Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has disclosed that his administration has released the sum of 250 million naira for the procurement and installation of water and sanitation facilities to address challenges of water, sanitation and hygiene in the State.
Dr Fayemi, also disclosed that the Federal Government of Nigeria under the Partnership for Expanded Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme (PEWASH) has also released the counterpart fund of 250 million naira for the purchase of additional water facilities in the State.
He disclosed this in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, during the official inauguration of PEWASH and the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme (SURWASH) in Ekiti State.
The programme was attended by the wife of the Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; Head of Service, Mrs Peju Babafemi, Special Adviser on Development Partnership and SDGs, Mrs Margaret Fagboyo, Special Adviser and Director General office of Transformation, Strategy and delivery (OTSD), Prof Mobolaji Aluko represented by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Engr Olumide Ajayi, and other senior government functionaries.
Dr Fayemi, said the N250 million released would be used for the purchase of 51 solar powered and hand pump boreholes and 17 sanitation facilities across three local government namely Oye, Ijero and Ekiti South West Local government areas of the State.
While the N250 million counterpart fund from the federal government according to him, would be used for the purchase of 33 comprehensive solar powered boreholes in Ikole, Irepodun/Ifelodun and Ekiti East local government areas of the State.
Under the SURWASH, Dr Fayemi revealed that Ekiti state along six other states in the country would share a sum of $700 million to implement programmes that would increase access to portable water supply, sanitation and hygiene in the country.
“The total portfolio of the SURWASH Programme is Seven Hundred Million Dollars ($700,000,000) divided among the participating States.
“Ekiti State has started the implementation across all the Local Government Areas and in no distant time, the benefits of these two laudable interventions will bring adequate and sustainable access to Water and Sanitation services in Ekiti to all the residents while ensuring that no one is left behind.
“To achieve all these, all hands must be on deck as Government cannot alone do these without your participation. The cost of putting in place all these facilities is very high and it therefore behoves everyone to protect these facilities and promptly report any fault to government approved maintenance team. He added.
Governor Fayemi listed completion of rehabilitation of Ero dam; completion of rehabilitation of Egbe dam; completion of rehabilitation of Ureje dam; completion of rehabilitation of Ayetoro and Isan booster station; replacement of transmission mains from Ifaki to Ado Ekiti as some of the achievement of his administration in the last three years under WASH sector. Others included the extension of 251 kilometers distribution pipeline and provision of water meters in Ado Ekiti; extension of 12.5 km distribution pipeline to Ikogosi in Ekiti West LGA and 5km to Imesi ile in Aiyekire LGA; completion of rehabilitation of Erijiyan Water Supply Scheme; rehabilitation of 200 boreholes across the state; declaration of 154 communities Open Defecation Free; construction of 14 public toilets among others.
Also at the event, the Wife of the Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi commissioned 84 women selected across the state as WASH ambassadors to champion the course of access to portable water, sanitation and hygiene.
She charged them to monitor WASH facilities in their communities and be a worthy representatives of the ideals of WASH programmes.