By Kolade Larewaju

ABEOKUTA – The Ogun State Government, Sunday, blasted former President Olusegun Obasanjo over the statement that the state government failed to produce a N1billion counterpart funding for the state’s water project saying that Obasanjo was either being deceived by his aides or he was lying against the government.

Obasanjo had at a rally in Itoku Market in Abeokuta said that one of the problems of water scarcity was that when the Federal Government provided N1 billion for the project, the State Government did not pay the counterpart funding of N1 billion.

But the State Commissioner for Water Resources; Mr. Kola Onadipe at a media briefing in Abeokuta said “it is either Baba is being ‘deceived’ by his friends or aides as usual or deliberately throwing up lies against a PDP-led government of Ogun State with unnecessary insinuations that is clearly not in the dictates and principles of the PDP constitution which he swore to as BoT Chairman.

“The State Government is not aware of any N1 billion counterpart funding requirement for water development project in Abeokuta either during Obasanjo’s Presidency or even now, facilitated in the Federal Government Appropriation.

“What we are aware though, was a N6 billion grant given to Gombe State for the construction of a new water supply dam, by the then President Obasanjo. The State took the advantage of Obasanjo being our own son as President, and undertook a high powered official and consultation trip to Gombe, for reconnaissance survey and dialogue with Gombe State government on how to replicate such new project in Ogun State.

“The state government decided to adopt the Gombe project wholesale, even with its Chinese Contractor. The Ogun State model was now located at Mokoloki as the pivot of the State regional Water improvement scheme to service Ewekoro, Sagamu, Ifo and Yewa corridors. The project was to cost about N12 billion, with the submission of necessary documents/data to the Presidency for support as was done for Gombe State”

The Commissioner said that till date, the initiative had not yielded any fruit.