Ekiti Government has commenced the construction of 51 motorised and hand pump boreholes, 17 public toilets and hand washing facilities across its rural communities under the PEWASH Programme.
Partnership for Expanded Water Sanitation and Hygiene (PEWASH) is a multi-sector collaborative platform that brings together government agencies and international institutions to improve access to water supply, sanitation and hygiene in rural areas in Nigeria.
Ekiti Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utility, Prof. Bolaji Aluko, said this on Friday, in Ado-Ekiti, after monitoring the projects located in different communities across the state.
Aluko highlighted the communities, where the Federal Government’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) projects are going to include Osin-Ekiti, Ayegbaju-Ekiti ,Ijero-Ekiti, Erinjiyan-Ekiti and Ilawe- Ekiti, of Ikole, Oye,Ijero, Ekiti West and Ekiti South West Local Government Areas of the state.
The commissioner said the projects aimed at providing access to safe, potable water supply, hygienic sanitation system and cultivating hand washing habit.
He clarified that the gesture would contribute to “Clean Nigeria Campaign” to end “Open Defecation by 2025 to achieve the Universal Access to Safely Manage Sanitation.
Aluko disclosed that the Ekiti Government under the leadership of Gov. Kayode Fayemi recently commenced a N500 million PEWASH intervention project.
He also said that the state government released the sum of N250 million counterpart fund for the procurement and installation of Water supply sanitation facilities to address challenges being faced in the sub-sector of the state.
He, therefore, reiterated the commitment of Ekiti Government to providing safe water and also help in achieving the SDGs in the state.
He said his ministry embarked on the monitoring exercise to ensure that the contractors deliver the project according to specifications as well as to avoid shoddy jobs.
Aluko, who, disclosed that the projects were near completion.
He enjoined the benefitting communities in collaboration with the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committee, (WASHCOM) to cultivate good maintenance culture for proper management and sustainability when the facilities are finally inaugurated.
He, then urged the WASHCOM to always make use of feedback mechanism to the WASH at the state level in case of any complain.
