The Ogun State Government has confirmed its pledge to develop strong water systems, strengthen utility companies, invest in infrastructure, and connect its plans for development with the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goals six and eleven.
The Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Sustainable Development Goals and Water Resources, Damilola Otubanjo, revealed that work is ongoing to create a main plan intended to improve water access, evaluate the effectiveness of current systems, and formulate a strategy that makes the state a standard for sustainable water management.
Otubanjo assured inhabitants that the main plan, once completely developed, will result in better service provision, including the restarting of various water schemes that are not currently operating.
She gave this assurance on Tuesday, during a workshop for interested parties organized to review the initial sector diagnostic assessment completed by external advisors hired through the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation.
According to her, the ultimate aim is to create a structured plan that guides government activities and draws significant investments into the water and sanitation sector.
Otubanjo said, “We are here to examine the deficiencies that continue to affect reliable water access. We will have a proper main plan that directs our activities and efforts, but beyond the main plan, it is also important that we have plans that allow for robust investment in the water and sanitation sector.”
“Our people should expect improved service provision in terms of how we are able to bring back to operation a number of our schemes that are currently not working. We are doing all we can to make sure that we are not just reacting to fixing many schemes that are currently not functioning, but also have a properly structured program to ensure that it is adequate and it is strong.”
Speaking at the gathering, Muinat Jaji, the Governor’s Consultant on Water Resources, explained that the external advisors engaged by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation had examined various water schemes across the state to assess the condition of current infrastructure and identified areas needing improvement. She added that the workshop was held to allow interested parties to review, confirm, and offer feedback on the diagnostic report.
“We have many deficiencies, and they have assessed this, but before they can confirm that report, they called for a workshop for interested parties to review their discoveries, after which it will be confirmed,” Jaji said.
She stressed that the plan is designed for short term, medium term, and long term actions to ensure complete growth of the state’s water supply and sanitation sector.
In the meantime, Doctor Linda Akpami, Project Director for the consultancy company, stated that the main plan will cover a thirty year projected period, outlining the necessary parts to ensure water facilities are efficient, working, and capable of providing clean, drinkable water to consumers.
Akpami disclosed that, in addition to preparing the main plan, the company will also provide technical advice support to the state during the time of putting the plan into action.
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