Residents of Benue South Senatorial District (Zone C) have expressed strong dissatisfaction with a recent medical outreach sponsored by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Terlumun Utsev.
The initiative, which began on the 3rd of April, 2025, at the Primary Healthcare Centre in Owukpa, Ogbadibo Local Government, and continued the following day at PHC Otukpo in Otukpo Local Government, aimed to provide free medical services to the people.
However, the outreach has sparked criticism for what many locals see as a misplaced priority.
Community leaders and citizens argue that their primary need is access to clean, potable water, not healthcare services.
In Otukpo, survival has become a matter of “luck, improvisation, and sheer resilience,” with residents forced to drink from muddy ponds, shallow wells, and contaminated streams. This dangerous water situation exposes them to life-threatening diseases, compounding the area’s struggles.
The root of the crisis lies in the long-neglected Otobi Water Works, a once-reliable facility that now lies dormant, leaving the community without a viable water source. Critics of the minister’s outreach initiative believe this is a diversion from addressing the more urgent water crisis. They accuse Utsev of failing to fulfill his core mandate, particularly in a region severely affected by water scarcity.
Dave Ogbole, the former Principal Special Assistant to Governor Samuel Ortom on Strategic Investment, raised concerns about the minister’s priorities. “I thought the Minister would focus on the chronic water needs of Zone C. Instead, he’s commissioning water plants in Zones A and B. Is he only the Tiv Minister of Water Resources? While I appreciate the medical effort, it falls short of what we need. Let Engr. Utsev tackle the root cause of diseases lack of water rather than just treating the symptoms.”
Eloyi Ogbe, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), condemned the minister’s actions as an insult to the people of the district. “Have we been reduced to a people of constant illness? The people of Benue South need water, not free medical care. Otukpo has faced the worst water challenges. Federal government contracts have been awarded for water projects in Zones A and B what about Zone C?”
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Ogbe urged the minister to align with state efforts to provide potable water, criticizing the outreach as nothing more than a “tokenist” gesture.
Hon. Comrade Daniel Edoache Atayi, a former lawmaker and APC leader, also decried the exclusion of Zone C from federal water projects in Benue State. “The three water treatment plants approved by the federal government are all in Zones A and B. Are these rewards for votes or the dividends of democracy meant to be shared equally? The Idoma people must reject this kind of deceit. Governance should be bottom-up.”
Citizens like Alade Bernard echoed the frustrations of the region, lamenting the zone’s consistent neglect in terms of infrastructure and appointments. “This is the only thing they can bring to Zone C. When it comes to infrastructure, we are left behind,” he said.
Christopher Orafa highlighted the desperation felt by residents, sharing that his friend in the Netherlands, Inni Innocent, had to pay for tanker deliveries to supply water to the area. “As Minister of Water Resources, providing water should be his priority,” Orafa remarked, also questioning the political optics of the event, especially the presence of Akume on the event banners.
Terfa Nyaku Nyikpam expressed his disappointment with the minister’s diversion from his responsibilities, asking, “Has Prof. Utsev become the Minister of Health? He should be working to secure more water projects, dams, and solutions to flooding, not this.”
Shamo Tertsea sarcastically wrote, “Our politicians have little to no human sympathy. Minister for Water Resources is treating people. Oga, are you a doctor or nurse? What happened to good quality water?”
This growing backlash reflects increasing frustration in Zone C over perceived marginalization in federal initiatives and calls for more focused, local solutions to the area’s pressing issues.