IJEBU-ODE/Nigeria: Twenty more communities in Ijebu-Ode are to benefit from improved access to potable water following the provision of additional boreholes by businessman and philanthropist, Omooba Abimbola Onabanjo, and his wife, Olori Abayomi Onabanjo.
The facilities were inaugurated and handed over to the beneficiary communities on Sunday, about two weeks after the couple provided the first batch of 12 boreholes as part of a wider intervention aimed at addressing water shortages across Ijebu-Ode.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Funmilayo Ayanwusi, representative of the donors, said the intervention was prompted by the need to respond to the difficulty faced by residents in accessing water for their daily needs.
She said the couple’s initiative was expected to provide 52 boreholes across different communities in Ijebu-Ode when completed.
According to Ayanwusi, each borehole comes with a generating set to support water supply in areas where electricity may not be readily available.
She said the project was conceived as a philanthropic intervention rather than a political undertaking, describing Onabanjo as a businessman interested in contributing to the wellbeing of his community.
“Water is essential for everyone,” Ayanwusi said, explaining that the need for reliable water supply informed the decision to undertake the project.
The latest facilities are located in Olode Isale (Imupa), Idepo (Ijasi), Obalende 1 (Porogun), Obalende (Seicko), Oju Koti, Alawa, Ojofa, Ita Osu New Market (Ikongba), Ayegbami (Idomowo Community), Ipamurin and Ishado.
Other beneficiary locations are Imoru, Ariyo Street (Moborode), Eleru Gbeda (GRA Festac), Oniworo, Onirugba, Itaajana, Sabo 2, Idomila and Ijagun Road.
Beyond the water infrastructure, Ayanwusi said the project had provided temporary economic opportunities for more than 100 artisans involved in its execution.
She listed welders, plumbers, engineers and survey personnel among those who had participated in different stages of the work.
The Chairman of the Ijebu-Ode Council of Oloritun, Alhaji Adebisi Alausa, commended the initiative, saying the intervention would help reduce the burden on government in providing basic infrastructure to residents.
Alausa, who said he would turn 89 on Friday, August 21, described the scale of the intervention as unusual, saying he had not witnessed a similar occasion in his lifetime.
He, however, urged government authorities to complement private interventions by rehabilitating old water pipelines and reservoir systems across Ogun State.
According to him, restoring the existing public water infrastructure would provide a more sustainable response to the state’s water challenges.
The latest donation brings the number of communities reached in the current intervention to 32, following the earlier provision of boreholes to 12 communities and the addition of 20 locations in the second phase.
With the planned 52-borehole target, the initiative is expected to extend access to water to more communities across Ijebu-Ode while also drawing attention to the need for sustained investment in public water infrastructure.
