…links strategic water management to food security, sufficiency
By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday decried the neglect of Oyan Dam by successful Ogun State governments to mitigate the challenge of water scarcity in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Obasanjo explained that due to the negligence of the dam, residents of Abeokuta have embraced digging of boreholes to source for water, stressing that this however comes with repercussions.
The former President stated this while receiving the management and staff of Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority, led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Adedeji Ashiru, who paid him a courtesy call at his residence inside the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, as part of programmes lined up by the agency to mark this year’s World Water Day with the theme, “Glacier Preservation”.
Obasanjo also described strategic water management as panacea to food security and sufficiency in the country.
Speaking during the visit, Obasanjo said, “we cannot de-emphasise the importance or usefulness of water to human life and this is why we do say water has no enemy.
“This was why as Military Head of State in 1977, I realised that strategic water management must be part of our food sufficiency drives and food security and we created 11 River Basin, including the Lake Chad”.
“And what are we trying to achieve, if we have to only depend on rain for agriculture, we shall definitely not get it right. Rain may come too early or too late, there may be droughts or flood all of which have telling effect on food production and security.
“So, the first thing to do as part of measures designed to achieve food security is effective management of water for agriculture. All of the river basins therefore have facilities for irrigation to ensure all year round farming”.
Obasanjo said that Oyan Dam was actually created to generate power and water for the residents of Ogun and Lagos States, but sadly, 48 years after it has not lived up to the reasons why it was constructed.
The former President said that the dam has the capacity to generate 9 Megawatts, saying that if this dam could be made to generate such Megawatts of electricity, it would have a profound impact in boosting power supply to the people and help reduce the challenge of inadequate power supply in the country.
He added, “Oyan Dam was built to supply water for Abeokuta and Lagos, but it has been neglected and ignored just like the turbine for the power supply.
“The water supply is not there for Abeokuta and we have rather continued to dig boreholes everywhere causing the water level to go down and down, that will have repercussions in the future, how long we shall have it I don’t know, but the geologist can do their job and tell us how fast that repercussions will come”.
Speaking earlier, the MD of O-ORBDA, Dr. Ashiru said they decided to pay the former President a visit and salute him for his foresight which made him to create the 11 river basins 48 years ago.
He disclosed that the vision for effective water management and sustainability which Obasanjo had since 1977 was just caught by the United Nations about 10 years ago, while talking about Sustainable Development Goal 6, which bothers on sanitation and clean water.
Ashiru said that his leadership since assumption of office has also been working round the clock to ensure that the vision of the founding fathers for the river basins which is to primarily boost agricultural production, controls flooding among others are realised.
The OORBDA boss said that the vision of President Bola Tinubu is to also ensure that these river basins are put to good use such that they play very active roles in the administration’s food security drive.
He revealed that for last year the federal government supported the Ogun-Oshun River Basin to embark on construction of seven dams across the Southwest and has also for the year 2025 made a budgetary allocation of N45bn for the agency to drive irrigation farming.
Ashiru also disclosed that Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun met with the agency on Thursday pledging to take over the Oyan Dam and utilise its nine Megawatts power plant for the good people of the state.
This year’s celebration kicked-off with a sensitization and road show in Abeokuta, where the agency’ Managing Director appealed to Nigerians stop wasting water, but embrace the culture of using water responsibly to enhance sustainability.
The Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo who had earlier received the O-ORBDA team also commissioned a solar powered borehole built by the agency for the residents of the state
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