For over weeks now, indigenes and residents of Cross River State has stayed without water. One of the most important solvent that sustained life.
According to inside information made available to our office on Thursday night before leaving Cross River State, the staff of Cross River State Water Board, especially water technicians are angry with their management over the disappearance of 500 Million Dollars.
The money which was earmarked for staff training through the World Bank Assisted Project to Cross River State was deleted from the Water Board accounts following the expiration of the timelines of the project. The World Bank Assistance to CRS Water Board officially came to an end on May 31th, 2016. Although the money was available before the end of this period, staff agitated that the money should be used for the purpose for which it was made available. But the management who signed and withdrew or transferred the money into a different account, had a different opinion.
There had been secret infighting between the Water Board Labour Unions and Management staff since.
Interviewing one of the agitators who does not want to be mentioned, he disclosed to me that Engineer Elemi Bassey Etowa, Engineer James Ekabua both of whom are from Abi LGA may have signed the monies and shared among themselves or transferred into another account. “One thing very important is that the money disappeared”, he stressed.
Other names mentioned are those of Engineer Timothy Ntamu from Bekwara and Doctor Godwin Oju Ijile. According to additional information provided by another source from the Water Board management team revealed that over 9.5 Million Dollars of World Bank Assisted Project of the Cross River State Water Board was withdrawn to run the elections of Senator Gershom Bassey. The source made it known to me that the water issues and challenges experienced throughout the elections period and couple of months after swearing in was as a result of financial misappropriation of funds at the CRSWB.
It should be recalled that Senator Gershom Bassey was still the Chairman of Water Board several months after he was sworn in as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Recall too that the water shortages and the supply of untreated water following that period.
Today marks exactly 16 days without water in Calabar. And technicians at the CRSWB are threatening war unless their staff training and other welfare issues are properly taken care of.
According to this source, staff promotion, payment of contract staff, pending arrears, and overdue leave allowance are all issued on the table waiting for attention. While the management is having a party with 500 Million Dollars of staff training allocation.
Where this will lead to is not known yet. But one thing they have promised is that they will cease the water because even treatment solutions have not been bought.
Meanwhile residents in Calabar are walking long distances looking for water wherever it is available. Often, commercial borehole vendors comes to their rescue. Only God knows how long this will go on. Those who cannot afford the exorbitant charges of borehole operators patiently hang their hopes on God who sent down heavy rains to ease the water wahala.
Reported by Ifere Paul.