Obasanjo Raises Fresh Alarm Over Failure of Oyan Dam Project, Cites Consequences

• On the occasion of the World Water Day, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned against the drilling of boreholes in Abeokuta, citing serious consequences
• He blamed the failure of successive governments to sustain the Oyan Dam project, initiated by his administration in 1977, for the current water scarcity crisis in Ogun state
• Obasanjo emphasised the need for strategic water management to ensure food security and urged authorities to revive the dam’s electricity and water supply functions

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has raised an alarm against water borehole drillings at homes, particularly in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, declaring that repercussions of such action could be devastating.

He lamented that the incessant construction of boreholes was as a result of the failure of subsequent administrations to sustain the Oyan Dam project embarked on by his military administration in 1977.

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As reported by Channels TV, Obasanjo gave this warning when management and staff of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority led by the managing director, Adedeji Ashiru, visited him on the occasion of the World Water Day at the weekend.

He called for the elimination of waste of water resources, stressing that it would be impossible to achieve food sufficiency and security without effective water management.

Obasanjo hinted that due to the failure of the dam project, the residents of Abeokuta embraced digging boreholes everywhere to source water.

He noted that this, however, comes with a repercussion that nobody for now may know how devastating it could be.

“We cannot de-emphasise the importance or usefulness of water to human life and this why we do say water has no enemy,” Obasanjo said.

Failure of Oyan Dam behind Ogun water crisis

Speaking further, Obasanjo said that the Oyan Dam was actually created to generate power and water for the residents of Ogun and Lagos state.

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In a statement by his special assistant on media, Kehinde Akinyemi, the former president lamented that nearly five decades after its construction, the Oyan Dam has yet to fulfil its intended role in providing water and electricity.

Obasanjo maintained that without proper irrigation and water conservation, achieving food security in Nigeria will remain a challenge.

The former president cautioned that continuous borehole drilling could drastically lower groundwater levels, leading to unforeseen environmental consequences.

Obasanjo urged geologists to assess and predict the long-term effects of widespread borehole drilling on the region’s water resources.

Buttressing his point on the Oyan Dam, Obasanjo noted that the dam was said to have the capacity to generate 9 Megawatts.

He added that if this dam could be made to generate such megawatts of electricity, it would have a profound impact in boosting the power supply to the people and help reduce the challenge of inadequate power supply in the country.

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“Oyan Dam was built to supply water for Abeokuta and Lagos, but it has been neglected and ignored just like the turbine for the power supply,” he noted.

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Obasanjo tags Buhari’s govt “worst in corruption”

In another development, Legit.ng previously reported that Obasanjo described Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as the worst in Nigeria’s democratic history.

Obasanjo made this declaration as he criticised the N15.6 trillion Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project and the N21 billion vice president's residence.

The federal government, through the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, and a presidential aide, described Obasanjo’s claims as baseless.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng