Guinness Nigeria Celebrates World Water Day

Guinness Nigeria Plc has celebrated World Water Day with the commissioning of a complete mini waterworks comprising of boreholes, overhead storage tanks, water treatment plant and reticulation network in the Guinness Nigeria “Water of Life” project in Jebba, Kwara State.

Speaking at the commissioning of the project, the Executive Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed who was represented by the Commissioner for Water Resources, Engr. Abubakar Garba-Idris, commended Guinness Nigeria Plc, for its efforts in meeting the need of the rural communities through sustainable potable water supply. “Guinness Nigeria’s kind gesture will to a great extent improve the significant ‘water gap’ visible in the livelihood of the inhabitants of Jebba,” he said.

According to Gov. Abdulfatah, the problem caused by drinking unsafe water is so enormous that government alone cannot solve it. He urged other corporate and nongovernmental organisations to emulate Guinness Nigeria in improving the welfare of Nigerians. “To succeed in the socio-economic development of Nigeria, both the private sector and government must work together,” he said.

Mike Onuoha, Head, Public Policy, Guinness Nigeria, who handed over the facility to the community explained that the company’s determination to make the provision of potable water to communities all over Nigeria is one of its principal objectives. “Clean potable water is of immense importance to the workings of the human body and healthy living, as it plays key role in the prevention of disease,” he stated.

The project commissioning was also attended by the Oba of Jebba and citizens of the community as well as Directors from the Kwara State Ministry of Water Resources and the Chairman Moro LG

Oba Alhaji Abuldkadir Alabi Adebara, the Oba of Jebbaland, expressed joy and that of his subjects, saying the facility answers the needs of the people. Oba Adebara stated that residents in Jebba have, in recent times, suffered from water scarcity. He urged non-governmental organisations to emulate the good gesture of Guinness Nigeria in providing social amenities that will improve the livelihood of Nigerians, especially those in the rural areas.

Ngozi Ife Anene, Corporate Communications Manager, Guinness Nigeria, said that the Water of Life project is part of the company’s contribution to resolving the global concern of accessibility to safe water in line with the UN’s Millennium Development Goals to “halve the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2015”. Other communities that have benefitted from the Guinness Water of Life project are Ekiti, Oyo, Abia, Anambra, Benue, Ondo and Edo.

Guinness Nigeria recently signed a partnership deal with other organisation to launch Safe Water for Africa (SWA). The partnership aims to invest over US $20 million to provide sustainable access to safe drinking water for 5 million people by 2015, beginning with 43 communities and 430,000 beneficiaries in Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia in 2012.

—Henry Ojelu