By Ben Ngwakwe, Gombe
The Gombe State Government has rejected claims that it spent between N133 billion and N138 billion on water supply projects, describing the figures as inaccurate and misleading.
The government said the figures in circulation appeared to lump together recurrent expenditure, capital allocations, inherited contractual obligations, development-partner interventions and budgetary provisions without distinguishing between funds appropriated and actual expenditure.
In a statement issued on Friday night by the Director-General, Press Affairs, Government House, Gombe, Ismaila Uba Misilli, the government said the clarification was aimed at providing the public with an accurate account of its investments and interventions in the water sector.
According to the statement, water supply has remained a longstanding challenge in the state due to population growth, urban expansion, ageing infrastructure, inadequate storage capacity, rising energy costs and a distribution network originally designed for a much smaller population.
It said the administration of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, since assuming office in 2019, had adopted a phased approach covering water production, treatment, storage, transmission, distribution, energy supply, metering, maintenance and institutional capacity.
The government recalled that Yahaya made the Gombe State Water Board and Dadin Kowa Water Treatment Plant among his early points of inspection after assuming office, following concerns over the poor performance of existing facilities.
It said the assessment identified inadequate production and storage capacity, ageing infrastructure, unreliable electricity supply, limitations in the transmission and distribution network and other operational challenges.
The administration subsequently constituted a Water Supply Task Force, headed by Engineer Abubakar Bappa, to undertake a comprehensive assessment and recommend sustainable interventions.
Government explains expenditure figures
The government said the N133 billion to N138 billion figure being cited did not represent actual expenditure on a single water programme.
It said the administration inherited an outstanding contractual obligation of about N5 billion to CGC, the company responsible for operating and maintaining the Dadin Kowa facility.
It added that recurrent and subvention-related commitments between 2019 and 2025 to sustain water infrastructure amounted to more than N9.5 billion.
The government argued that such operational expenditure should not be presented as capital expenditure on new water infrastructure.
Capital investments, donor interventions
The statement said substantial capital provisions had been made between 2020 and 2025 for water infrastructure, including piped-water expansion, borehole development and interventions implemented through the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, RUWASSA, and development partners.
It noted that Gombe was among states benefiting from World Bank-supported interventions under the Programme-for-Results component of the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene programme, SURWASH.
According to the government, the interventions had contributed to the drilling and rehabilitation of hundreds of boreholes across communities.
N88.4bn 2026 budget provision
On the N88.4 billion figure referenced in some commentaries, the government explained that it represented a broader 2026 budgetary provision covering the Ministry of Water Resources, Environment and Forest Resources and agencies under its supervision.
These include the Gombe State Water Board, RUWASSA, SURWASH, the Gombe State Environmental Protection Agency and other related programmes.
The government said the provision covered several interventions involving water, energy and environmental infrastructure, including conversion of water facilities to solar and hybrid power, rehabilitation and expansion of the Malam Inna Water Scheme, rehabilitation of industrial boreholes serving the northern axis and water infrastructure for the Agro-Livestock Development Zone.
It stressed that a budgetary provision was not synonymous with expenditure already incurred, just as a sector-wide allocation could not automatically be attributed to a single project.
N11.4bn Regional Water Expansion Project
The administration also highlighted the N11.4 billion Gombe State Regional Water Expansion Project, implemented in collaboration with the Federal Government under a 70:30 funding arrangement.
According to the statement, the project, awarded to Jidadu Ventures Nigeria Limited, had been completed and was undergoing test-running ahead of its formal transition to the appointed operator for operation and maintenance.
At Wuro Juli, the project provided 14 new boreholes, conversion of 14 existing pumps to hybrid systems, a packaged water treatment plant with a capacity of 200 cubic metres per hour, hybrid pumping systems and solar, generator and grid power arrangements.
The intervention at the Special Development Zone included 1,000 cubic metres of surface storage, 500 cubic metres of overhead storage, new pumping infrastructure and hybrid power systems.
The project also covered Tunfure, where additional storage and hybrid pumping infrastructure were provided, alongside a five-kilometre pipeline connection to the NTA Booster Station.
At the NTA Booster Station, the intervention included rehabilitation of existing facilities, additional storage, hybrid pumping and power infrastructure, as well as a six-kilometre pipeline extension towards the International Conference Centre.
The government said the project also incorporated network expansion, pressure-control infrastructure, smart metering, water-data management, maintenance equipment, staff training, network mapping and digitisation.
Govt tackles power challenge
According to the statement, unreliable and expensive electricity remained one of the major constraints to water production and distribution in Gombe.
It said the government had therefore prioritised independent hybrid power infrastructure for critical water facilities, particularly the Dadin Kowa system.
The administration said the previous arrangement could require more than N500 million monthly for water treatment, production and pumping from Dadin Kowa to Gombe, making energy reform necessary for the sustainability of the water system.
N54.66bn new water, power investments
The government further disclosed that contracts valued at approximately N54.66 billion had recently been approved for major water and power infrastructure projects.
It said N24.26 billion was earmarked for the rehabilitation, upgrading and expansion of water infrastructure at Malam Inna, Gombe metropolis and the Agro-Livestock Development Zone.
The project includes rehabilitation of nine existing boreholes, drilling of 11 new boreholes, solar-powered hybrid pumping systems, upgraded treatment and pumping facilities, a new 4,000-cubic-metre ground storage tank, additional reservoirs, about three kilometres of transmission pipelines and more than 50 kilometres of distribution pipelines.
A further N7.07 billion contract awarded to Ceylon Construction Services Limited is targeted at strengthening dedicated power infrastructure at Dadin Kowa and Tabra.
The government also said N23.33 billion had been committed to solar power infrastructure through a contract awarded to Off-grid Electric Nigeria Limited.
It said the objective was to establish a more resilient hybrid energy system for critical water facilities, reduce dependence on conventional energy sources and lower operating costs.
Government calls for evidence-based scrutiny
The administration said it welcomed scrutiny of its projects and expenditure but urged critics to base allegations of financial mismanagement on verifiable documents.
It argued that claims of N133 billion to N138 billion expenditure should be supported with appropriation laws, releases, expenditure records, payment certificates, contract documents and audited accounts.
In a separate reaction, Hon. Aminu Turaki also challenged those circulating the alleged N138 billion figure to provide documentary evidence to substantiate the claim.
Turaki said political criticism of government was legitimate but maintained that allegations concerning public expenditure should be subjected to documentary verification.
He specifically called for clarification on the actual amount paid, certified work, project completion status and operational infrastructure under the N11.491 billion Regional Water Supply Scheme.
The government said its water programme was designed to address the structural challenges affecting water supply by combining investments in production, treatment, power, pumping, storage, transmission, distribution, metering and maintenance.
It expressed optimism that the completed and ongoing projects would improve water production, storage capacity, distribution coverage, pressure and reliability across Gombe State.
Ultimately, the government said, the success of the investments would be measured not merely by the value of contracts awarded or projects announced, but by completed infrastructure, verifiable expenditure and sustained improvement in access to potable water.
