Residents of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, in north-central Nigeria, are now roaming street to street in search of potable water following the shortage of the commodity in the confluence state.
As the ugly situation festers, Abdulmumuni Danga, the state commissioner for water resources, has asked the residents to exercise patience and attributed the water shortage to damaged mechanical and electrical equipment as a result of the 2022 floods at the Ganaja Water Works.
“The whole equipment was submerged and damaged by the 2022 floods that ravaged the state and the country.”
He explained that Governor Yahaya Bello had since given approval for the replacement of those equipment, saying that arrangements were ongoing to bring the new equipment into the country.
The commissioner said the delay experienced in bringing in the equipment was due to the festive season.
“Most of these equipment are not something you can get within the country so we have to ship them to Nigeria. As of Tuesday, all the equipment had been loaded on the ship and we should be expecting them very soon”.
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“In the next two weeks, everything will be sorted out. We are doing our best as a government to reduce water scarcity in Lokoja to the minimum level. The masses voted for us and we are here to serve them.”
The commissioner noted that as a palliative measure, the government had done some repairs at the Old Lokoja Water Works for water supply to some parts of the state.
“The old water works is currently supplying water to nearby communities of Kabawa, Karaworo, Ipata, Cantonment, Maigari palace and Traditional areas of the confluence city”.
However, he appealed to the residents to be patient with the government, saying, “We are doing everything possible to make water available across the confluence city within the shortest possible time”.
He stressed that the problem was due to natural disaster and not the government’s fault, adding that he has had personal meetings with some leaders, groups and residents, where he appealed to them to be patient.
“I believe in the next two weeks the equipment will arrive and it will not take between four to five days to install them, and water will be restored to the metropolis,” Danga said.
