Our Drilling Rigs Completely Grounded, BERWASSA Tells Benue Assembly

Benue State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (BERWASSA), has disclosed that the agency has no functional drilling rigs, noting that previously donated equipment, including those from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) since the agency’s establishment in 1995 were completely grounded.

BERWASSA Acting General Manager, Tony Mkpen, stated this when the Benue State House of Assembly Standing Committee on Rural Development and Cooperatives visited the agency’s headquarters in Makurdi.

The acting general manager who presented a detailed account of the agency’s operations, highlighting several constraints hindering effective service delivery called for a comprehensive review of the agency’s enabling law to strengthen its regulatory role, particularly in overseeing drilling activities and boosting internally generated revenue.

Among the key issues identified were inadequate office accommodation, shortage of operational vehicles, weak coordination among local government areas and relevant agencies, as well as security challenges affecting project implementation across the state.

Mkpen further stated that delayed and insufficient release of counterpart funding has significantly slowed down ongoing and planned water projects.

During the oversight visit, the Benue State House of Assembly Standing Committee on Rural Development and Cooperatives identified critical challenges affecting water supply delivery.

The lawmakers said urgent intervention was needed to address funding delays, equipment failure, and manpower gaps.

The visit led by the committee chairman, Abraham Zahemen Jabi, alongside Samuel Agada, and other officials, was part of the Assembly’s constitutional mandate to ensure accountability and efficiency in public institutions.