Beneficiaries of a Federal Government motorised solar-powered borehole project in Nasarawa State have expressed concern over the facility’s failure a month after its installation. The beneficiaries, from Kufan Gwani Bakin Ayini in Kokona Local Government Area, said the borehole only functioned for about one month before it stopped dispensing water. The project is implemented under the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC).
Mohammed Haruna, a resident of the community, said the project had remained non-functional since the contractor left the site. “The project is yet to be fully operational seven months after completion,” Mr Haruna said. He alleged that substandard equipment was used for the project, which he said contributed to the breakdown of the facility shortly after it was commissioned.
According to him, the community invited experts to inspect the facility, and they reportedly identified inadequate solar panels and an undersized engine as some of the problems affecting the project. “We invited experts and they complained that the solar panels and the engine are not enough to power the project,” Mr Haruna said. He appealed to the Federal Government and N-HYPPADEC to urgently repair the facility and restore water supply to the community.
N-HYPPADEC is a Federal Government agency established to develop communities and states that host electricity-generating facilities and contribute to power production in Nigeria. Efforts to contact Muhammad Maidunama, Head of the N-HYPPADEC office in Nasarawa State, for his reaction to the allegations were unsuccessful, as he could not be reached on telephone.