The Oyo State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, on Monday, donated motorcycles, public address systems, and sanitary items to 10 local government areas to address the menace of open defecation in the respective council areas and the state in general.

The items included 100 Ahuja speakers, six motorcycles (two each for Egbeda, Ona-Ara, and Ibarapa-East Local Governments), and sanitary items to be distributed based on selection criteria in the 10 local government areas.

The Chairman of the agency, Babalola Afobaje, while speaking during the presentation of the items, said it was part of the activities lined up to mark his 100 days in office.

He said the presentation of the items was aimed at ensuring a complete end to open defecation in the councils, as well as in communities across the state.

Afobaje said, “In the past 100 days, the agency has enjoyed tremendous support from United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund in its efforts to end open defecation in Egbeda, Ona-Ara, and Ibarapa-East respectively.

“Under my supervision, the agency has drilled Solar boreholes across some Local Governments in the state. The purpose of this donation is to support the efforts of local government areas in ending open defecation.”

The chairman, therefore, urged the authorities to ensure timely distribution of the items to the beneficiaries, adding that the agency’s partnership with UNICEF had, to a large extent, impacted the lives of people of the state positively.

He commended Governor Seyi Makinde for his unwavering support for the agency, which has attracted international partnerships with UNICEF and other donors.

In his remark, the Chairman of Egbeda Local Government Area, Sikiru Sanda, expressed appreciation to RUWASSA for the gesture.

He assured that all the items received would be used for the exact purpose for which they were intended.

The affected 10 local governments include Egbeda; Ibarapa East; Ogo-Oluwa; Iseyin; Oluyole; Ibadan South-East; Ona-Ara, among others.