Kano State Water Board Boosts Revenue, Pays Staff Salaries
By Abdullahi Yusuf
The Kano State Water Board has improved its revenue generation by 300 percent, collecting over N160 million monthly.
The State Commissioner for Water Resources, Alhaji Umar Haruna Doguwa, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the activities of his Ministry on Tuesday.
Doguwa said the board’s monthly revenue rose from less than N50 million to N160 million, attributing the feat to the reforms introduced by his Ministry to turn around the water sector.
“When we came in,the Water Board was generating less than N50 million as revenue per month,but I can now tell you that we are generating approximately more than N160 million in a month, doubling the amount by 300 percent,” he said.
The Commissioner also stated that the board now comfortably pays its staff salaries which it hitherto could not do,due to the increment of the minimum wage to N70,000.
“When we came in, we found that the Water Board could not pay its staff salaries due to the enhancement of the minimum wage to N70,000.But now we can comfortably pay our salaries and also have money for other services.
“All these were achieved during the six or seven years I have been commissioner in this Ministry,” Doguwa said.
He also revealed that the Ministry had conducted a census of all industries in the state to further boost the operations of the board towards enhanced revenue generation.
“What was not done in the last 8 years before we came,is achievable now.We are now able to capture the census of all the industries in Kano.We now have the correct and standardized census of industries in Kano,” he said.
The Commissioner further stated that his Ministry had been working round-the-clock to reform the water sector for the benefit of the people of the state.
“We have been working round-the-clock.I receive daily reports on where we are and what we are achieving in the water sector reforms,in the state,but you cannot write the wrongs of 8 years in two years,” he said.