The World Council of Churches WCC’s Nigeria based Ecumenic Water Network Africa EWNA is pleased to see two projects approved by the Government of Nigeria’s Ekiti State and sees this also as a result of the continuous Voices for Water Justice work in Ekiti State: The Ekiti government has commenced the rehabilitation of 121 boreholes across the 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 22 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the State. Rt. Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun, the State Commissioner for Information disclosed this in Ado Ekiti, the State Capital. Rt. Hon. Olatubodun said that the project which is expected to be completed within two weeks, is being executed under the Sustainable Urban Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (SURWASH), a World Bank-supported Performance for Result Financing (P for R) programme. Soliciting the continued support of stakeholders for the Government’s efforts to make life more meaningful for residents and ensure the sustainability of this project, Olatunbosun also underscored the need for the communities to take ownership of the projects and protect the pumps from destruction and vandalism.
The Ekiti State Government, via the Ekiti State Water and Sewerage Company (ESWC), has also started replacing 512 meters of 110mm diameter ductile iron pipeline that had previously been removed along Midas, Iworoko Road in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. Ekiti News reports that this initiative is part of the efforts to achieve the key objectives of the Sustainable Urban Rural Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (SURWASH) program. Prof Mobolaji Aluko, the State Commissioner for the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities (MIPU), explained that replacing these pipes became necessary after the original pipeline was excavated during the reconstruction of a section of the Ado-Iworoko-Ifaki Road in October 2022, cutting off public water supply to the adjoining communities (Ifelere, Ilokun, Midas, Ifesowapo, Delinks, Jokotayo, Boluwaduro, Adehun Car Wash areas of Ado-Ekiti). Prof. Aluko noted that the new pipeline will restore water access to approximately 6,000 residents in the area who have been without it for several years.
The Ecumenical Water Network Africa hopes that the Ekiti State government will soon respond to EWNA’s request on re-activating the water storage reservoirs in Ifaki and Aramoko Ekiti to make potable water available to various communities connected to the reservoirs.
