Residents of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, have prayed for the success of opposition parties, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the forthcoming governorship election in November 2023 to resolve the unabated water scarcity in the last few years across the state.

The prayer was to mark the 2023 World Water Day (WWD) and the continuous water scarcity in the state. Despite government promises, distribution of pipe borne water in Lokoja and other parts of the state has been disrupted, resulting in water scarcity. To compound matters, the multi-billion naira Greater Lokoja water project has been abandoned.

This development has left residents of the state capital with no other option than relying boreholes and other untreated sources for water supply for domestic use.

Residents of Lokongoma area, Angwan Madabo, Karaworo, Phase 1, 2, Workers Village, Aniebo Quarters, Adankolo, 500 Units and Government Reserved Area (GRA), among others, said they now rely on water vendors for water supply. They lamented that they were now susceptible to water-borne diseases which have been on the increase due to consumption of untreated water.

The residents told Our Correspondent that people in the local government which hitherto enjoyed pipe-borne water supplied by the Water Board were now on their own with attendant health hazards, as the taps had since dried up. It was learnt that facilities of the Water Board were vandalized.

A civil servant who simply identified himself as Ganiyu, said that “the only hope that would bring relief to the people of Kogi State after eight years is to vote the opposition PDP in the next election so as to guarantee drinking of treated water, quality healthcare for a departure from the practice of mere remodeling of empty structures in hospitals across the state.”

“The PDP administration provided all these facilities and the APC government could not even maintain them,” so why can’t we change the tide in November as we are seeing in States like Kano, Zamfara, and others.

“Provision of water, education and health services formed part of the core of social services provided by the Local, State and Federal governments but this is lacking in Kogi State. It better to try our hands on the former party that brought all these democracy dividends,

“Before the present administration, the past administration reticulated water to Lokoja and distributed same free of charge.But since the advent of the current administration, we have been treated to rhetoric on the Greater Lokoja Water Scheme. If the government can’t cope, why not commercialize and sustain the laudable programme,” Ganiyu said.

The residents of the capital city called on international bodies and donor agencies to come to their aid in order to guarantee the consumption of clean and portable water once again.