Kano communities allege foul-play in FG’s waste treatment plant contract Call for thorough investigation

Hundreds of Kano communities, under the auspices of Kano River Line Communities Development Forum, have called on the federal government to investigate the proposed contract for the construction of waste treatment plant in the state.

The contract, according Dr Baba Sani Wudil, spokesperson of the affected communities, was allegedly awarded by the Ecological Fund Office (EFO).

Speaking to newsmen, on behalf of the communities residing along Wudil River, Dr Wudil said, the beneficiaries of the project were suspecting foulplay in the contract, hence called for urgent investigation.

Dr Wudil said the affected communities, that cut across Wudil, Ajingi, Kumbotso, Gaya, Warawa, Dawakin-Kudu and Nassarawa local governments of Kano state were shocked when they heard that the contract was awarded to another company other than Dutch Africa.

He said Dutch Africa, a German company, has been in the forefront of assisting the communities in managing the waste being released into the Wudil and Jakara rivers for several years.

“Information at our disposal is that a high ranking federal government official at the EFO has awarded the contract to another company instead of Dutch Africa, a local company that collaborated with Germans to actualize the project.

“Our findings revealed that the new company appointed for the contract has no experience in this kind of work. We are therefore calling for FG’s intervention to ensure that the right thing is done. It is our hope that the contract will be awarded to the most qualified company, Dutch Africa, that has already made all researches and development required to design the best and most efficient method of cleaning of this toxic effluent” he said.

Dr Wudil lamented that the toxic effluent being released into Wudil and Jakara rivers by some companies from Sharada, Challawa and Bompai industrial areas had been affecting the lives of many families, animals and farmlands for more than a decade.

He said the affected communities had been going through serious health problems since 2006 and that they reported their case to local, state and federal governments.