Residents of the state university town of Malete are in exciting mood following the commissioning of the water scheme conceived 35 years ago. Writes UMAR BAYO ABDULWAHAB.
It was a case of dreams come true for Malete, a community in Moro Local Government Area of Kwara North Senatorial District last week Thursday as they experienced a breath of fresh air following the federal government’s commissioning of a two- million cubic metres water works to serve Kwara State University in Malete and several other communities in the area.This is coming over 35 years after the project was initiated by the state government for the then small population of about 4,000 people.
However following the growing population of the community which also now host the state university, access to potable water became a serious challenge hence the intervention of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority (LNRBDA), Ilorin a parastatal under the Ministry of Water Resources.The project, which was initiated in the 1980s therefore came to reality last Thursday due to the intervention LNRBDA. The construction and upgrading of the water works with the capacity to provide two million litres of water to residents of Malete and its environs, was one of the many intervention the LNRBDA in the state.The minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, who commissioned the project alongside the managing director of LNRBDA, Engr Adeniyi Saheed Aremu, said the government was committed to the provision of clean water to the people.Water sanitation key to SDGsSpeaking to journalists on the sidelines of the project commissioning, Adamu said the federal government was making frantic effort on water sanitation, one of the cardinal objectives of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).The minister stated that the provision of clean water is a fundamental human right of every citizen, assuring that government would not rest until Nigerians have access to it.Adamu said, “Anything pertaining to water sanitation is critical to us. Water is the most important ingredient of life.
We are doing everything that we can to ensure that Nigeria meets its target for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).”Even without sustainable goal, people are entitled to clean water and sanitation. It is a basic human right. Although people tend to misunderstand it to mean also that water is free, I didn’t say that.”But it is a fundamental human right of everybody to be given access to clean water for health and development. And I would like to congratulate the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority for this. This kind of scheme means a lot to us.”Tall order to Kwara varsityAs an institution that prides it self as ‘university for community development’, the minster tasked the authorities of the institution to take full responsibility for the maintenance of the newly-upgraded dam and explore it for purposes of research development.
Adamu said the university must take the leading role in maintaining the newly- upgraded dam because of its potential advantages for research development.He said, “Since the project would serve the population of the state university and malete community, it beholds on the university authority to take full responsibility towards ensuring that it is maintained.”This is just as the managing director of the river basin hinted that the basin may cede more land to the Kwara state government in Kwara North Senatorial District where the university is sighted for sugar cane production.Aremu said the request for land was made by the state governor during his recent unscheduled visit to the basin in Ilorin, a request which was not objected to by the minister who said, ‘‘You are one family.’’Inside Malete water worksThe managing director, Turning Point Engineering Limited, Engr Kayode Sangoyomi, who handled the project, disclosed that it was awarded in 2013 with the capacity to supply two million cubic metres of water to residents of Malete and its environs daily.”The project was awarded in 2013 to our firm by Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority and named ‘Construction and Upgrading of Malete Water Works Project’.”It comprises a new dam with the capacity of two million cubic metres of water compared to the other one that had been silted up having only capacity of 0.15million cubic metres of water.”The new dam is about 8.2 metres high, 400 metres. Another component of the project is treatment plant. The former one has capacity of 22.5 cubic metres per hour (225,000 litres per hour).
The new one, which would complement the existing one, has a capacity of 50,000 litres per hour,” Sangoyomi said.A challenge to the militaryFrom malete, the minister moved to Sobi, a residential community of officers and soldiers of the 22 Armoured Brigade of the Nigeria Army, Sobi Barrack where he also commissioned the Sobi Water Works, which was rehabilitated by LNRBDA.At the brief ceremony that was attended by military officers and traditional rulers including the Ohoro of Shao, a traditional ruler in Moro Local Government Area of the state, the minister emphasised the need for benefiting communities to protect the source of the water to retain its quality.He said the stupidity or a action of an individual, if not checked could cause serious damage to the quality of water which according to him, will have its attendant effects on the population.He tasked the military authorities to assist in protecting the source of the water and particularly guarding against open defecation around the water source and dumping of wastes.States alone can’t meet water demands- AbdulRasaqThe state governor, Mallam AbdulRhman AbdulRasaq, who was represented by the permanent secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, Dr Afolabi Ezekiel Adeshola, was full of appreciation to the federal government for its intervention.
He said though his administration had within his first 100 days in office rehabilitated 400 hand fitted water pumps boreholes, the state government needs the federal government assistance to meet the water demands of the growing population of the state.“Water demand is so enormous that no state can single-handedly meet water needs without the necessary collaboration with the federal government and relevant stakeholders, especially development partners. It is on this note that we want to specially appreciate the federal government’s gesture in malete and Sobi.”He added further that, “We are reiterating our pledge to support and collaborate with the federal government under the leadership of Mr president in its verifiable efforts to make life more enjoyable for Nigerians .We congratulate Mr president on his giant strides across all sectors of the economy.”
