Five Ogun communities that have been living without access to clean water for many years now have a reason to celebrate as the Border Communities Development Agency in Abuja has promised to provide them with boreholes.
This is a result of a PUNCH Healthwise investigative report that detailed how residents of Asaa, Agbelepon, Agbele, Oke-Odo Ibore, and Lafenwa in the Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State faced health risks from consuming contaminated water.
The report also revealed that they traveled to the neighboring Benin Republic in search of clean water.
The report, titled “Dying by the Dozens: Ogun communities’ perilous quest for clean water across Benin Republic’s Borders”, was published on Sunday, April 14, 2024.
In the report, the correspondent described how the inability to access good boreholes or reliable wells forced residents of these five farming communities to get water from contaminated streams and rivers or endure long journeys to Benin Republic for clean water.
The report also uncovered how the lack of clean water resulted in several deaths and health-related issues.
In response to the report, the BCDA contacted PUNCH Healthwise and expressed willingness to drill boreholes in different parts of the affected communities.
On April 21, 2024, the correspondent joined a team from the Border Agency to the communities where a town hall meeting was held to discuss the water crisis affecting the areas.
During the meeting, the team leader, who is a director from the agency, Atarhe Akpohwaye, assured the residents of a prompt response to their problems.
Akpohwaye, who also serves as the Special Adviser to the Executive Secretary, Dr. Kelly Alabo, said the team arrived with an engineer and would stay in the area until a permanent solution to the water crisis is found.
She explained that the communities are within the areas under the agency's responsibility, which should be provided with essential amenities.
Emphasizing that the report by PUNCH Healthwise prompted their visit, Akpohwaye informed the residents that the Executive Secretary has instructed the team to take all necessary actions to bring relief to them.
She added, “The new ES is passionate about border communities and how we can improve support for them.
“As soon as he saw this report by PUNCH Healthwise, he directed us to come here and mandated us to provide a lasting solution to it. We are here to ensure you have access to clean water and to make sure this becomes a thing of the past.
“The mandate given to us by our Executive Secretary is to start something immediately. We will continue to be here and we will ensure that tangible progress is made before the end of this week.
“The agency is committed to providing basic amenities for border communities and we will do everything within our power to ensure that you have access to clean water and other necessities.”
In his earlier speech, the leader of Asaa, Adele Baale, Matthew Olukoku, asked the agency to help provide clean water for the affected communities.
He expressed sorrow that the water they drink has led to diseases like diarrhoea and dysentery, and also causes skin infections.
Olukoku also requested the agency's assistance in renovating the primary school and health centre in the community.
“The water smells bad and tastes unpleasant, yet we have no other option. It's like consuming poison, but we have no choice but to drink it.
“We have no other option. These ditches have become a symbol of our struggle for survival, reminding us of the difficulties we endure just to get the most basic necessities.
“It would bring us great joy if we could get access to clean water. Our main need is water, and we would be very grateful if the agency can help with this,” the community leader said.
Talking with PUNCH Healthwise after the meeting, the agency director mentioned that the team has confirmed the water consumed by the residents can lead to various health problems.
While describing the communities as ignored, she stated that the agency will take action to address their immediate need.
She added, “The ES has instructed me to immediately find a solution to their problems. We have met with them, and even before our visit, it was based on the story in the PUNCH about the unavailability of water.
“We have confirmed that there is no water there, and whatever they are drinking, they are still alive by the mercy of God.
“These communities have been neglected, and they are not asking for too much, they just want basic things that the government should provide – clean water!
“They have prioritized their needs; clean water, good primary health centre and school. Our plan this week is to address the water issue.
“The ES asked us to do everything possible to solve the immediate problem. I have already instructed our staff to make arrangements on how we can get the borehole drilled and start the process immediately.
“These other needs they mentioned will be included in the 2025 budget, but their main need is water, and that is what we will provide immediately.”
Continuing with the PUNCH Healthwise report that caught the agency's attention, our correspondent, who visited the affected communities for days, described the difficulties residents of the five communities were facing and the significant loss of lives due to illnesses caused by contaminated water sources.
Speaking with residents of Asaa, Agbelepon, Agbele, Oke-Odo Ibore, and Lafenwa about this, they claimed that male residents had to dig ditches to get unclean water, especially during the dry season.
They also said that the water in the ditches becomes worse during the rainy seasons as they turn into murky streams.
When our reporter went to the ditches in Asaa and Agbelepon, it was found that they were approximately five feet deep and dug into the hard-packed earth.
It was noticed that the ditches, which contained greenish water and debris, were found in various locations within Asaa and Agbelepon.
Our reporter found that water taken from the ditches is used for various purposes such as drinking, cooking, and bathing.
Further investigation showed that residents of Agbele, Oke-Odo Ibore, and Lafenwa walk for up to an hour to Asaa to get the contaminated water from the ditches.
Investigations carried out by PUNCH Healthwise revealed that the affected communities have been struggling with waterborne diseases like cholera, skin infections, and typhoid for a long time.
During conversations with residents, concerns were raised about the harsh reality of getting sick every time.
Joseph Oga, the community leader of Agbelepon, said it was only after numerous deaths occurred that they were able to connect the sad events to water from the ditches.
Despite knowing the consequences of consuming the dirty water, residents are faced with two deadly choices – to drink the dangerous water or embark on the risky journey to Benin Republic to fetch clean water.
“It’s not an easy task and traveling to Benin Republic is like a whole day’s work for our women. As a result, we often resort to drinking the water as it is and hope for a miracle to happen.
“It feels like a curse has been placed upon us. We're at a loss for what to do. We simply long for access to clean water so that we can live in peace.
“The lack of clean water has had a devastating impact on the people of Asaa, and its effects continue to persist,” expressed the visibly distressed community leader.
Also expressing his disappointment, the youth leader of Asaa, Adebisi Oludokun, said, “Mysterious deaths are common here, especially among the youth and children.
“There was a time we had a cholera outbreak and a lot of people died in this area, but it seems like the government doesn’t care about what we are going through.
