By Awyetu Asabe Hope
An entrepreneur, Omooba Abimbola Onabanjo, has provided 32 functional boreholes to communities in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, to improve access to potable water.
The latest phase of the initiative, inaugurated on Sunday, comprised 20 boreholes, coming two weeks after 12 boreholes were commissioned under the first phase.
The project, which targets 52 boreholes across Ijebu Ode, has benefited communities including Olode Isale, Idepo, Obalende, Oju Koti, Alawa, Ojofa, Ita Osu New Market, Ayegbami, Ipamurin, Ishado and Idomila.
Speaking during the inauguration and handover at Obalende, Ijebu Ode, the Director of Projects, Funmilayo Ayanwusi, said the intervention was a philanthropic effort aimed at giving back to the community.
Ayanwusi said the remaining 20 boreholes would bring the total number to 52, adding that each facility would be equipped with a generating set and free fuel.
She said the donor would also manage and fuel the facilities for at least six months before handing them over to the beneficiary communities.
According to her, the project had also supported the local economy by engaging more than 100 artisans, including welders, plumbers, engineers and surveyors from Ijebu Ode.
She urged residents to take ownership of the facilities and use them responsibly to ensure their sustainability.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Ijebu Ode Council of Oloritun, Alhaji Adebisi Alausa, commended the intervention, describing it as unprecedented in the town.
Alausa, while noting that provision of public water remained the responsibility of government, urged political leaders to revive the old water-piping and reservoir systems to provide a lasting solution to water shortages across Ogun State.
