Obafemi Owode Residents In Ogun State Lack Potable Water Despite ₦3.2billion Federal Allocation | Sahara Reporters

Available allocation figures show that Obafemi Owode received a combined ₦3.204 billion during the first six months of 2026.

Residents of the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State have lamented the lack of access to clean and potable water despite the local government receiving about ₦3.2 billion in federal allocations between January and June 2026.

The residents, particularly those living in the Shokenu village area of the local government, said they had been left without reliable access to water and electricity for a prolonged period, forcing them to trek long distances to obtain water for their daily needs.

Some of those living in Shokenu say they have lived in the area for over forty years, but have not experienced what it looks like to have clean water.

Available allocation figures show that Obafemi Owode received a combined ₦3.204 billion during the first six months of 2026.

The local government received ₦523 million in January, while its allocation rose to ₦605 million in February. It subsequently dropped to ₦453 million in March before increasing to ₦510 million in April and ₦581 million in May. In June, the local government received ₦532 million.

Despite the flow of funds, residents of Shokenu said access to basic amenities, particularly clean water and electricity, remained a major challenge in the community.

Residents told SaharaReporters that they often have to walk for more than 30 minutes to access what they described as clean water, a situation they said had imposed additional hardship on families in the area.

Videos seen by SaharaReporters showed residents lamenting the difficulties they face in accessing water, with some describing the long distance they have to cover before getting water for domestic use.

“We have to walk for over thirty minutes to access clean water and even this situation is made worse by absence of electricity.”

The residents explained that the distance they currently travel to access water was linked to a borehole constructed in Egbeda, which they said had become one of the few available sources of water for people in the surrounding communities.

“They managed to build a borehole at Egbeda, so we have to go that long distance just to get water.”

The residents’ complaints highlight the challenges faced by rural communities where access to basic infrastructure remains limited despite government revenues and allocations.

Access to safe drinking water is considered essential to preventing waterborne diseases, including diarrhoea and cholera. The residents said the lack of reliable access to clean water was exposing members of the community, including children, to avoidable health risks.

The affected residents, said to number more than 200, appealed to the local government and other relevant authorities to urgently intervene by providing functional water facilities and improving access to electricity in the community.

They said the situation had subjected them to prolonged hardship, particularly as residents are forced to spend significant time and energy fetching water from distant locations, they also noted that hope of government inte

“We are appealing for urgent intervention to save us and our offsprings from exposure to dirty water and torture because we can get clean water,” one of the affected residents noted.

The residents’ appeal comes amid growing concerns over the provision of basic social amenities at the local government level, with communities demanding that available public resources translate into tangible improvements in their living conditions.

For residents of Shokenu, the challenge remains immediate: access to clean water should not require a 30-minute trek, particularly in a local government that received more than ₦3.2 billion in federal allocations within six months.