~ Debo Akinbami, PhD
In decay, you may find them scattered in villages across the state. In towns, they must have made way. Wreckage of the rectangular, stone-studded concrete, glued to the rust-red iron pipes sunk vertically into them. They stand, to date, as rusty reminders of the times leadership combined good heart and head. In rot, they sadly signpost the many things that have gone wrong.
Of the things wrong, there were policy somersaults by default. There were the politics of legacy-killings under the guise of policy reviews. There were cases of bare ineptitude; There were other interests – the obvious and obscure. There were projects abandoned, left, for ages, in fallow. Owena dam was one of the victims.
A legacy project delivered in 2007 by the Olusegun Agagu-led administration. In 2008, the contract for water reticulation followed its safe birth, with 50% mobilisation fee paid. Agagu’s regime was sacked by the court. The project, afterwards, became a pawn. The pursuit of potable water provision became a mirage.
Policy rejig returned. It fluctuated between boreholes drilling and rehabilitation for citizens within the hinterlands while fixing dysfunctional water schemes within urban sections. Each policy found alibis for the abandonment of the multi-billion project, even after gulping a fortune of the tax payers’ money.
Eighteen years later, Governor Aiyedatiwa walked on the footbridge laid fittingly over the sprawling river Owena. As he watched the river flow, he reimagined the rigour of his predecessors. He didn’t just consider the billions already expended, he thought carefully about the brains spent; he reviewed the beauty of conception, the seismic debate at the state executive council and how hope was dashed on both sides.
Right there, the resolve on his face could be touched. He was ready to defy successive political and technical theories of neglect. He chose public interest instead. In public interest, he showed political will. The resolve drew the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the federal government.
And now, with the relaunch, the era of water scarcity ends sooner than later; reliance on rain water accumulated in wells will cease. Access to clean, safe and sustainable water supply for no less than seven local government areas—Akure South, Akure North, Idanre, Ifedore, Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo, Ondo East and Ondo West, now guaranteed.
At this rate, water will return to the dry taps. Other things will follow, and the state, after all, will be the better for it. At full stature, the dam would support irrigation, fisheries, renewable energy and tourism. This examples the largeness of Aiyedatiwa’s heart. A rare show of courage, profundity of public spirit and towering capacity.
In sequence, the Owena follows the landmark $50 billion industrial hub project; the federal government’s approval of the state’s deep sea port licence- a major milestone and fillip for industrialisation, and unmatched debt reduction feat. With these wins alongside huge investment in health, infrastructure and security, Ondo’s luck is on the increase.
****Dr. Akinbami is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Ondo State on Strategic Communication.
