The Chairman, Oyo State Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), Engr. Najeem Omirinde has disclosed that until the present administration in the State approved the purchase of a borehole drilling rig recently, no administration ever did so since 1995.
Omirinde said this after an interactive meeting he held with the Steering Committee on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), drawn from various agencies of the State government on Wednesday in Ibadan.
He said the State governor, Engr Seyi Makinde has taken water provision to the people of the State as a serious endeavor, which led to the approval for the purchase of a modern borehole drilling rig by the State Executive Council recently.
“Since 1995, no administration has procured a borehole drilling rig for Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) for underground water drilling, the ones they have been using were donated by UNICEF and other foreign donors.
“Governor Makinde has taken water as a serious issue in the State, that is why the State Executive Council recently approved the purchase of a modern borehole drilling rig, this will see to abundant provision of portable water, especially at the rural area.”
The Chairman said the Steering Committee’s interactive meeting was to bring individual government agency that has one role or the other to perform in the administration’s poise to rid the State of poor sanitation and open defecation.
He maintained that although many saw the 2019 ranking of Nigeria as number one, ahead of India in Open Defecation as politics, Oyo State would leave no stone untouched to achieve zero level of open defecation before 2025.
“With the meeting held today, work has started, every individual at the meeting represented an agency of government that has a crucial role to play in this war against open defecation and poor sanitation.
“Work has started in earnest, successive administrations have always have good policies on water provision but failed to implement same, it is very unfortunate to hear that less than 42% of the people in the State have access to portable water, we are now on top of the situation,” he promised.
