Ondo State Governor, Dr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, on Tuesday vowed that the long era of dry taps across the state would soon become history, as he flagged off the rehabilitation of the stalled Owena Multipurpose Dam and its associated water projects in Igbara-Oke, Ifedore Local Government Area.
The project, backed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), is expected to deliver clean, safe, and sustainable pipe-borne water to over 1.3 million residents across seven local government areas , Akure South, Akure North, Idanre, Ifedore, Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo, Ondo East and Ondo West.
Governor Aiyedatiwa described the intervention as “the rebirth of a long-abandoned vision,” stressing that the failed dam project had denied the state opportunities for decades.
According to him, the renewed investment will overhaul the treatment plant, construct reservoirs, expand urban water supply networks, and deliver new transmission pipelines to Akure and surrounding communities.
The Governor also launched mobile solar-powered irrigation pumps for farmers as well as household water quality testing kits and treatment tablets to help curb outbreaks of cholera and typhoid.
He expressed gratitude to the Federal Government and international partners, assuring that the project would be executed with transparency and speed. “We are not only restoring water supply; we are building a future where no child will drink unsafe water,” he said.
Representing the Minister of Agriculture, Ayo Adekoya-Benson hailed the initiative as “a decisive departure from decades of scarcity and failed expectations,” while Commissioner for Water Resources, Ayodele Akande, said the moment marked the breaking of “barriers of scarcity, unfulfilled hopes and interrupted dreams.”
Officials from AfDB, AGTF, traditional rulers, lawmakers and senior government functionaries witnessed the groundbreaking ceremony, which also included the foundation laying of a new office complex and laboratory for the Ondo State Water Corporation.
The project, when completed, is expected to serve the state beyond 2032 and unlock the full economic potential of the Owena Dam in irrigation, energy and tourism.
