The residents of Omikunle, Yemetu, in the Ibadan North Local Government Area of Oyo State, have cried out over the government’s failure to deliver on a promised borehole after their only reliable source of water became contaminated.

Many residents said they have been waiting for a long time for the borehole, as they continue to suffer from a lack of potable water supply for their daily survival in the community.

“The government promised to provide a well, but we’ve not heard anything from them since then,” said a resident, Alhaja Falilatu Raji.

“We want the government to help us build another well,” Ade Aderiyigbe also said during a visit by this reporter to the community.

How The Crisis Began

On September 6, 2025, news made the rounds about the discovery of crude oil in Yemetu.

The Oyo State Police Command also confirmed a report at about 6:50 p.m. the same day that an unusual liquid had appeared in a community well. Officers from the Yemetu Division arrived shortly after and discovered a thick, diesel-like substance inside the water source.

As residents gathered around the well, some attempted to fetch the strange liquid, but the police cordoned off the area while the Oyo State Ministry of Environment conducted tests confirming it was diesel, and not crude oil.

As a temporary measure, the Oyo State Water Corporation supplied 5,000 litres of clean water to affected households.

However, what was once a hopeful assurance that clean water would soon return has turned into deep frustration, as months have passed without a single sign of progress.

The affected well, co-owned by three wives in their 80s, who also now lack water supply, had served the community for more than two decades before suddenly turning oily and unsafe for use.

One of the wives, and the spokesperson for the three women, Alhaja Falilatu Raji Farmade, narrated their ordeals despite government promises. 

She said, “We just woke up one morning to fetch water for ablution and discovered that our water had turned into something we could not comprehend – oily substances. It was surprising, so we raised an alarm. It’s been 20 years since we drilled this well, and nothing of such had happened before.”

Speaking of government intervention, the octogenarian said, “The government promised to provide a well, but we’ve not heard anything from them since then. We had to start buying water at ₦200 per washing container, also known as tub. That’s how we cook, bathe, feed, and do other necessary things that need water.”

Recounting their discomfort since the incident, Alhaja Falilatu said things have not been easy. “The well, even though privately owned by us, serves the whole community. We used to cook with it, drink, bathe, and so on. Now, the government instructed us not to drink it or use it for any purpose. They pumped out everything in the well, hoping to get fresh water, but the water remains contaminated.”

The Nation newspaper had reported on September 17 that investigators under the directives of the Oyo State Ministry of the Environment also inspected a telephone mast located less than three metres from the affected well but confirmed there was no evidence linking the facility to the contamination.

However, the owners of the mast have been directed by the ministry to provide a borehole for the community as part of their corporate social responsibility.

As to whether the mast was being purportedly regarded as the source of the contamination, Alhaji Falilatu expressed uncertainty and appealed to the government for help.

She said, “We cannot say for sure. Only the policemen and government agencies who came can confirm that. I don’t understand how it happened. The transformer beside it has been there for a long time and nothing happened until now. Getting water has been stressful for us at this age. The government should help us with a new borehole.”

The elderly women, too frail to fetch water themselves, now depend on neighbours and daily purchases of water to survive, a burden made heavier by rising costs and limited finances available to them as they cannot work again to earn an income.

‘No Alternative’

Sharing the events as they unfolded, a woman in her mid 40s, Ade Aderiyigbe, took a deep breath as she began to recount the events she witnessed.

“The very day it happened, I went there to fetch water but was told some substances had been poured into the well. Surprisingly, when I checked, the first draw was like diesel, the same as the second draw. 

“Then we stopped and made a video of it that went viral and drew the attention of government agencies. When the government came, they drew out everything until it was dry. They also supplied us with a tank of water and promised to fix it, but since then, we have not heard anything from them.”

Recounting how useful the well had been and how difficult life has become without it, she said, “The well serves everyone in this community. We even drink from it, but now that there is no alternative, we’ve been left to fend for ourselves by buying water from another community. We want the government to help us build another well.”

Another resident, Motunrayo Akanji, shared her ordeal, corroborating the accounts of other witnesses.

“That day, we noticed that the surface of the water looked unusually shiny. Out of curiosity, we drew out what we thought was water, but it turned out to be pure diesel. The police later secured the well until government officials arrived. They evacuated the contaminated water and left it overnight to see if fresh water would emerge. Unfortunately, the new water that surfaced the next day was still contaminated. Since then, we have been left to our fate; the well has become completely useless.”

She further stressed: “The owners of the well are elderly women who can no longer move around, so they depend on us, their neighbours, to fetch water from another community not just for them but for ourselves as well.”

Speaking of the effort of the Oyo State Government, she said: “After the government removed the oily substances and took it away, they supplied us with water that lasted only a day. Since then, we haven’t heard anything from them.”

