… as Federal, Osun govt move to complete Ilesa, Ile-Ife water projects
Osun people would soon have a sigh of relief from portable water shortage as efforts are in top gear, by both the Federal and Osun State Governments, to complete the Ilesa and Ile-Ife water projects.
This was disclosed in Osogbo by the State Commissioner for Finance, Honourable Olusola Ogungbile during a stakeholders’ meeting with officials of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) and Federal Ministry of Water Resources, who came from Abuja to assess the impacts of dams rehabilitation for irrigation, water supply and electricity generation for the people of the State.
Honourable Ogungbile asserted that the importance of the water sector to the State Government, under Governor Ademola Adeleke, has prompted it to allocate 1.7 percent of the State revenue to it, pledging total support of the State to the team in accomplishing their mission.
The State Commissioner for Water Resources and Energy, Honourable Sunday Oroniyi in his speech emphasized the need to make potable water available and affordable to the State populace, enjoining the team to look more inward and consider the other 38 water schemes and 12 waterworks domiciled in the state, in addition to the ones being embarked upon by the FG, in order to make the State populace enjoy quality water supply.
Contributing at the meeting, the Commissioner for Economic Planning Budget and Development, Prof. Ademola Adeleke urged the team to concentrate more on the challenges militating against the completion of the State water projects and growth of the mining sector, so as to nip them in the bud.
Prof. Adeleke then solicited Federal Government’s assistance in the area of farm settlements in oder to advance the Agric sector with the sole aim of attracting youths into the sector for abundant food and cash crops production as well as increase in IGR.
Delivering his speech, the Federal Commissioner representing Osun State at RMAFC, Mr. Oladele Gboyega said the objective of the exercise was to ensure judicious utilization of funds released for the projects, to ascertain the level of execution with a view to charting a way forward to secure further funds for their completion
Earlier, the State Director of RMAFC, Mrs Florence Okoh had explained that the team was in Osun on a fact finding mission to assess the level of work done on the dams, their environmental impacts, successes, challenges and functionality as well as usefulness to the beneficiaries.
