By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Water Board has advocated for Public Private Partnership, PPP, arrangement to improve its supply across the territory.
Acting General Manager of the board, Dem Joy Okoro, stated this during customers’ forum with residents of Gwarimpa, Jahi and Katampe at the weekend in Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja.
She said the PPP would help the board provide prepared meters for customers to address the case of suspected fraudulent acts, and boost it services.
Mrs Okoro disclosed that there is a memo submitted to the minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello requesting for a PPP arrangement for prepared meters.
The Acting GM said, “We have put up a memo to the honourable Minister of FCT requesting for a PPP arrangement for prepared meters.
“We have done our consultations with Nigerians that we provide the batteries, the early ones we had, why it was not sustainable it was because the batteries there have life span and by that life span it has expired, the meters are no longer functioning but with our investigation, we have gotten some Nigerians that introduced the batteries in the country that makes it easier for us to purchase and move on with the prepared meters.
“We discovered that some of our staff go to residences to get these water bills with the promise that they are going to help them make the payment, at the end of the day it doesn’t get to the government coffers, and the individual get to be told through our payment schedule that he has not pay,” she said.
She warned the customers to stop paying to unknown persons but to be visiting the main office or the area offices for their payment than sending, paying through agents
On the provision of the meters, the GM explained that is not going to be free but we have to arrange a situation where it will be installed and make payment installmental just as the AEDC has been doing.
The GM called on the residents especially the customers to help the board in protecting the water facilities around them, even as she emphasised that the ban on car wash areas has not been lifted.
