Corper forfeits N6 million gift for own community to get portable water
Story from Ahmad SAKA, Bauchi
A 26-year-old National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Malam Umar Abubakar Ahmed Danfulani, has forfeited a six million Naira gift and enabled his community in Sabuwar Kwaggwol village in Toro Local Government Area to get 100-metre borehole with a steel overhead tank of 30,000 litres and a solar panel constructed for the community.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of the project, Umar said he recalled the suffering faced by his mother, other women and children in the community who trekked long distance to get water from the ponds and streams for their daily use for more than 20 years.
He said he grew up as an orphan because his father died, but he sponsored his education up to the University level and read Environmental Biology from the University of Maiduguri with second class upper division, doing menial job of washing cars at Gwarimpa, Abuja which helped him to achieve his life long ambition and acquired a Degree.
Umar said he suffered a lot in his quest to sponsor his education because when he couldn’t get money to pay for his school, he will continue to struggle but with Allah’s help he graduated and now doing his mandatory NYSC in Abuja, which he will complete in February 2023.
He said: “One day I came in contact with a digital firm Shinobi on Twitter looking for a volunteer in Nigeria who has basic computer knowledge, so I decided to try my luck. After series of interviews, they found me fit and qualified for the job and they offered me the opportunity to be their lead moderator in Nigeria. That was how I started working with them, I lectured on their projects in three varsity, secondary schools to give young ones a hope of brighter future to be self reliant using online businesses from home.
“One day the companies Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Cliff Fettner, called me and told me that they would offer me a gift of N6 million as a support grant, which was a huge amount of money that can change my life, but I had something bigger in my mind.
“I saw it as an opportunity to wipe away the tears of residents of my community. So, I contacted them and asked if they could help me to divert the money to provide clean water in my village, and I narrated to them how we have been suffering to get drinking water, even though I know if I did a community project in the place I am serving, I may get the National award of NYSC but I think my community needs my support. So I decided to help my immediate community, because I wasn’t happy any time I came from Abuja and saw my mother fetching water from a long distance.
“After long discussions the CEO asked me to provide him with the estimate of the project, and I contacted a local borehole drilling company, which provided an estimate of N8 million which Shinobi paid and the community raised N2 million, and a 100-meter borehole with a steel overhead tank of 30,000 litres and a solar panel was constructed with six taps. Now, my village has clean water, we thank the almighty Allah”.
According to him, they have also come up with a plan to provide security for the project within the community in the case of problems.
Umar said he is now happy and fulfilled seeing the face of the people in his community and advised parents in the community to allow their children to concentrate on school. Adding that after the success of the project, youths are now falling in love with school, and parents are now citing him as an example to their children.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of the project the village head of Kwoggal, Doctor Idris Abdullahi, commended the youth Corper who he said put smiles on their faces by saving their lives from drinking water in the same streams with snakes, scorpions, frogs and other dangerous insects.
He said: “I don’t even know how to describe this boy and how to describe our happiness and appreciation. He is now an example to all our youth. I’m still very surprised over what he did, at this time that people love money, he abandoned his money to ease the sufferings of his community, instead of him using the money for his personal use or for his family alone, he decided to help the whole village. We now have a solar borehole. The project has brought our village to the limelight, we thank the almighty Allah we are really, extremely happy.
Doctor Abdullahi entrusted the 26-year-old NYSC corper in the hands of senior government officials present at the occasion and Toro local Government to lead Umar to the State Governor so that the government can acknowledge his sacrifice in order to encourage others. In fact, I want the government to give him automatic employment even before he completes his NYSC next month.
Commissioning the project the Chairman of Toro Local Government Area, Alhaji Danlami Garba Abubakar, flanked by the Chairman of the Occasion who is the Director General Due Process Engineer, Joshua Sanga, told members of Kwoggal community that the water project came as a great relief to the community, especially the women who had been trekking long distances in search of water for domestic use and if properly used it would benefit all residents, irrespective of their religious beliefs which would go a long way in uniting the community and enhance peaceful coexistence.
They commended Umar and assured him that Allah the almighty will reward him abundantly for his services to humanity.
Represented by the Deputy Chairman of Toro LGA Alhaji Awwal Abba Tulu assured the community of readiness of the council to support the community.
On his part Director General Due Process Engineer Joshua Sanga who is the National Deputy Chairman of Water Engineers Association urged the community to ensure the maintenance of the borehole in order to enjoy its benefits for a long time.
Sanga pledged that Governor Bala Mohammed if reelected will focus his legacies on rural dwellers by executing essential social services that will ameliorate their problems.
The representatives of the State Commissioner of Water Resources, Aliyu Ahmed Jalam, Malam Bashir Abdulkadir assured the community that the ministry will expand the project and take pumps to the doors of all houses in the community.
The National President of Bajol Fulbe, Alhaji Muhammad Dahiru Abubakar, urged the Bauchi State Governor to constructs earth Dams for Fulani communities to enable them get portable water for their livestock.
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