The over seventy two thousand residents in Ojokoro Council Development Area of Lagos will leap for joy as the Lagos state government in collaboration with WaterAid Nigeria is set to rehabilitate the moribund waterworks in the area and expand iju Adiyan pipeline network.
The Ojokoro Waterworks rehabilitation under the Team Water Nigeria two point five million dollars project is expected to be completed in 2030, for residents to have access to safe and clean municipal water.
Country Director WaterAid Nigeria, Ms Evelyn Mere who made this known at the official launch of Team Water Nigeria project in Ikeja, said the initiative aims to enhance sustainable water supply in Lagos and prove that the water service gaps are solvable.
Represented by Mr Kolawole Banwo, the Head of Advocacy, Policy and Communications at WaterAid Nigeria,
“Focus includes rehabilitating the Ojokoro waterworks and extending the Iju/Adiyan pipeline network, alongside a 11.8 km pipeline project to serve over 857 homes, based on recent datas”.
“The improvements are expected to increase access to municipal water, reducing reliance on private boreholes.
The campaign aligns with “Water and Gender” initiatives, aiming to alleviate the burden of water collection on women and children.
TeamWater Nigeria demonstrates the possibilities when innovative financing meets proven technical approaches, by rehabilitating strategic water infrastructure through a system strengthening model that brings together communities, utilities, regulators and private operators to catalyse transformational change in rapidly urbanizing cities like Lagos.
Commending WaterAid Nigeria for the huge investment, the General Manager Lagos Water Corporation Mr Muhtaar Tijani, said the state government would continue to strengthen the enabling environment for sustainable water service delivery in Lagos through enhanced utility and regulator performance.
The visibly elated Chairman of Ojokoro LCDA, Mrs Oluyemisi Rosiji, appreciated the gesture and assured WaterAid Nigeria of residents full support and cooperation throughout the execution of the project which will provide water for over one hundred thousand residents.
Speaking virtually, Director, International Programmes WaterAid, Ms Amaka Godfrey who lives in UK, urged the Media to monitor the project and put them on their toes to deliver in time for the benefit of residents, while urging beneficiaries to pay for water service when completed to maintain and extend the project shelf life.
“Once they have finished rehabilitation, the only way people can get clean water into their premises is to connect to the system.
And I know that people may be asking, can we connect for free? If we all connect for free, then the Lagos State Water Corporation would not have enough funds to be able to maintain the system.
So it all needs all of us to put in some money into the system as it’s rehabilitated to ensure that it continues to function” Amaka said”.
The media and the public also have a role to play which is also quite critical.
We want to ensure that you keep monitoring the project as it goes along, keep holding all of us accountable, to the roles that we’re supposed to play.
But I also ask that before you publish anything, please check the facts, because we know that in this era of social media, there could be a lot of misrepresentation, misinterpretation, but we know that we want you to hold us accountable and more importantly, protect the facility and avoid vandalization and illegal connections”.
Stakeholders at the launch include representatives of Lagos government WASH agencies, LSWMO, LASWARCO, LAHA, Ojokoro CDAs, Regulatory bodies and Civil Society Organizations among others.
Written by Yemisi Dada