By Odunayo Oluwabukola, Ibadan
The joy of residents of Olukeye community in Egbeda Local Government Area of Oyo State, on Friday, knew no bounds as a revenue contractor in the state, Alhaji Olalekan Salau donated a motorised borehole to the community.
The gesture, according to Alhaji Salau, was necessitated by the lack of access to potable water in the area, which had for many years, imposed hardship on residents of the area who usually trek long distances to fetch water.
The donor, while speaking said, the borehole project was the third of its kind in the local government and it serves a way of giving back to the people who he said, have been faithful in their revenue payment.
“The gesture was the third of its kind in the local government and it a way of giving back to the people who have been faithful in their revenue payment.”
“I want them to protect and maintain it as their own personal property so that it can serve them well and for a long time,” Alhaji Salau said.
In his brief remarks, a close ally and political associate of Governor Seyi Makinde, Alhaji Babatunde Tijani otherwise called ‘Double T’ said, more of such gesture would continue to go round other parts of the local government as long as the people sustain their support and cooperation with the state and local government.
Stressing the importance of potable water, good roads and electricity to communities at the grassroots as the bedrock of even development, Alhaji Tijani noted that government would be able to deliver more dividends of democracy to the people if there’s faithfulness in payment of revenues.
While expressing gratitude to residents of Olukeye community for their support for Governor Makinde and PDP in the last general elections, Alhaji Tijani said: “We have all seen the impact of good governance by ourselves, this is not the first of its kind as similar projects are also spread across other parts of the local government and state.”
“Makinde’s government remains committed to fulfilling his electoral promises to the later and I can assure you that government will also remain open to constructive criticism for steady improvement in areas we needed to improve on.”
The Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye, represented by Dr Adeniran, in his short remarks, stated that the gesture was part of social responsibility expected from responsive businesses that have continued to benefit from the good governance in the state under the leadership of Governor Makinde.
“I want to urged you to key into the agricultural revolution program of the governor by taking full advantage of the agric loan to boost farming to engender food security in the state.”
Traditional leader of the area, Baale Olukeye, Chief Abdul-lateef Bakare, who commended the Makinde led government for its sensitivity and responsiveness to plights of the people especially at the grassroots, also seized the opportunity to solicit for more in terms of rehabilitation of internal community roads in order to hasten more development in the area, while urging others to emulate the gesture.
He added that the provision of modern borehole in the area has solved one of the critical challenges of residents of Olukeye community which was access to clean and potable water.