0
0
In a bid to combat the growing water challenges in rural communities and empower youths with sustainable skills, the Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) Foundation has officially presented working tools to 25 trainees who participated in a two-week intensive training on borehole repair and water system maintenance across Kwara State.
The closing ceremony, held at the Foundation’s office in Ilorin, featured the official handover of tools to participants who had undergone rigorous academic and practical training. The initiative, themed “Community Water Champions”, was facilitated by AFEB Global Ltd and spanned from July 1st to 12th, 2025.
All the 25 participants were drawn from across the entire 16 local government areas of the state, representing a deliberate strategy by the Saraki Foundation to ensure widespread grassroots impact and sustainable access to potable water.
Delivering his address at the opening of the programme, the North Central Project Director of the ABS Foundation, Mallam Musa Aliyu, highlighted the significance of the project and reiterated the Foundation’s commitment to real, people-focused development.
“This training is part of our mission to empower communities with practical solutions. Over 120 million Nigerians depend on boreholes. When these systems fail, the result is often devastating, especially in rural areas,” Aliyu said.
“By training these 25 young men and women, we are not only addressing water scarcity but also building a community-based technical workforce. These trainees are now equipped to become employers of labour and first responders to water system failures in their areas,” he added.
The programme included classroom sessions, written and oral assessments, safety training, and extensive field work. After initial lectures, safety kits were distributed to all participants, and they proceeded to real-life borehole renovation exercises across several local government areas.
Some of the notable field assignments include: Renovation of one hand pump borehole in Kaaba Kajola, Idofian District, Ifelodun LGA, repair of two boreholes (hand pump and motorised) at Alanamu Market, Ilorin West LGA.
Others are rehabilitation of a hand pump borehole in Ajakitipa, Isale Oja, Shao, Moro LGA, restoration of one industrial borehole in Ganmo, Ifelodun LGA and repairs at Magaji Are 1, and Magaji Are Primary School, Idi Ape, Ilorin East LGA.
In addition to the technical work, the team paid courtesy and condolence visits to traditional figures, including the Babasale of Ilorin, who recently lost his brother. The Balogun Alanamu Development Association also expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Foundation and its founder, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, for revitalising abandoned boreholes that had long served the bustling Alanamu Market and nearby mosque.
Participants, now certified, were awarded certificates of completion and presented with essential borehole repair kits to support their work post-training.
The Abubakar Bukola Saraki Foundation, a non-political, not-for-profit organisation, says this programme is part of its broader mission to solve real community problems while empowering citizens with practical, income-generating skills. By investing in water system rehabilitation and vocational training, the Foundation is tackling water insecurity, creating jobs, and boosting local economies all at once.
“This is not just a training; it’s a movement for water security and economic empowerment,” Musa Aliyu emphasised.
With the successful execution of the training and handover of tools, the Foundation believes the impact of the programme will continue to ripple through Kwara communities, one borehole at a time.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke to news at the event commended the foundation for the Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara North Senatorial District said opportunity given to them enable them to contribute to the development of their Communities.
Another beneficiary from Share in Ifelodun Local Government of Kwara South explained that as an Engineer, the training exposed him to a lot of things that is hidden even from what he had studied in school in term of practical aspect.
Mr. Adam Olarewaju Mohammad a beneficiary from Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara Central said already it has enable them to contribute their quotas in their various communities adding that with their skills, issues of water scarcity will things of the past.
By Ameen Ayinla
