The Third National Urban Water Sector Reform has clarified that the four victims who drowned at Egbe Dam in Ekiti State are not World Bank officials as earlier reported.
The agency described the victims as “four workmen working as tops-surveyors on Egbe Dam” describing their death as “unfortunate and a loss too many.”
In an online statement issued late on Thursday by the agency’s Communication Specialist, Nancy Otagbo, it named the deceased as Alaran Tirimisiyu, Abdulwaheed Alayande, David Malu and Albert.
The names of the survivors, according to the statement, are Charles Eninlaye, Bukky Ajet and Yahaya.
The statement read: “The Unfortunate drowning of four workmen working as topo-surveyors on Egbe Dam is highly regretted and unfortunate and a loss too many.”
“The Third National Urban Water Sector Reform Project is a project funded by the World Bank with a target to achieve maximum reform in Ekiti State water sector.
“While we lament the sad loss, we wish to state that the Consultant was awarded the assignment to carry out Bathymetry Survey of four dams in the state biz: Ureje, Egbe, Itapaji and Ero.
“The sad incident happened because some safety measures were not adhered to by the deceased: refusal to wear life jackets and those who survived wore life jackets provided by the company.
“It should be noted that neither World Bank official nor Water Corporation staff member was involved. Ekiti State Government commiserates with the families of the departed and pray God to grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”
Meanwhile, Commissioner for Public Utilities, Deji Adesua, in another statement also commiserated with the families of the deceased regretting that the quartet died when they state government was striving to make potable water available to the citizenry.
Adesua explained that the consultants were engaged to carry out survey and data analysis of dams in the state in line with the developmental agenda of the state government.
While noting that the bodies of the four victims have been recovered, Adesua stated that investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the incident is already ongoing.