Stop Exploiting Nigerians, Borehole Drillers' Boss Warns Members

Gani Salau 

The National president of the Nigeria Borehole Drillers Association,  otherwise known as Association of Water well Drilling Ring Owners and Practitioners, AWDROP,  Engineer, Micheal Ale, has raised the alarm that many private borehole operators were already taking advantage of the growing scarcity of water being witnessed in many parts of the country to exploit Nigerians.

Ale, an expert in Borehole drilling lamented the involvement of unlicensed private drilling operators  charging exhorbitant fees for their services to the detriment of Nigerians. 

The  AWDROP national president

asserted; "the alarming rate with which these operators charge their clients to render drilling services amounts to extortion and Nigerians are sadly, at the receiving end."

The water resources expert urged the government to "come to the aide of the citizenry by urgently subsidizing the cost of providing alternative water sources for the people especially during this pandemic period mostly for people in the rural area". 

Ale warned private operators "to desist from deliberate extortion of unsuspecting Nigerians and further urged  government to get rid of unlicensed private operators currently populating the water resources industry in Nigeria"

Lamenting on the extortion by private drilling operators, the AWDROP President said: "Many water operators are now extorting without remorse" 

While using the occasion to call on government for assistance in order to stem this extortion by supporting the Drillers association as a means of subsidizing cost of drilling for the masses. "Many water schemes projects from government and agencies should be critically reviewed, if not, the projects are bound to fail. 

Many operators are not licensed to sell water. So, if water vending causes illness, the citizen has the right to approach court of law." Ale opined.

He expressed his disgust on some states battling with water scarcity which include, Abuja, Taraba, lmo, Bauchi and called on development partners to make a concerted effort in making sure the  programme for result Project they were supporting was sustainable and informed

 that  professional Drillers' register would soon be opened so that Nigerians would know who to patronize when it comes to borehole drilling in the country and water supply would be decentralized .