…Warns on repercussions of such act
• Oyo commits to provision of clean water

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has decried the neglect of Oyan Dam by successive Ogun State governments to mitigate the challenge of water scarcity in Abeokuta, the state capital.

Obasanjo said that due to the negligence of the dam, residents of Abeokuta had embraced digging boreholes to source water, stressing that repercussions of such could be devastating.

The former President gave the lamentation when the management and staff of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority (O-ORDA), led by its Managing Director, Dr. Adedeji Ashiru, visited him on the occasion of the World Water Day, yesterday.

He, however, called for elimination of wastages of water resources, stressing that it would be impossible to achieve food sufficiency and security without effective water management.

“We cannot de-emphasise the importance or usefulness of water to human life and this is why we do say water has no enemy.

“If we have to only depend on rain for agriculture, we shall not get it right. Rain may come too early or too late, there may be droughts or floods all of which have a telling effect on food production and security,” he said.

He said that the dam was meant to generate nine megawatts of electricity, saying that if the dam could be made to generate such, it would have a profound impact in boosting power supply.

Speaking earlier, Ashiru said that they decided to pay the former President a visit and salute him for his foresight which made him create the 11 river basins 48 years ago.

RELATEDLY, Oyo State Government, through the Oyo State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), has promised to ensure clean and safe drinking water for residents.

In a statement, yesterday, Chairman of RUWASSA, Babalola Afobaje, gave the assurance that the Oyo State government will continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to expand access to potable water, enhance climate-resilient infrastructure, and strengthen policies that guarantee a water-secure future for Oyo State.

[Guardian]