The Oyo State government through office of Sustainable Development Goals, SDG has partnered with Association of Waterwell Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners, (AWDROP) to unveil Project ABIOLA, an acronym, ‘All Boreholes In Oyo Live Again’ to rehabilitate, reposition and make all borehole facilities to be more functional, provide new ones and enhance their sustainability.
Speaking with journalists during a press briefing on Monday in Ibadan AWDROP President, Engr. Michael Ale described the project as a brilliant initiative that will promote sustainable development in provision of potable water for inhabitants in the state.
According to him, the Project Abiola is borne out of the association’s program, National Borehole Rejuvenation and Rehabilitation Program (NABORE) which incidentally is in line with the Partnership for Expanded Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, PEWASH program of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
Ale who thanked the governor of the state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi for the privilege given to float the initiative said the project’s name, ABIOLA is not a sentiment but a coincidence to bring about positive development in the state.
He said: “Project ABIOLA is an acronym, ‘All Boreholes In Oyo Live Again’, derived from an initiative between Office of Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs Oyo State Chapter and Association of Waterwell Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners, AWDROP.
“The initiative is meant to address many issues and vices that have to do with borehole abandonment in Oyo State. A lot of investments had gone into these abandoned boreholes in the state like designing, fixture and management of boreholes. It has been normal occurrences everywhere that as soon boreholes are commissioned, they start to develope faults after some while and the issue usually is, lack of management to make these boreholes continually function.
“And to government digged boreholes, people believe that they are less concerned and therefore leave these facilities uncatered for. This project thus allows partnership between the state government and private individuals to enhance its sustainability to further avoid situation where thieves and vandals destroy, cart away and make the facilities go moribund.
“AWDROP learnt a lot of money has been sunk in these moribund projects. This made the association at the national level came up with the idea to partner with SDG’s office of Oyo State Government to bring back these moribund boreholes to life again, to develop new infrastructural facilities and to inculcate habit of maintenance in the beneficiaries. This is to make them know that the project is neither for the state government nor office of the SDG but for them as beneficiaries.
“These boreholes will be in public places like markets, churches, motor parks and other public places where there are so many people. The head of these communities where these facilities are provided will be in charge of these facilities. The community heads will also help in areas of finding suitable locations to provide these facilities and their executions.
“We are also putting sustainable measure by commercializing the facilities through collection of stipends from the consumers. This will be done by attaching toilet facilities. When you are using toilets with water facilities, whoever managing that, will be earning income and therefore creating job for the person and invariably, the facilities will be maintained. Also, we have our numbers on the billboards, in case there are problems. We can be contacted and we will be there to fix the problems. That is why we are partnering with the state government.
“Above all, the project is meant to create employment through these infrastructural facilities. I have examples of infrastructures worth N10m while some worth N2 or N3m. If you give that to somebody, these can solve the person’s problem than to have such money staying idle on moribund projects.
“By all these strategies in place, it tells that our project’s name, ABIOLA is meant to bring back to life all boreholes in Oyo State. The name is not by sentiment but by coincidence and the coincidence is for good purpose”, the AWDROP president said.
