Onitsha Residents Celebrate Return of Pipe-Borne Water After 25 Years

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

Residents of Onitsha North and South Local Government Areas of Anambra State have expressed joy following the restoration of pipe-borne water in the city — 25 years after taps ran dry.

Members of the Agwuzani family of Umuaroli, Onitsha, were among those who celebrated the development, praising Governor Chukwuma Soludo for reviving the long-abandoned water project.

Speaking in Awka, the family’s Diokpa (leader), Mr Sunday Ogoazi, hailed Soludo’s administration as a model of good governance and pledged the family’s support for his re-election.

“We want to appreciate Governor Charles Soludo for what he has done for us. In the last 25 years, Onitsha North and South had no pipe-borne water, but today Soludo’s administration has revived the project, and we are now enjoying water supply,” Ogoazi said.

He revealed that the Agwuzani family originally donated the land where the Onitsha Water Board was built.

“If you go to Onitsha today, we have water everywhere — even in homes. We are going to vote for Soludo in this coming election,” he added.

The family also commended the governor for resolving a long-standing dispute over their 75.55-hectare Ogwugwu Agbu land, which had been tied up in court for 19 years.

“There was a court matter over 19 years on the land issue, and after we secured victory, some masked men chased us away. Governor Soludo waded into the matter and helped us recover our land,” Ogoazi explained.

He further disclosed that the family has donated two-thirds of the recovered land to the state government for public use.

“We thank Prof. Chukwuma Soludo for helping us to recover our land. That is what leadership and governance are about, and we are assuring him that we will vote for him in the forthcoming governorship election,” he said.