Nigeria: Wuse residents beg Wike to end 3-week water crisis in Abuja

By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria

ABUJA — Residents of Wuse District in the Federal Capital Territory are appealing to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to urgently restore public water supply after nearly three weeks without running taps in several parts of the area.

The disruption has affected Wuse Zones 1, 2, 3 and Wuse II, leaving thousands of households and businesses struggling to access clean water. 

For many, the only option now is buying from commercial water vendors at prices that keep rising daily.Mrs. Ngozi Okafor, a resident of Wuse Zone 2, described the situation as exhausting and expensive.

“For almost three weeks now, there has been no water from our taps,” she said. “Every day we buy water from vendors, and the cost keeps increasing. Water is a basic necessity, and we are appealing to the authorities to restore the supply because we need water urgently.”

She added that families are now spending a significant portion of their income just to get water for cooking, drinking, and basic hygiene.

Across Wuse, queues at water trucks and vendor points have become a common sight. Residents say what used to cost a few hundred naira now costs almost double, especially during peak hours. 

Mr. John Bamgbose of Wuse Zone 6 warned that rationing water could lead to disease outbreaks.

“The situation is becoming a serious health concern,” he said. “Families are rationing water meant for cooking, bathing and sanitation. We are worried that if nothing is done, people may begin to fall sick. The government should act before diseases break out.”

With limited water for washing and sanitation, concerns about hygiene in homes, schools, and markets are growing. Residents fear the longer the taps stay dry, the higher the risk of water-borne illnesses.

Mrs. Esther Bassey of Wuse II said the district, being one of Abuja’s oldest and busiest, deserves better attention.

“We are appealing to the FCT Minister, the FCTA and the FCDA to come to our rescue,” she said. “Wuse is one of the major districts in Abuja, and residents should not have to suffer this way. We hope the authorities will listen to our cry and restore water supply without further delay.”

The residents are calling on the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the Federal Capital Development Authority to treat the situation as an emergency.

“We are not asking for anything extra,” one resident said. “Just water. Clean water. That’s all.”

As of Sunday, the FCTA and FCDA had not issued a detailed public statement on the cause of the prolonged outage in Wuse. 

Residents say they have received no official update, which has added to frustration. In the past, water disruptions in parts of Abuja have been linked to pipe bursts, maintenance work, low reservoir levels, or power issues affecting pumping stations.

Without an official explanation, speculation is rife. Some residents suspect ongoing network repairs, while others believe it is due to increased demand that the system can no longer meet.

For small businesses in Wuse — restaurants, salons, laundries, and food vendors — the crisis is hitting hard. 

A restaurant owner in Wuse Zone 3 said she now spends over ₦15,000 weekly on water alone. “How do we run a business like this? Our profit is going into buying water.”

For low-income families, the burden is heavier. Many say they are cutting back on bathing, laundry, and even cooking to make the water they buy last longer.

The residents stressed that access to clean water is not a luxury. It is essential for public health, sanitation, and basic living.

“We are calling on Minister Wike to intervene directly,” Mrs. Bassey said. “Please, sir, come to our aid. We cannot continue like this.”

They expressed hope that with the minister’s intervention, normal supply would be restored quickly to prevent further hardship and avoid a health crisis.

Water supply in parts of Abuja has been a recurring issue for years. While some districts enjoy relatively stable supply, older areas like Wuse often face pressure problems, aging pipes, and maintenance delays.

Under Minister Wike, the FCTA has announced several infrastructure projects for the FCT, including road and facility upgrades. Residents now want water infrastructure to get the same priority.

As the dry taps enter their third week, pressure is mounting on the FCT authorities to respond. 

For the people of Wuse, every day without water means more money spent, more health risks, and more stress.