Ogun Water Agency Links Abeokuta Water Issues to Roadwork Damage

The Ogun State Water Corporation (OGSWC) has said that the ongoing water supply problems in some parts of Abeokuta are due to damage to water pipelines caused by road construction and urban renewal projects done by the last administration. The agency rejected claims that the Ogun Urban Water Supply Project, funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), did not meet its goals.

The Corporation shared this information in a statement signed by Hon. Damilola Otubanjo, the Special Adviser to the Governor on SDGs and Water Resources. This came as a response to a BusinessDay report titled “Despite N13bn Investments, Pipe-Borne Water Still Luxury in Ogun Capital,” which was published on 3 July 2026.

In the statement, OGSWC acknowledged that some Abeokuta residents still face irregular water supply. But it said the report did not include all the facts about how the AFD-funded project was carried out and its effects.

The Corporation explained that the Ogun Urban Water Supply Project is the only AFD-supported water project in the state. It was implemented from March 2015 to December 2023 with a $33.75 million funding through the Federal Government. The project made significant improvements to the state's water infrastructure.

The improvements included upgrading the Abeokuta Water Treatment Plant, building a 14.5-million-litre reservoir at Oke-Temidire, laying new transmission pipelines, expanding the distribution network, and buying 6,000 water meters.

The statement highlighted that the project raised the treatment capacity of the Abeokuta Water Scheme from 25 million litres per day (MLD) to 82 MLD as part of a phased plan that aims for a final capacity of 162 MLD. It also added more than 250 kilometres of distribution pipelines and over 5,000 new customer connections across major parts of Abeokuta.

According to the Corporation, the rehabilitation of the barrage gates improved the reliability of water supply by 85 per cent, greatly reduced leaks, and boosted operational efficiency. It added that reforms under the project cut down system downtime and reduced customer complaint response time from five days to just 24 hours.

Currently, the Corporation serves over 13,000 customers in Ogun State. More than 7,000 of these customers are connected through the AFD-funded network in Abeokuta. Public water schemes are also running in Ago-Iwoye, Sagamu, and Ilaro.

The Corporation maintained that the water supply issues in parts of Abeokuta North and Abeokuta South are mainly due to damage from road construction and urban renewal work done by the previous government, rather than any faults with the AFD project.

The statement explained that the Corporation has been reconnecting communities affected by these issues as new transmission mains are set up. Areas like Lakesin have already started receiving water again through the new Temidire reservoir network.

The Corporation shared that since January 2025, it has fixed over 800 pipeline leaks and bursts. It has also installed more than 1,200 water meters, provided over 3,600 new customer connections, revived inactive water schemes in many communities, and launched a WhatsApp-based platform for resolving customer complaints.

These efforts have improved water quality compliance, reduced illegal connections, and increased customer satisfaction in the water supply system.

The Corporation also pointed out that the N450 million budgeted in the 2024 Federal Ministry of Water Resources budget for desilting the Arakanga Water Reservoir is a different Federal Government project. This project is not linked to the AFD-funded Ogun Urban Water Supply Project.

The funds for this desilting project have not been released yet, and the project has not started. The Corporation assured residents that it will keep working with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority to make sure the project gets going.

Reaffirming its commitment to providing clean water across the state, the Corporation insisted that the AFD-funded Ogun Urban Water Supply Project was fully completed. It delivered clear improvements in water production, transmission, distribution, metering, and institutional capacity. The Corporation stressed that the current supply challenges are temporary issues from damaged pipelines, not signs of project failure.