From Dry Taps To Running Water: Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s Water Legacy

By Farida Usman

For generations, reliable public water supply has remained one of Kano’s most persistent development challenges. Across the ancient city, surrounding communities and expanding residential layouts, households have endured irregular supply, long searches for water and the uncertainty of when their taps would run again. For many residents, access to water became a daily struggle rather than a basic public service.

That reality is beginning to change under Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, as the state’s water infrastructure rehabilitation moves from construction to service delivery; With the Challawa and Tamburawa treatment plants and their pumping stations reported to be 100 per cent complete, a successful test run conducted and water flow commenced, Kano has reached a significant milestone in its effort to restore dependable public water supply and its system.

The achievement is important, but its real value lies in what it means for ordinary Bakano. Water must not merely be treated and pumped; it must reach homes, schools, hospitals, markets and businesses consistently. The administration’s next task is therefore to translate restored infrastructure into reliable and consistent supply across the communities that depend on it.

Significantly, the test run has exposed reticulation challenges in parts of the distribution network across many locations in the state due to non-use of the pipes. These are now being addressed. Rather than diminishing the achievement, identifying these gaps provides a practical basis for targeted repairs and improvements. The ultimate measure of success will be how effectively the government closes these gaps and extends the benefits of the restored facilities to underserved neighbourhoods and communities.

For communities such as Dukawa, Kofar Wambai and Shehi, as well as semi-urban settlements and newer layouts around Tamburawa, the expectation is clear: water should flow reliably, safely and affordably. Completing treatment plants is a major step; ensuring that the distribution network delivers their output to the intended users is the test that follows.

The benefits of dependable water supply reach far beyond household convenience. Children can spend less time fetching water and more time learning. Families can reduce their reliance on costly alternatives, health facilities can improve hygiene, and small businesses can operate with fewer interruptions. Investment in water is therefore an investment in public health, education, productivity and human dignity and prosperity.

sacrosanct, the restoration of infrastructure must not be mistaken for the complete resolution of Kano’s water challenges. The state’s growing population, expanding urban settlements and the continuing cost of operating and maintaining major facilities demand sustained attention. Hence, regular equipment maintenance, water-quality monitoring, timely pipeline repairs and transparent reporting on service delivery will be essential to prevent a return to the shortages that residents have unnecessarily endured for years.

This is where the question of sustainability beyond 2031 becomes critical. Water infrastructure is a long-term public asset, not a temporary political project as always opined by Governor Abba. Its benefits must survive changes in government. The Yusuf administration is therefore establishing a durable maintenance system, securing a predictable operational funding, strengthening technical capacity and ensuring that future governments inherit functioning facilities rather than infrastructure requiring another round of rehabilitation.

Citizens, too, have a pivotal role to play by protecting public pipelines, boreholes and other facilities against vandalism and misuse. But public participation must complement, not replace, the government’s responsibility to maintain infrastructure and provide transparent, accountable service.

Ultimately, government performance is measured not by projects completed on paper but by improvements in people’s daily lives as we have seen in many sectors. Kano’s water intervention will be judged by the households receiving dependable supplies today and by whether that service continues in the years ahead and decades to come.

The journey from dry taps to running water has begun. The task now is to close the remaining distribution gaps, sustain the momentum beyond 2031 and make reliable water supply a lasting reality for every community. That is a legacy worth building by the governor and a promise worthy of Kano First.

-Farida Usman wrote in from Kano. She can be reached at [email protected].