By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA —In a show of humanity and community development, the National Association of Seadogs, NAS, also known as Pyrates Confraternity, weekend, gifted and commissioned a rural borehole project to Paze community, in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.

The commissioning of the borehole project that cost about N5 million to put in place, was a big relieve to the rural community that has been having the problem of good drinking water.

Expressing his happiness, the traditional ruler of the community, Chief Saidu Ibrahim, said the gesture marked a new watershed in the life and history of the community.

Chief Ibrahim, thanked members of the association for their magnanimity and display of humanity through the kind gesture of the borehole donation and implored them not to relent in their efforts to improve lives.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Viktor Ikiriko, Coordinator of one of the Sub-Decks stated that the borehole project was only one of many community development efforts of the confraternity in its push for a better world.

Ikiriko, stated that for members of the association, “wherever help is needed, the Pyrate should be first to respond.”

Asked how Paze was discovered by the association, he said that a fall out from an informal conversation revealed the health challenges of the community.

“This led the association to carry out a medical outreach in the community in 2023. It was during this outreach we discovered the water challenge of the community,” he explained.

According to him, “When we saw the deplorable situation and the inhuman source of water for domestic use, we resolved to meet the water gap in the community.”

Also speaking, Nnamdi Eze, the Capoon of Zuma Deck said, “There was no way we were going to have a good sleep knowing that our brothers and sisters in Paze were having to live and survive from water fetched from what we saw as their water source.

“We knew we had a responsibility and today we are happy that we have lived up to that responsibility.”

On his part, Mr. Onyebuchi Okudo, the Area Mate 8 of the association, charged the community to take full ownership of the project to ensure longevity and sustainability.

He said, “This water project is for you, it is your own, take it, keep it and enjoy it. Do not sell the water, let everyone enjoy it.

“Also note that we did not get money or funding from any government agency to do this. This project cost over 5 million Naira raised from individual contributions,” Onyebuchi stated.