Experts have questioned the Osun State government under the leadership of Senator Ademola Adeleke on the motive behind distribution of 332 generators to power boreholes sunk by the government in all wards.
The experts while chatting with InsightMedia said the purchase of 332 generators to power the boreholes is a climate threatening act as it will cause both noise and air pollution within the society.
In its January edition of State of the State Address, The Osun Masterminds warned that the State government not to embark on the project, describing it as a “populist approach”.
“In trying to pursue a comprehensive water supply policy, the Governor is not supposed to take populist steps such as the sinking of boreholes at this time in history, but look more at water supply solutions that are more comprehensive and more relevant on the long term.” Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, the Executive Director of the organization said.
He added, “There is the pending Ilesa water project. There is also the abandoned mini-water scheme of the Oyinlola administration. There are also the abandoned mini-water projects of the Federal lawmakers that represented Osun between 2011 and 2015. Those projects are more comprehensive and provide more practical solutions to the water supply problems in the State.
“We also dare say that it is demeaning and when considered carefully, unhealthy to sink public boreholes that community people will walk long distances to access. We can find more pragmatic solutions to the water supply problem without resorting to primitive and populist approaches that do not guarantee water supply in the long run.”
In a chat with InsightMedia, Opeyemi Oladimeji, a social entrepreneur and climate change activist, said the danger inherently ladden in the project is more than the benefit it brings.
“What I see is a project that doesn’t have consideration for environmental matters. Adding 332 generators to the already noisy environment is never a good idea. It’ll add more to the carbon dioxide that goes into the atmosphere. Osun government should have gone for smart means of powering the boreholes. The federal government has embraced solar panels and is environmentally friendly.”
Oladimeji enjoins the government to withdraw the generators from circulation and replace them with solar panels.
InsightMedia also recalled that a member of the Osun Civil Society Coalition, Comrade Wole Oladapo questioned the reasons behind the sinking of boreholes and distribution of generators.
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