The Edo Government on Wednesday in Benin, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Union and the Niger Delta Support Programme (EU-NDSP) on water supply and sanitation components.

Gov. Adams Oshiomhole, who signed at the occasion in Benin for the state government, said the government appreciated the EU-NDSP commitment to ensuring safe potable water in the state.

Oshiomhole noted that it was one thing to show interest on an issue and another thing to be committed to the issue.

He said that the government would do all to ensure that the terms of the MoU were adhered to.

Oshiomhole said that government had observed that challenges of sanitation could not be over-emphasised and people in the state still had a lot to learn with respect to basic sanitation.

He said that to address some of the challenges would be to use the law by making environmental and sanitation defaulters face the full weight of the law, to serve as a deterrent to others.

Oshiomhole pledged government’s commitment to the partnership and thanked the EU-NDSP for their interest in the state.

Earlier, Mr Larry Opanubi, of the National Planning Commission, Abuja, said that the MoU was to assist the state in developing its water production.

Opanubi said that the EU-NDSP was aware of the Edo government’s efforts towards water and sanitation, adding that the state was the first in the country to benefit from the partnership.

He said that much would be achieved through the partnership, stressing that the programme would not use state funds, as the EU-NDSP would finance the programme 100 per cent.

Opanubi explained that the state only needed to contribute to the action works and water facilities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the EU-NDSP team was led by the project Director, Mr Matheo Hollan.

Meanwhile, a local implementation committee of the MoU had been inaugurated by the Edo government, with commissioners of relevant ministries as members.

Source: Leadership Newspaper