Oyo State Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that the state moves to the next level in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme by accelerating the implementation of the newly developed policy guidelines for the state, adding that it will do everything possible to ensure that the policy is sustainable and workable in order to achieve a better and more hygienic environment for the people of the state.
The State Government made this known through the chairman of the Oyo State Rural Water Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), Engineer Najeem Omirinde, while speaking to stakeholders at the WASH Policy and implementation guidelines review and validation workshop sponsored by Heineken African Foundation and WaterAid Nigeria, which held at the Kankanfo Inn and Conference Centre, Ibadan.
The WASH policy and implementation guideline is a document that will encourage investment from development partners both locally and internationally and the document is one of the major requirements to get funding and partnership towards acquiring safe water, sanitation, hygiene, open defecation free among others.
Omirinde while thanking Heineken African Foundation, WaterAid Nigeria and other stakeholders for supporting the Oyo state government in its move to have the WASH policy emphasised that Governor Seyi Makinde will make the policy a law through an executive order.
“We won’t leave it as ordinary policy. I must say that on behalf of Engineer Seyi Makinde, this document will be given an executive order which makes it becomes a law. I urge all stakeholders present to kindly peruse the document thoroughly for the state to be able to achieve a workable and sustainable document. We invited people from private, public sectors, communities and others for them to have their input.
“On behalf of the government of Oyo state, I want to thank the donor and sponsor. I want to assure you all once again that this document upon completion will become a law in the state.”
The validation meeting which was sponsored by Heineken African Foundation and WaterAid Nigeria is coming following an earlier meeting to draft the policy by the stakeholders,” he said.
Also speaking at the meeting which is a follow up to an earlier meeting to draft the policy by the stakeholders, the Country Representative of WaterAid Nigeria, Mrs Idowu Adebayo said the meeting was to enable stakeholders to have input in the forming of a WASH policy document for the state to be able to achieve workable policy.
She added that WaterAid Nigeria was passionate about transforming the lives of people through the expansion of access to clean water, basic hygiene sanitation, emphasising that drafting of framework and strategies are important to ensure sustainability adding that they are supporting the state government to ensure the same is achieved without hindrance.
According to her, Open Defecation Free (ODF) is also a WASH matter because ODF can’t be achieved without access to potable water, reiterating that “when we talk about ODF without the availability of potable water, we are saying nothing.”
Also speaking, representative of Heineken African Foundation (HAF), Mrs Olubukola Adeyemo said Oyo state was chosen for sponsorship and partnership over other Southwest states.
She said Heineken African Foundation was happy to support the state adding that their support will be useful and appreciated.
While giving Asejire Dam as an example of a project that needs sustainability, Adeyemo appealed to the government and other bodies to do the needful to ensure the sustainability of the projects.
Some of the stakeholders present at the meeting include the National President, Association of Water Well Drilling Rig Owners & Practitioners (AWDROP), Michael Ale; Directors of Environment in Local Government Areas; Representatives from Ministry of Health, Local Government, Justice and others.
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