ASABA/Nigeria: Delta State Commissioner for Water Resources Development, Sir Fidelis Tilije, has reaffirmed the determination of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa led administration commitments towards providing sustainable access to safe and affordable water supply in the state by the people of the state.
Sir Tilije, who stated this in his remarks in Asaba during the Baseline Reports/stakeholders meeting with the officials of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), said that water was critical for the overall health of the people.
The Water Resources Commissioner stressed the need for all stakeholders in the sector to adopt a positive mindset in a bid to ensuring that the crucial reform that was being articulated for the water sector was achieved.
Sir Tilije opined that a legal framework aimed at repositioning the sector was before the State House of Assembly and reiterated that the Bill would soon be passed into law for the Governor’s accent.
The Commissioner who described Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as a pragmatic and proactive leader, asserted that the Ministry of Water Resources would continue to partner with the relevant donor agencies in order to improve on the sector and contended that success had been achieved, a lot more needed to be done.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs Felicia Adun commended USAID for considering the state worthy to benefit from the scheme, adding that it was imperative for the state to embrace the initiative.
In his contribution, the Utility Technical Advisor, USAID Effective Water Sanitation and Hygiene Services (E-WASH) programme, Peter Chukwuma urged the state government to show more commitment towards achieving uninterrupted water supply in all parts of the state.
He noted that water infrastructure was capital intensive and appealed to government to invest more funds into the sector through increased budgetary provision to enable the ministry record more success stories in the pursuance of its objectives.
