Oyo State Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) has revealed that the Seyi Makinde administration in the State approved the purchase of a borehole drilling rig recently, which no administration has done since 1995.
Engineer Naheem Omirinde, the Chairman of the agency made this known after an interactive meeting with the Steering Committee on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).
He said the State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde has taken water provision to the people of the State as a serious initiative, and approved the purchase of a modern borehole drilling rig.
“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 ridding the State of poor sanitation and open defecation.
He asserted that Oyo State would leave no stone unturned 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.