Senior Special Assistant to the governor of Kwara on Investment, Promotion and Strategy, Mr Yomi Ogunsola, said on Monday that the Ilorin metropolis water reticulation project will cost N7.2bn.

He said this in Ilorin in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, explaining that the state government had earlier spent more than N5.2bn.

He also said the project was at 98 per cent completion stage while the water pipes would be connected to the water mains soon.

Ogunsola assured the residents of the state that the state government was committed to providing basic amenities in all parts of the state.

In addition to this, he said the state government had also provided boreholes to many communities across the state.

In a separate interview, Chief Rex Olawoye, the Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, said most of the residents in the metropolis would have access to potable water when the project was completed.

Expressing appreciation to the state government over the project, Alhaji AbdulRaham Suleiman, a community leader, said the project would put an end to water shortage in his community.

He said the community – Sapati – had only one borehole donated by Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority.

Managing Director of the authority, Mr Jimoh Afolayan, said in an interview that LNRBDA had sunk more boreholes in different parts of the state to boost access to safe water.