Big drama today, at Kilishi Village, where we attempted the first borehole, but after drilling down about 60 metres and not finding water, had abandoned that drill for another site in a nearby field.
The owner of this compound, Alhaji Abubakar, a very wealthy Fulani man with over one thousand cows, is NOT happy. According to him, Kabiru, the surveyor, had pointed out the place the well should be dug, and repeated three times that they would find plenty of water there. But they had only drilled down 60 metres. Why didn’t they drill further, he asked, down 100 metres or more, until they found water? Instead they said, no water here, closed up the hole and located water in a nearby field. But Alh. Abubakar wants water in this compound. He approached Aliyu for another borehole saying he would pay for it himself. And he wants it in the same place where the first borehole was attempted. He wants Aliyu to drill down 100 to 120 metres till he finds water. As Kabiru had promised there was.
What is really vexing Abubakar is, Aliyu wants 940,000 naira for the new borehole!
Abubakar said, why didn’t Aliyu just keep drilling down that first time, until he found water? It would have saved hundreds of thousands of naira! Now, he is going to drill in the very same place and is demanding 940 thousand!
So….we’re here in Kilishi waiting for Aliyu, to discuss further with him and get him to greatly reduce the price of this next drill.
We gathered together under the mango tree. Aliyu, (the driller,) Kabiru, (the surveyor,) Alhaji Abubakar, Alhaji Bello, the two policemen and me. I told them this was to be a ‘Sharia Court’, that we would listen to one person at a time then come to a reasonable agreement. I would be the presiding judge.
This is what was discussed:
A mistake was made. The surveyors had predicted water at the place near the borehole, but didn’t go down far enough to reach water.
We want another borehole that will produce water, no matter how deep they have to drill, even up to 120 meters of more.
Aliyu is charging too much, and should reduce the amount, as it was his mistake not to go deeper in the first borehole.
Alh Abubakar offered the amount of 400,000. I offered to add another 300,000, making a total of 700,000 for the new borehole.
The offer was accepted, and the drill begins tonight!
It was a tumultuous night. As the drill began, so did a strong wind storm and finally rain. And as the heavy rain began to fall, to a background of thunder and lightning, so did WATER BEGIN TO SHOOT OUT OF THE GROUND! WE FOUND A HUGE AMOUNT OF WATER! People were dancing and shouting in the rain, as the drill continued to produce the water we’d looked for!
Phyllis Sortor