Another eyewitness, Kabirat Adebiyi, while expressing her distress, lamented the situation with clear frustration, saying, “It was like a miracle when we opened the well to fetch water that morning. We did not even know what it was, despite lots of speculations, until government agencies came and said it was diesel. 

“We thought it was the mast beside the well, but there is no link or connection between the mast and the well. Since then, we have not been able to use the water. Despite promises made by the government to build another well for us, nothing has been done.

“Please help us to do something about it. We are tired of buying water for our daily use. I sell tomatoes, and I need a lot of water to wash them before sale. It’s not been easy,” she pleaded.

A student, Olamide Faramade, who also doubles as a resident, shared her ordeals during a brief interaction with this reporter. 

“The government promised to give us water, but we have not heard anything from them. They said the diesel was from the mast close to the well. They pumped out the content and left. It has been taking a toll on me in particular as a student because I have to buy water to cook and so on and I have no choice,” she stated.

According to Chapter II, Section 20 (Environmental Objectives) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution, “The State shall protect and improve the environment and safeguard the water, air and land, forest and wildlife of Nigeria.” This implies that the government is responsible for ensuring safe and adequate water resources.

The Oyo State Water Corporation Edict (1977, amended 2006) also empowers the state government to provide potable water to residents.

As the government maintained silence on the stalled intervention, a call was placed to a top official in the state’s Ministry of Environment, who requested anonymity.

In his brief response, he said: “I’m not permitted to speak on this matter, but as colleagues, I can tell you this: the crude-oil claim is a rumour. It appears someone may have poured something into the well; no crude oil was discovered. I’m also not aware that the government promised them another well. However, through the Ministry and the Oyo State Water Corporation, a water tanker was provided for the community’s use.”

When asked if the mast owner had been directed to take responsibility for the well, as earlier reported by The Nation, he declined to respond, simply stating: “No comment.”

When contacted, the Oyo State Commissioner of Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, said he’s sure something is being done. 

According to him, the government doesn’t promise something and does not fulfill it. So, if it was claimed that crude oil was discovered and it was later disclaimed, not even that would stop the governor from fulfilling its promise if it had said so. 

“So the only thing I can confirm for you is to seek an audience with the Ministry of Environment or Ruwassa, the people in charge of water in Oyo State, and I will do that presently. They are the only people that can confirm it. I’m sure something is being done. I will confirm after my meetings today. If the governor promises, the governor fulfills and that’s what he’s been doing for over six years.”

In a separate interview with a water rights advocate, Gideon Adeyeni, he spoke about the contamination while sharing his experience in advocating for access to clean water. 

He said, “Based on my experience over the past years advocating for access to clean drinkable water, especially in marginalised communities, contamination, aside from privatisation (of public water assets) is another means through which communities are denied access to clean drinkable water.”

The water rights advocate noted it was the government’s responsibility while also highlighting the impact on the communities. 

He said, “Sometimes, as is the case here, contamination aids privatisation. It is not uncommon to find communities where the underground water has been contaminated, usually with petroleum or some other chemicals, leaking through a poorly maintained or burst pipeline or storage. 

“Whichever way the underground water gets contaminated, it is the duty of the government to ensure that people have access to clean drinkable water by ensuring the prevention of such contamination or quick cleanup.

“Unfortunately, the government and its agencies have been negligent in preventing or cleaning up such contamination, leaving many marginalised communities across the country without access to clean drinkable water for a long period of time.”

Adeyeni linked contamination to privatisation, calling for resistance to water injustice. “This often leads to a situation in which communities are left at the mercy of private water providers, indicating how contamination could aid privatisation in the denial of the right to clean drinkable water. 

“The denial of the right to clean drinkable water to any individual or community constitutes water injustice, and must be resisted. The way forward is for us to continue to demand water justice, that is, the fulfillment of the right to clean drinkable water for all, which means challenging water privatisation and calling out the government to prevent and clean up contamination, and thereby build the water justice movement.”

An Environmental Health Officer, Daniel Akande, raised concerns from a professional standpoint.

He said, “I must say that clean and safe water is a fundamental right, and continued exposure to petroleum-contaminated water can cause severe health challenges. So this needs urgent intervention.”

Sharing his view on who should be taking the lead in addressing this issue, Akande said the government has a legal and moral responsibility to immediately provide a replacement borehole as promised, conduct proper remediation (risk assessment) of the polluted well, and hold whoever is responsible for the contamination accountable.

He added, “The government directly or indirectly profits from the telecommunications that own the mast that is allegedly responsible for the pollution.”

The Environmental Health Officer advised the community to take proactive measures by petitioning the Environmental Health Council of Nigeria or some climate change groups or NGOs, if the local or state government is already aware of the incident and takes no sustainable measures to address the menace.

With the growing crisis of climate change, which has informed droughts in some communities, access to potable water continues to be a major concern for many, especially community dwellers who have always relied on local sources of water.

By Omowumi Abraham