National president of the Association of Waterwell Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP) and founder of the Global Initiative for Nigeria Development (GIND), Michael Ale has blamed the scourge of Cholera ravaging the country on chronic underfunding of the country’s water and sanitation sector.
Ale in a statement yesterday in Ibadan, stated that cholera had been endemic in Nigeria since it first appeared in 1972, with the 1991 outbreak being the most severe, resulting in 59,478 cases and 7,654 deaths.
He said: “Fast forward to 2024, and the situation appears to have not improved much. On June 9th, the Lagos State government declared a cholera outbreak, reporting 324 suspected cases, including 15 deaths and 40 discharges.
“Nationally, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 1,141 suspected cholera cases across 30 states since January 1, with 65 confirmed cases and 30 deaths.”
Ale emphasized that the recurrent cholera outbreaks in Nigeria are a symptom of the chronic underfunding of the water and sanitation sector.
He noted that nearly a third of Nigerians lack access to a basic water supply, which he attributed to “loopholes in a law.”
“Government alone cannot supply Nigerians with safe water; they need to involve private sector players in their planning and intervention,” Ale said.
To address the current crisis, Ale called for a more aggressive and comprehensive approach, beyond just vaccine distribution and public awareness campaigns.
He urged other private organizations, development partners, civil society organizations, and non-state actors to join the fight against the disease.
Ale suggested that the government should invite private practitioners in borehole drilling to immediately undertake professional drilling in areas where water is scarce, as part of the emergency intervention.