AMOSUN: MAKING A DIFFERENCE Visioning is a major factor in governance. Purposeful leadership comes with well articulated vision and mission. To bring about and effect positive change, especially that which is sustainable, leadership must set up goals that are smart, measurable, achievable, reliable and tangible with effective time line. In addition, it behoves a visionary leadership to remain focused, determined even in the face of odds and challenges. The path to success may be thorny, as it is often, but the ultimate goal is its result – good and enduring result and a good leader must not be found wanting when decisions to move from point A to point B are desirable, all in the interest of the masses - the majority. And it is a timid and impotent administration that will shy away from executing its policies due to it possible unintended consequences on some of its people. For any action oriented government, it rings true that eggs have to be broken to serve omelets now and in the future. The above perfectly explains the philosophy behind the 5 cardinal programmes of the present administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State Government. It is also the reason why Ogun State Government, based on established principles both Scientific and otherwise, set a target for the attainment of adequate water supply to the nooks and crannies of the Ogun State at the end 2011 and 2014 respectively. Since assuming office in 2011, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has never left no stone unturned and anyone in doubt as regards his administration’s readiness to raise the standard of living of the average residents, especially through the provision of adequate water supply to the State. Though am not surprised at the action of the Ogun State Governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun for the provision of potable water for the citizen of the state as it was part of electioneering campaign promises in 2011 and also a mission to re-build the state. Amosun, like many patriotic Nigerians and Visionaries, knows that unless Water supply to the State is fixed and become regular, the attainment of the other four cardinal programmes of the five cardinal programmes will be a mirage. That is more reasons why the Senator Ibikunle Amosun focused more attention on Water projects in the State, to ensure prompt and regular running of Waters in the State. But it is quite absurd and very unfortunate that virtually everything in Ogun State as at today has been politicized by the oppositions who are desperately seeking political power at all cost through their destructive criticism in the State. Instead of the residents of the State to be given appraisal to the Governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun for the job well done but continues condemning the good work of the Governor, all in the name of seeking power, mere and cheap popularity. Expectedly, such people wanted Senator Ibikunle Amosun, like a magician, to tackle and bring solution to the inherited problem of epileptic and shortage of Water supply in the State overnight, whereas, the Water equipment in the State are totally obsolete and to put them in functioning would not take less than four to five years. Historically, the Abeokuta Water Scheme is almost 26years old! Sagamu Water Scheme was also commissioned as far back as 1957, Ijebu-Ode in 1962, while the Ijebu-Igbo Water Scheme was also commissioned in 1962. Imagine the extent of decays and deformed that would have happened to Water Schemes in the State, that is what the oppositions are expecting to be done in jiffy and a short while without considering that its take a two to tango. Investigations revealed that the first phase of the Abeokuta Scheme is in use now (with a capacity of 150million liters per day); this Water Scheme was commissioned in 1986 and was supposed to last for ten years. But by all implication, it was meant to be upgraded to meet up to the target of the populace and over population in the State. It was however learnt that since 1996, none of the existing Water Scheme has been upgraded while the Water pipes laid in some areas as far back as 1976 were damaged and not extended to new areas to cope with the increasing population in the State. This aside, the supply of electric power to most of the Schemes were so erratic that apart from the damages caused from the ageing pumps and other equipment, it adversely affects the supply of water to consumers and the residents of the State. In case of power generating set to these Schemes, especially at the Abeokuta Water works which did not function for more than eight years until the present administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun came on board and embarked on general overhauling of the power plant in the State to be used as alternative power supply to the Scheme. In a related development, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has been paying regularly the State counterpart funds for the World Bank Assisted Water Projects. Under this project, government was upgrading the system to a minimum of 200million liters per day as against the 80million liters per day inherited from the past governments. The process is already on and the consultant had commenced work especially on Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode and Ijebu-Igbo Schemes respectively. This process is now yielding a good fruits in the State as every nooks and crannies in Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode and Ijebu-Igbo are now enjoying potable water in the State, the flowing and running of Water across the State on daily basis worthy of commendation from the general publics of the State to Sentor Ibikunle Amosun. Perhaps, as part of efforts of Senator Ibikunle Amosun to make water available to all and sundry, new water pipelines has been extended to some areas in the State. These included extension of pipeline to areas like Akinolugbade to Adigbe in Abeokuta, which involved laying of 500mm diameter plastic pipes to relieve the community of problem of acute shortage of water. Also without doubt, the Amosun administration can point to tangible results in some or all these cardinal areas and one can at least swear by the extension of plastic pipelines to my estate, the Federal Housing Estate, Olomore, Abeokuta, laying of 200mm and 250mm diameter plastic pipeline respectively, also as well as the reticulation of pipe borne water in Sam Ewang Housing Estate that has remained dry for upward of six years. But as far as am concerned this piece is not about project execution or appraisal. It is all about policy analysis and future developmental scenarios in Ogun State. As part of Amosun’s intervention, the faulty 1000KVA generating plant at the Apoje water works in Ijebu-Igbo that had been grounded for quite long, was now rehabilitated and in full capacity as a reliable back-up to the epileptic power and water supply in the area. This has boosted water supply to Ijebu-Igbo and its environs. Indeed it has brought smiles to the face of the residents of the area. It was also gathered that the over 15KM impassible road to Apoje water works was also graded to full capacity by the present government. The road to the water works is now passable and motorable. “The government has done everything practically possible to salvage the epileptic water situation in the state which he met on ground, this government is very caring, as you can see, and we now have more water tankers and some mini water tankers in the various corporations as against the grounded tanker inherited from the past administration. These tankers are meant for temporary measure to supply water to the populace in the State during the shortage of water supply. This gesture has not happened to this corporation since I joined the corporation” Said a staff of the corporation. In order to solve the problem of the epileptic performance of the ageing electric motors, the state government expended millions of Naira to procure 4Nos 3.5KV, 1.5MV, and electric motors to fortify pumping activities at the high lift station at the Abeokuta main Scheme. This has a long way to go in provision of potable water to the people of Ogun State in general. Apparently based on the above Amosun was on point in his “re-building” strategy and the mandate he got from the people of the State during 2011 election. Obviously, the present administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State has done a lot to salvage the obsolete water scheme in the state and bring an end to shortage and scarcity of water in the state and also to wresting the people of the state from water borne diseases. Ademola Orunbon Federal Housing Estate, Olomore, Abeokuta, 08034493944
Posted on: Sun, 10 Nov 2013 14:20:56 +0000
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