He said the Adiyan Waterworks One and Two Projects, with a capacity for 70 million gallons each per day when completed, will change everything about water production and usage in Lagos State.

Governor Sanwo-Olu spoke on Friday during a site inspection of the Adiyan Waterworks One and Two Projects and the Water Treatment Plant project in the Iju, Adiyan and Akute areas of Ogun State.

The visits, according to the governor, were aimed at ensuring accountability, improving coordination with contractors and keeping major infrastructure projects on schedule.

The governor commended the level of work on the projects by the contractor, saying that over eight kilometres of pipes had been laid after the Lagos State government got the rights of way from the Ogun State government and that compensations had been paid on all the affected property.

He said the brown water in the Ogun River would be turned to blue and get to the water treatment plants before going to various houses in Lagos for consumption, stating that the Adiyan Water Works Two and rehabilitation of Adiyan Water Works One are expected to be completed before the end of next year.

Earlier, Governor Sanwo-Olu commissioned the rehabilitated Akilo one million gallons per day water facility in the Ogba area of Lagos.

The project was in fulfilment of his administration’s commitment to partner stakeholders in promoting the health and wellbeing of the people as well as supplying water to residents.

The one million gallons per day, four thousand and five hundred cubic metres, Akilo Mini Waterworks was facilitated by WaterAid Nigeria, under the Urban Water and Sanitation Access Project, UWASAP, and implemented in partnership with the Lagos State Water Corporation, LSWC.

Speaking during the official commissioning of the project at Akilo Road, Ogba, in Ikeja, Lagos, Governor Sanwo-Olu said his administration is working to ensure every neighbourhood gets adequate supply of water built on a model of sustainability and investment in tandem with the Lagos State Government agenda.

He said the intervention aligns with his administration’s commitment to restoring dignity, improving public health and strengthening water governance under the THEMES+ agenda.

The governor urged residents to take ownership and protect the newly commissioned infrastructure by avoiding damaging water pipes and stopping the habit of bypassing meters, which undermines sustainability.

Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, commended WaterAid Nigeria for the intervention which would provide public water for over 100,000 residents within Agege, Ifako-Ijaiye and other areas through household connections and digitally operated kiosks in strategic locations.

He described the project as a major milestone in Governor Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to improving water governance and raising the living standards of Lagos residents.

Wahab highlighted new upgrades, including a modern control panel room, a clean water tank, overhead tanks, automated motor kiosks and integrated water meters designed to strengthen transparency and ensure efficient water management.

He urged the host community to protect and maintain the facility, noting that the project aligns with Sustainable Development Goal Six, which seeks to guarantee universal access to clean water and sanitation.

Also speaking, the Country Director of WaterAid in Nigeria, Evelyn Mere, said the UWASAP project would increase access to water, sanitation and hygiene services in Lagos State for sustainable, resilient and affordable WASH services for users, as the organisation plans to replicate the model in other areas.

Mere disclosed that the Akilo project was designed as a replicable model, confirming that WaterAid is already set to rehabilitate the Ojokoro Waterworks to extend safe water access to another 100,000 residents.

She praised the Lagos State Government’s push for blended financing and innovation. She also requested further engagement with Governor Sanwo-Olu to deepen WASH sector reforms.

In his address, the Managing Director of Lagos Water Corporation, Engr. Mukhtaar Tijani, said the rehabilitated Akilo waterworks, which was built in 2012 and had been moribund before WaterAid Nigeria’s intervention, would be providing water to people in Akilo and Agege, as well as adjoining communities.

Also speaking, the Ologba of Ogba, Oba Egbeyemi Oladimeji, said the project represents renewed hope and a major step toward addressing long-standing water scarcity in the area.

He praised the Lagos State Government and implementing partners for their commitment and called on the community to ensure the facility’s protection and longevity.

The monarch added that thousands of households and businesses would now receive much-needed relief, saying development thrives when government and citizens work together.

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Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, at the validation meeting on Friday in Abuja, described the policy as a step towards ensuring menstruation does not limit any woman or girl-child.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim, represented by Dr Maryam Keshinro, noted that the recent waivers on sanitary towels by President Bola Tinubu, showed his deep sensitivity to gender and public health matters.

She noted that women aged 15 to 49 constitute about 25 to 30 per cent of the country’s population, meaning tens of millions of Nigerians manage menstruation monthly.

“Alarmingly, 15 per cent of girls aged 15 to 19 are already mothers or pregnant, and over 7.3 million adolescent girls and women suffer from undernutrition.

“With 55 per cent affected by anaemia; conditions that can be exacerbated by poor menstrual hygiene and lack of affordable sanitary products,” she said.

She explained that these realities further justify the urgency of the national policy validation, adding that menstrual health is not just a women’s issue; but a family, community, and national development issue.

“Every month, from bustling cities like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano, to remote villages in Borno, Benue, Cross River, and Sokoto, as well as IDP camps in Maiduguri, Zamfara, and Adamawa, millions of women and girls experience menstruation.

“It is a normal biological process that should never be a source of shame, stigma, or economic hardship,” she said.

The minister highlighted inadequate access to sanitary products, poor WASH infrastructure, lack of accurate information, and persistent cultural taboos as factors that have contributed to exclusion, absenteeism from school, and preventable health challenges.

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She added that the development of the policy would address the realities, break the silence, eliminate stigma, and embed MHHM into the national development agenda across health, education, water, sanitation, and gender sectors.

