The Oyo State House of Assembly has granted the request of Governor Seyi Makinde to access eight hundred million naira loan facility for the Oyo State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) as counterpart fund to attract the sum of two billion, nine hundred and sixty-seven million, seven hundred thousand naira from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
The plenary presided over by the Speaker Hon Adebo Ogundoyin it gave the approval on Thursday following the request forwarded to the Legislature by the Governor.
The fund is required to provide for the implementation of partnership for expanded Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) in twenty Local Government areas in the state.
The Governor in the letter said ” the Project is aimed at improving water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) situation in the urban, small towns, and rural areas in the state ”
The twenty Local Government Areas that will benefit from the project are Ibadan South East, Ibadan South West, Ogbomoso, Atisbo, Afijio, Akinyele, Atiba, Iwajowa, Iseyin, Irepo, Ibarapa North, Ibarapa East, Ibadan North East, Kajola, Oyo East, Orelope, Ona Ara, Oluyole, Saki West, and Saki East.
The Speaker while reading the request stressed the importance of good portable water supply to the people adding that most communities in the state lack water to drink and use for other purposes.
According to Hon Ogundoyin, if the project is well implemented , residents of the state will be saved from water born diseases as clean water will be available.
Other lawmakers , Hon Sanjo Adedoyin (Ogbomoso South), Hon Kehinde Olatunde (Akinyele 11), Hon Gabriel Babatunde (Ibadan North 11), and Hon Ssminu (Atisbo/Saki East) in their contributions agreed that the expanded water supply, sanitation and hygiene Initiative will meet the yearnings of the people in terms of adequate water supply and will help in further making lives bearable for the people as water is life.
However, other lawmakers including Hon Asimiyu Alarape (Atiba), Hon Seyi Adisa (Afijio), Hon Isiaka Tunde(Oyo East/West) and Hon Olawumi Oladeji (Ogbomoso North) stressed the need for the fund to be monitored so as to be used for what it is meant for.
They also urged the House Committee on Water Resources to ensure that Oyo State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, RUWASSA for which the grant is sought execute the project as specified in order to address scarcity of water in the selected LGAs .
