fundamental right and not a privilege, as his administration commissioned the 198-kilometre Bwari Township Water Supply Network to expand potable water access across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, represented the President at the event.
Speaking on behalf of the President, the First Lady said the Renewed Hope Agenda “is not a mere slogan” but “a deliberate social contract,” adding that development must reach cities, satellite towns and rural communities alike.
She said the new network links Bwari Township and surrounding communities to the Lower Usuma Dam, ending years of dependence on untreated boreholes and streams for water supply.
According to the President, the project will improve public health, reduce waterborne diseases and eliminate the costly reliance on private boreholes. He stressed that, “Water is life. Clean water is dignity. It is a fundamental right, not a luxury.”
Tinubu also disclosed that the project created about 1,600 direct and indirect jobs, while assuring residents that similar water schemes would be completed in Kuje, Kwali, Gwagwalada and Abaji before the end of his administration.
Earlier, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike said the Bwari project fulfilled a directive issued by the President after the commissioning of the Abuja City Water Supply, noting that Karu and Bwari had now benefited from the intervention.
Wike said the administration was investing beyond road infrastructure, adding that the completion of the Bwari water project and several road projects reflected the government’s commitment to improving lives across the FCT.
He disclosed that the administration had completed 50 official projects since President Tinubu assumed office in 2023, with more projects scheduled for commissioning before the end of the year.
The minister attributed the achievements to the President’s support for the FCT Administration, saying the backing had enabled the government to change the development narrative across the territory.
The President commended the FCT Administration for delivering the project and urged residents to protect the facility, expressing confidence that the investment would improve living standards, strengthen economic activities and promote inclusive development in Bwari and neighbouring communities.