ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Make dem no dull you, o! Ethiopia dey ready to launch di Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) wey don dey cause serious gbege with Egypt. Dey don spend plenty money, about $4.8 billion, to build dis big dam wey fit change wetin we sabi about electricity for Africa.
As Egypt dey fear say dis dam go reduce di water wey dey flow into dem side, Ethiopia dey jolly no be small—dem dey plan to supply light to plenty people wey never see electricity before. Di dam dey fit provide power for about 60% of di population wey dey suffer from power cut for Ethiopia. Na wetin dem go fit achieve if di plan work well.
But na wa o! Experts dey warn say if di dam fully function, e go gather about 64 billion cubic meters of water, and dis one go mean say Egypt go dey struggle for water supply. Dem say, ‘if you reduce wetin dey flow to Egypt, wetin you go expect? Na wah!’
One Egypt professor, Farfesa Abbas Sharaky, don talk say almost 93% of Egypt na desert, and di Nile River na im be di life-line of di country. Him dey worry say any move to restrict di river flow go have serious impact on di lives of over 107 million people for wetin una sabi as Egypt. Dis dam issue don turn katakata for diplomatic circles, as Egypt dey hot under di collar over di developments.
On top of di palava, Egypt don dey explore alternative sources of water, like building di largest water filtration center in di world, and digging thousands of wells to avert possible disaster. No day dem no dey strategize to outsmart wetin Ethiopia dey do, but wetin una go fit do when water dey in control of another country?
Di former minister for Ethiopian Water Resources don openly discuss di benefits wey dis dam go bring for dem, even as dem dey face pressure from international communities. Dem dey cheerful say dis dam no go affect di Egypt water supply but see as di tension dey rise! Di United Nations, American policies, and even social media don turn to battlegrounds, as Egyptian and Ethiopian citizens dey clash across platforms.
Mek we no forget, when President Biden call dis issue a serious matter for diplomacy, wetin dey happen? Egypt dey quick to point finger, criticizing di build-up, say na colonial behavior and dem dey throw shade for Ethiopians. Na system wey dey hold spots since 1929, no be small matter wey don make plenty people dey vex.
As e be so, everyone dey follow di development wey dey unfold, as Ethiopia gree to discuss with Egypt and Sudan, but nothing dey guarantee. Na so we go dey monitor di situation as di launches dey approach. Di main question wey dey on everybody’s lip: how dis dam go affect di life of di millions wey depend on di Nile?
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