According to her, the policy will set a clear vision by 2030 which includes that no girl in Nigeria should have to choose between managing her menstruation and pursuing her education.

“No woman should be hindered in her personal or professional development because of menstruation; and no community should sustain stigma or exclusion linked to it.

“Implementation will require strong collaboration across sectors, political will, and active participation from states, communities, and development partners,” she said.

The minister, therefore, expressed appreciation to partners, particularly, Population Services International and WaterAid Nigeria for their support in addressing menstrual health and hygiene challenges.

Also, Mrs Fifi Ogbondeminu, Acting Country Representative, Population Services International, PSI, Nigeria, said the event marked a milestone towards ensuring that menstruation was no longer a silent burden but an issue addressed with dignity, empathy, and urgency.

Ogbondeminu, represented by Abdulhameed Adediran, Team Lead for Menstrual Health Initiatives at PSI Nigeria, said menstrual health was a human rights issue, a gender equality issue, and a development issue.

She noted that through PSI’s Menstrual Health No Wahala (MH-NoW) programme, the organisation provided women and girls with affordable menstrual products, age-appropriate education and enabling environments that break stigma.

She emphasised the need to ensure the availability of low-cost menstrual products across rural and urban areas, integrating menstrual health into school and community programmes, and empowering girls to stay in education without shame or interruption.

Also, Evelyn Mere, Country Director, WaterAid Nigeria, noted that the policy would also improve access to essential infrastructure including clean water, sanitation facilities, waste disposal systems and hygiene education.

Mere, represented by Dr Theodora Ngozika-Igboaneka, Policy and Advocacy Manager, said the policy was a powerful signal of commitment to human rights, health, dignity and empowerment of girls and women across the country.

“At WaterAid Nigeria, we have seen firsthand what changes when communities address menstrual health properly. Schools where girls no longer miss classes. Workplaces where women participate fully.

“Communities where the silence and shame around menstruation give way to open, practical support,” she said.

Also, Mrs Mabel Adinya-Ade, Consultant on the Development of the National Policy on MHHM, emphasised that its objective was to provide a comprehensive framework to improve access to safe menstruation for vulnerable women and girls.

Source: NAN

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This is just as the state WaterAid team lead gave a projection that by 2028, the organisation would reach 10 million residents directly and another 17 million indirectly through interventions with basic Water Sanitation and Hygiene, WASH, access.

Speaking during a media round table in collaboration with WaterAid and the state government over the weekend, the Special Adviser on Environment, Engr. Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu said work had started on some of the toilets including identifying the locations for them.

He stated that the state government would adopt the three – way approach in tackling the issue of open defecation, which is to put infrastructure in place, engage in massive advocacy and lastly undertake enforcement drive in order to ensure that everyone embraces the use of public toilets.

The Special Adviser expressed appreciation to WaterAid for collaborating with the state government in its effort to ensure that Lagosians have access to clean water, decent toilets and proper hygiene practices on a continuous basis.

He said the government was aware that the provision of more public toilets would help reduce government and individual expenditure on treatment of diseases thereby making more money available for other economic uses,  stressing that the little delay being experienced was to put in place alternative water supply instead of drilling of borehole.

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He said the government ordinarily did not support the drilling of borehole at homes, organisations, religious homes for so many reasons and was working on providing the right alternative, which was the provision of potable water through the Lagos Water Corporation.

“Borehole drilling is not something we are proud of and it is something we are eager to run away from. Thankfully, wee have gone on a working visit with Mr. Governor and the media team to Adiyan Water works where the state will soon start generating a combined capacity of not less than 100 million gallons of pipe borne water daily;

The people can testify to the meaningful efforts of the state, to see that water becomes something that is available to everyone in Lagos State,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Engr. Mahamood Adegbite, noted that it had been observed that most homes / organisations were using the water provided by Lagos State Water Corporation without paying for it, saying that had resulted to the government bailing out water corporation facilities over the years but the state would find a way to sustainably engage them.

According to him, “We have the biggest corporation to supply water. That is why we have various regulatory agencies that will address the issue of tariff setting.  Infact, there have been a lot of applications for people to come in, but the regulatory commission is working on it. I will like to say that provision of potable water by the government has never been for profit making.”

He mentioned that residents must know that provision of pipe borne water was never going to be free going forward, adding that government did not expect private organisations / individuals to invest in water supply and  residents get it for free hence conversations were still going on as regards the tariff setting.

“It is a major project that we have invited partners to also invest in; you can imagine our partners investing  around 800 million Naira,  you must know that the state is also spending billions of Naira,” he said

He stated that regarding access issues that there had been a lot of unaccounted water, saying that was one of the issues Water Corporation encounters because people deliberately found it comfortable tapping potable water, a situation which had negative effect on the corporation.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Gaji Omobolaji, said government was working to provide water for the entire state and not just a particular region.

He added that that was the reason massive rehabilitation was ongoing in all the major water works, mini water works as well as the micro water works in the state.

Earlier, in his presentation, the State Programme Lead, WaterAid Lagos Office,  Dr.  Adebayo Alao, said WaterAid had contributed towards developing models and strengthening institutional capacities for enhanced sector governance and performance while working with other key sectors to integrate water, sanitation and hygiene into their development plans and priorities.

He mentioned that Kimberly Clark donated 1 million USD from July 2021 to March 2025 to target 45,000 lactating women, adolescent girls and other persons with the aim of improving hygiene behaviours among vulnerable populations.

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