Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said the state is committed to attaining the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which is the attainment of universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water.
AbdulRazaq also said his administration is working hard to end open defecation in Kwara State with improved access to adequate and equitable sanitation for all by the year 2025.
The governor restated the commitments during a visit to the Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Hussein Adamu in Abuja, where AbdulRazaq sought the support of the ministry for the state to achieve the goal.
The administration has restored pipe-borne water in the capital city Ilorin and other major towns in the state after many years while works are ongoing to deepen availability of safe drinking water in other parts of the state, the state government said.
Accompanied on the visit by his Senior Special Assistant on SDGs Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim, AbdulRazaq also sought the technical support of the Ministry for Kwara’s participation in the FG-led Partnership for Expanded Water Supply and Hygiene (PEWASH) and Clean Nigeria programmes.
The governor also sought the support of the ministry for Kwara State to qualify for the funding of a reticulation project that aligns with the Ilorin Master Plan that is being prepared.
The Minister, for his part, assured the Governor that the N10 billion Tada-Shonga irrigation project remains priority while the Pategi Water Works will be completed next year amongst other ongoing federal government’s projects in the state.
Adamu, who applauded the efforts of the Governor across various sectors, said Kwara would benefit from the COVID-19 interventions of the federal government such as the construction of public toilets, hand washing facilities, solar water facilities.
He said Abuja would also engage 100 youths per local government area of the state as volunteers to support the National Handwashing Campaign.
The governor also visited the newly appointed director-general of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) retired Marshall Muhammadu Muhammed to seek support for victims of recent flooding in the state, among other issues in the state.
The NEMA DG, who commended AbdulRazaq for the visit, said the governor’s request would be treated as an emergency.
