Ogun Partners French Development Agency on Water Supply

By Segun Emmanuel 

The problem of water scarcity in Abeokuta and its environs will soon be a thing of the past as the French Development Agency (AFD) is partnering the State Water Corporation, to rehabilitate water plants and improve distribution network to deliver portable water to the people.

Speaking in an interview after leading a delegation to a meeting with the State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun in his office at Oke-Mosan Abeokuta, the Task Team Leader of the AFD, in charge of Water and Sanitation, Mr.Olivier Gilard, said they were in the State to make final evaluation of the State Urban Water Project.

According to Mr. Gilard, "I am here to make final evaluation of the Ogun State Urban Water Project that is being funded by AFD and implemented by the State Water Corporation.

"The project is important for Abeokuta city because with the financing, the  Corporation was able to rehabilitate its water plants and improve the distribution network to be able to deliver water to more people in the city.

"The project focuses on Abeokuta and all the infrastructure has been built and ready to operate. It is now for the Corporation and State government to provide the needed running funds to start operation, he explained.

He said though the project would not solve all problems relating to water in the metropolis and the state, it would on completion, provide thousands of people in the city access to portable water in the nearest further.

The AFD Task Team Leader described water as a basic service needed by the people and necessary for the economic development and commended the State governor for being proactive in the water sector.

Also speaking, the Acting General Manager of the State Water Corporation, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Jaji, said the project is divided into infrastructure and soft components, emphasizing that the objective is to increase the coverage, continuity and ensure quality water supply in Abeokuta and its environs.

Speaking further, the Acting GM noted that the project is to improve financial viability of the corporation to enable it improve on its revenue generation and reduce cost, adding that it's also to improve governance in the water sector of the State.

On the efforts of the Corporation to make water available to the people, Mrs. Jaji disclosed that the rehabilitation of essential infrastructure have been completed, assuring that when the remaining inputs have been put in place, water would flow in all the nooks and crannies of Abeokuta and other parts of the State.

While appealing to the people to bear with the Corporation in it's efforts to make water available, the Acting General Manager called on them to pay their bills when water is restored to keep the organisation in business.

The AFD delegation included Margot Maugenest, Project Manager, Josephine Musa, from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Aletan Olubiyi also from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.