The Ecumenical Water Network Africa (EWNA) has called on lawmakers both at the national and state assemblies to legislate on making water accessible for all residents of Ekiti State.
The project’s convener, Kolade Fadahunsi, who made this call during a virtual media roundtable in Ado-Ekiti, stated that access to clean water is a fundamental right of the people.
He noted that EWNA, which is spearheading the “Voices of Water Justice Project” in Ekiti State, Nigeria, is committed to seeing communities in the state become blue communities where water becomes accessible and affordable for the people.
He appealed to the lawmakers representing various constituencies in the state to empty water reservoirs and also repair damaged and abandoned ones in their constituencies, rather than drilling boreholes in selected communities that only a select few can get access to.
He also stated that the project, which commenced in 2023 with a parliament meeting involving two communities in the state that are connected to dams, the Ifaki-Ekiti and Aramoko communities, revealed that the Ifaki reservoirs have been abandoned and appealed to the government to do something about it.
Fadahunsi added that the network is opposed to the idea of commercialization and privatisation of water, saying, “This only adds to the burdens of the citizens and shifts the responsibility of providing this basic amenity needed to survive for the people.
“Water should not be privatised, especially in Ekiti State, where the GDP is low and most of the people are poor.
“The government should take up its responsibility of providing water for the people.”
He urged lawmakers in the state to engage their constituencies on the issue of clean, affordable, and accessible water, adding that doing this will lead to fewer outbreaks of diseases and better healthy living for the people of the state.
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