• Calls for action-backed investment proposals in water resources sector
• Water from informal sources leads to water-borne diseases, says minister
• Oyo pledges to improve access to potable water in rural communities

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, urged stakeholders in the water resources sector to stop paying lip service to investing appropriately in providing water for the residents.

He said this during the 2024 Lagos International Water Conference, with the theme, “Financing Water and Sanitation for a Greater Lagos.”
Sanwo-Olu noted that the era of talking without actions should end, saying that in the past five years, after the yearly conference, there are usually proposals that are not actionable.

The governor, therefore, said that the conference should not just be a talk-show but move to practical solutions toward solving the water resources challenges the state is grappling with, especially public water supply.

He said that there would be a recommitment on the part of the state government to foster partnerships, leverage community engagement and international alliance to achieve water management, financing and sanitation efforts in the state.

Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Utsev, who is also the Special Guest of Honour, said addressing challenges of water resources and sanitation in Lagos required concerted efforts and innovative solutions. He added that many residents rely on informal water sources that often lead to waterborne diseases.

In his remarks, the state’s Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the forum would enable participants to explore new avenues for financing, identify best practices and build partnerships that would address issues related to water governance, as well as pave way for a greater Lagos.

MEANWHILE, the Oyo State Government has inaugurated a seven-man committee to oversee adequate and even accessibility to potable water in all the geopolitical zones of the state.

Chairman, Oyo State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (OYORUWASSA), Babalola Afobaje, who disclosed this during the inauguration at the Government Secretariat in Ibadan, said that the state government would ensure adequate accessibility to potable water, especially in the rural communities across the state.

He affirmed that the governor had magnanimously taken the bold step towards alleviating the sufferings of rural dwellers over inadequate accessibility of potable water.

He, however, charged the committee to work assiduously towards achieving the mandates and aspirations of the governor for communities to access potable water.

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