Over N13 billion has been invested in major water projects in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, over the past 11 years, yet the projects have not translated into a reliable supply, forcing residents to rely on boreholes and vendors as key infrastructure operates below capacity. SODIQ OJUROUNGBE writes
For Adeyemi Kemi, most mornings begin the same way: the fifty-year-old walks through Ago-Ika in Abeokuta with empty plastic containers, hoping neighbours with boreholes have electricity to pump water. On some days, she buys water from vendors for chores that once required nothing more than turning a tap in her modest home.
Some years back, this was not her reality. She recalled that for decades, running water flowed regularly through taps connected to the public supply network in her neighbourhood. At dawn, water-filled buckets lined up in her bathroom and kitchen, making cooking, washing, and other household chores easier.
But that certainty began to disappear about nine years ago.
According to her, underground channels and pipes supplying water to homes in the area were disrupted during major road construction projects carried out under the administration of former governor Ibikunle Amosun.
