By Constance Meju
… Community People demand political will, ownership, and accountability for WASH in Rivers riverine communities
… Want Urgent Action on Gas Bubbles all over Bille Community
No great future under a threatened environment. Gas bubbles mean no safety for water creatures, no hope for good hygiene, poor air quality and invitation to slow death. These children deserve better.
As Nigeria joins Africa to mark the Day of the African Child 2026, riverine communities in Rivers State and the Niger Delta are sounding a clear alarm: ‘Children cannot learn, grow, or stay healthy without clean water and safe sanitation’. Many communities have no access to clean water while oil and gas pollution threaten their lives in impacted communities with government and operators, the main beneficiaries turning blind eyes and deaf ears to their cries.
Water is life but it is about the most scarce to access commodity in most riverine communities thanks to years of pollution from extractive activities which, has equally destroyed livelihood sources keeping children in the hunger bracket. People rely on water from outside sources, sources unverified as fit for consumption and coming at great cost for an already impoverished people.
Right now, fire is burning in some like Billie in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State where gas is bubbling underneath the ground forcing contaminated water to throw up eliciting fear and panic among the people. This Day calls for attention to Bille. Save Bille, Save the Children. Clean water guarantees good health, safe food which translates to uninterrupted mental growth. Same goes to every community battling water pollution whether in Ogoni, Eleme, Bayelsa, Delta or Akwa Ibom States. Unclean or contaminated water is poison and Nigerian children deserve better.
Key Challenges Facing Children Today
- Contaminated water sources- Oil spills and pollution have destroyed creeks and shallow wells that children depend on. Many still drink water that causes diarrhea, skin rashes, and long-term health damage.
- Lack of WASH facilities in schools: Pupils sit in classes with broken or zero toilets, no hand washing water, and no privacy for girls. This drives school dropout, especially for girls on menstruation.
- Broken infrastructure and poor maintenance: Boreholes and toilets are commissioned with fanfare but fail within months. No local technicians, no spare parts, no maintenance fund.
- Weak political will and poor targeting: Projects are designed without community input. Wrong locations, wrong technology, zero accountability. The will to fund and monitor is missing.
The Way Forward — Four Non-Negotiable Solutions:
- Community ownership first: Parents, teachers, youth, and women must identify needs, choose sites, and co-manage projects. A borehole the community owns lasts while one seen as “owned by government” dies.
- Political will and measurable pledges: Leaders must treat WASH as a right, not a favor. Candidates should sign community WASH charters during elections and report progress every six months. DAC 2026 calls for “measurable pledges toward universal access.” As child advocates who understand the importance of access to water for better child development, we at the Center for Gender Equity and Sustainable Development demand government political will and mechanisms for monitoring implementation.
- Proper needs identification and targeting: Decision makers must engage community people in designing projects. Collectively, they must agree on what is needed. Drill where groundwater is clean. Build toilets where pupils are. Pair every borehole with water quality testing and maintenance plans from day one.
- Link WASH to oil spill cleanup: For riverine communities, clean water is impossible without cleaning up polluted sources. Government, NDDC, NOSDRA, and oil companies must act together. There can be no clean water without a clean environment. Impacted water sources must be tracked, cleaned up so we can be sure of the safety of the children.
Our Call:
This Day of the African Child, we call on Federal, State, and LGA leaders in Rivers State to move beyond ribbon-cutting. Fund WASH. Monitor WASH. Maintain WASH. And most importantly, put communities in charge.
“Every community must have access to clean water. When children have water, they have health. When they have health, they have a future.”
Signed:
Constance Meju,
Executive Director,
Center for Gender Equity and Sustainable Development
