NG SURWASH GOMBE POETRY

NG-SURWASH GOMBE

Bara na ba ku wata labari,
na wasu shekaru da suka shude...

We were just children surviving in the little town of Dukku.
Every night when we sleep, we dream about rain,
irrigating the farms of our fathers,
filling the pots of our mothers,
washing the blessed soil of our homeland.

But somehow, every morning, we wake up to the same assignment.
We are sent with pots over our heads...

The journey was long...
and the sun was hot, stones and obstacles.
Sometimes we fall...

Not to school,
not to play...
but to fetch water.

Sometimes the water is brown like the loamy sand beneath our feet...
yet the moment it spills into our pots...
we danced...
shauƙi da nishadi.

Tun da ake faɗu:
Ruwa shine ginshiƙin rayuwa.

Perhaps nobody told us that
the foundation of life needed to be protected;
that water has to be clean before it carries a life...
that sanitation is dignity.

Ba na manta waƙar da muke yi a hanya...
with our little voices and little hopes:

Allah kawo ruwa..........
ciyawa ta yi yawa...

After singing and singing for generations,
God has finally answered our prayers.

Allah ya kawo ruwa...
not just ruwa...
Ruwa Mai Tsafta...

Through the
Nigeria Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme,
the NG-SURWASH Programme.

They came to Gombe,
not as another promise written on paper,
but as a hand reaching into the wells of our communities,
asking:

What's the use of a full bucket if the water carries danger?
What's the meaning of a tap if the water cannot serve tomorrow?
What's transformation if it does not reach its people?

Then the work began—

to strengthen WASH services,
to build systems that can last,
to bring better possibilities closer to our communities.

They make water become clean...
sanitation become dignified,
and hygiene a way of life
in the Jewel of the Savannah.

Behind every transformation, there's a vision...
behind every possibility, there's someone watering its root...

Behind SURWASH in my state, it was the leader.

A leader of far-reaching vision,
A leader of bold decision,
A leader of clear precision,
A leader who turns vision into mission,

The one who saw our problems
and imagined solutions,

The one who looked at our communities and said,

“You deserve better.”

His Excellency, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya,
C.O.N., Dan Majen Gombe,
Executive Governor of Gombe State.

Your Excellency,

You did not merely see the need,
You created the space for change to begin.

You did not merely speak of better WASH,
You opened the way for NG-SURWASH to come to Gombe.

And today,
the sound of water is no longer only a prayer;
it is a promise taking shape.

A promise that reaches our homes,
our communities,
and the generation waiting beyond us.

Gombe remains grateful.

But you see, a vision remains a vision...
but when a vision becomes a motion,
there are people who water the roots with dedication...

Behind the SURWASH Gombe execution
stand men of action...

Honourable Commissioner,
Gombe State Ministry of Water Resources,
Hon. Engr. Bala Adams,

A man of honour,
A pillar of service,
A voice that carries responsibility,
A name worthy of applause,
A steward of water resources serving Gombe with dedication.

Providing leadership and oversight for the state's WASH agenda,
supporting its implementation through the Ministry.

And

Engr. Usman Aliyu Abubakar,
Programme Coordinator,
NG-SURWASH, Gombe State.

A man of purpose,
A pillar of excellence,
A force of dedication,
A name worthy of recognition,
The coordinator keeping NG-SURWASH moving across Gombe State.

Coordinating implementation across the programme,
connecting its different parts and moving its activities forward.

And between leadership and coordination...

they brought WASH to life.

WASH washes away the brown colour on top of our water,
WASH washes away tears of mothers who struggle to get water,
WASH washes away the danger hiding in the water we once called normal,
WASH washes away the silence of communities waiting...

And whenever I open my water bottle in school
and see water sparkling like the sky...

I remember your dedication...

when we thought we were just surviving...
a cup of brown water we called life.

Perhaps we got leaders
who saw our tears before our eyes became wet.

Ba anan gizo ke saƙa ba...
Jamaa, ku natsu ku saurara.

SURWASH hasn't just sanitised our waters...
it promises sanitation for the next generation...

Ai, kogin yau kan samar da ruwan shan gobe...

Kuma Gombawa kance,
matasanmu kune jagoranmu na gobe.

Ga ruwa, ga matasa...
matasa ba a bar su a baya ba.

Through the Young Professionals Programme,
matasanmu were given something greater than opportunity.

They were given skills...
a pathway to learn,
to innovate,
and to keep our clean water flowing.

YPP, as a reform component under Disbursement Linked Indicator 2, DLI 2,
is preparing young people not just for today,
but for the future workforce of WASH.

They didn't raise us to merely speak for WASH,
not just to carry its messages across papers and mics,
but to carry the system.

To become ambassadors of today
and professionals of tomorrow,
innovators when problems arise,
hands when a solution is needed,
and leaders when tomorrow calls our names.

SURWASH NG is more than the clean water
that finds its way into our cups.

It is a seed buried beneath the soil of Gombe.

It is the bridge between the thirst we have inherited...
and the abundance we will leave behind.

It is a promise beyond pipes and systems,
but minds and hands for tomorrow.

And from the little girl who survived with brown water...

from every community that once struggled to get water...

from thousands of people protected
from preventable waterborne diseases...

from the little unborn children
that will not taste dirty water...

and most importantly,
on behalf of matasan Gombe,
we say thank you...

Thank you for creating the opportunity.

But with opportunity comes responsibility.

And it is our duty to take it further.

We promise to become good ambassadors for WASH Gombe,
to carry the work forward,
towards cleaner water
and a cleaner life.

Ruwa Mai Tsafta Shine Ginshikin Rayuwa.