By Admin
Nestlé Nigeria Plc has commissioned eight climate-smart boreholes and water treatment plants in communities within the Agbara catchment of Ogun State, as part of a broader initiative to improve access to safe water and strengthen sustainable water management.
The facilities form part of the company's Water Regeneration Project, which covers the Agbara catchment in Ogun State and the Abaji catchment in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The programme aims to deliver 24 climate-smart boreholes, comprising eight in Agbara and 16 in Abaji.
Beyond providing water infrastructure, the initiative incorporates treatment facilities, routine water quality monitoring, rainwater harvesting systems and community-based governance structures designed to ensure the facilities remain functional and provide safe water over the long term.
Speaking at the commissioning, the Business Executive Officer, Nestlé Waters and Premium Beverages, Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Olutayo Olatunji, said the project reflected the company's commitment to improving community access to water while strengthening the resilience of local water systems.
“The Agbara commissioning is an important milestone within our wider Water Regeneration Project and reflects Nestlé’s commitment to helping regenerate local water cycles,” Olatunji said.
He added that combining treated water infrastructure with community governance and performance monitoring would help improve access, strengthen watershed resilience and deliver lasting benefits.
“As we finalise the remaining scope, our focus remains on rigorous delivery and measurable outcomes that benefit communities and support business continuity,” he said.
The project also places emphasis on the sustainability of the facilities, with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) committees and governance training intended to establish clear responsibilities for routine maintenance, fault reporting and water quality checks.
The Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Terlumun Utsev, said the long-term success of water projects depended not only on their commissioning but also on their continued ability to provide safe and reliable services.
“Commissioning a facility is only the beginning; ensuring that it continues to provide safe, reliable and sustainable service is the true measure of success,” Utsev noted.
He welcomed the project's emphasis on governance and water stewardship, particularly the development of a governance training manual to guide water regeneration and responsible management.
Also speaking, the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, described the initiative as an example of the benefits of collaboration between the private sector, government institutions, regulators and host communities.
“This project demonstrates what strategic public-private collaboration can achieve,” Lawal said, adding that the initiative supported Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation and aligned with Nigeria's environmental priorities.
For the host community, the commissioning represents an opportunity to improve access to a resource essential to public health and household wellbeing.
The Alagbara of Agbara Kingdom, Oba Lukman Jayeola Agunbiade, who welcomed the project on behalf of the community, urged residents and traditional leaders to take responsibility for protecting the facilities.
“Safe water touches every part of our lives: the health of our children, the dignity of our homes and the hopes of our families. Today, it has come closer to all of us.“As custodians of this land, I charge our chiefs, Baales, WASH committees and every resident to treat these facilities as our own, guard them against misuse and report faults promptly ,” the monarch said.
He, however, warned that the benefits would depend on the community's willingness to protect the infrastructure, prevent misuse and report faults promptly.
Beyond infrastructure, Nestlé Nigeria said it was also working to improve public understanding of water safety through the National Water Quality Advocacy Campaign and the National Water Quality Handbook, developed in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation and the Organisation for the Promotion of Environmental Sanitation and Water Sanitation (OPS-WASH).
The company's Corporate Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainability Lead, Victoria Uwadoka, said access to water must be accompanied by measures to ensure its safety and responsible use.
“Access alone is not enough. Water must be safe, it must be protected, and communities must have the knowledge to manage it responsibly,” Uwadoka said.
The advocacy programme is intended to extend water safety awareness beyond project sites to households, schools, communities and public institutions.
Nestlé Nigeria said the Agbara commissioning was made possible through collaboration involving public authorities, regulators, traditional institutions, community leaders, WASH committees, OPS-WASH and other technical partners.
With the remaining facilities in Abaji expected to be completed and handed over, the company said it would focus on delivery, transparent validation and community ownership to sustain the project's benefits.
The initiative is also intended to strengthen watershed resilience and support the company's long-term water management and business continuity objectives.
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