Achimbi, a rural community in Kwaku ward of Kuje Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is home to predominantly Gbagyi-speaking peasant farmers who lack access to potable water. The village shares boundaries with Toton-Gabiya and Gadabuke communities in Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. Residents said they have been without a potable water source for decades, relying on ponds for survival.

When Abuja Metro visited the community, Mrs Asibi Tanko, a housewife, was seen fetching water from a pond alongside other residents. She said that despite its condition, the pond remains the only available source of water. According to her, she wakes as early as 4:00 a.m. daily and treks to the pond with her two daughters, each carrying basins on their heads.

Using bowls, they fetch water for cooking, washing, bathing and other domestic uses. “Before I drink the water, I apply alum so that the dirt settles. That is what we also use for cooking,” she said.

Another resident, Mrs Mary Dantani, described the lack of potable water as a long-standing challenge. She said she also wakes early with her daughters to fetch water from the pond, which serves all domestic needs, including drinking. “The situation becomes worse during the dry season when the pond dries up.

It is only because of the recent rains that water has gathered there; otherwise, we would have to mobilise young men to dig it out before we can get water,” she said. A youth leader, Ayuba Barnabas, expressed concern over the absence of a borehole, noting that successive administrations had failed to address the problem. He said the lack of pipe-borne water becomes critical during the dry season when residents resort to digging out ponds.

“Apart from the pond you saw, we have two others. When one dries up, we mobilise and dig to get water for the women. It has not been easy,” he said.

Barnabas added that the community had made several requests through the ward councillor, urging the council to provide a borehole, but none had yielded results. “I personally submitted another letter through the council secretary, reminding authorities of our need for a borehole, but nothing has come out of it. We hope that with media attention, they will respond,” he said.

Reacting, a senior official in the works department of Kuje Area Council, Japhet Musa, told Abuja Metro by telephone that the provision of motorised boreholes for Achimbi and other communities had already been captured in the council’s budget. “The community you mentioned has been included alongside others. I believe contractors will soon be mobilised to commence work,” he said.