Yahaya Bello, time to end water scarcity in Lokoja

Sir: It is disheartening, that Lokoja is blessed with Greater Lokoja Water Works established by the former governor of the state, Ibrahim Idris. Yet Lokoja now suffers from water scarcity. This is not because the water works has malfunctioned, but because the present government under the young and dynamic governor Yahaya Bello with his new direction is unwilling to provide enough fund for the daily pumping and distribution of water to the people.

Perhaps, the governor is waiting for the procurement and installation of water meters as earlier announced on radio before allowing people access to water, just as he would fish out fake workers before paying genuine workers in an endless screening.

Water is a basic necessity of life, as its provision should form part of the basic programme of any right-thinking government at different levels of administration. We all need it for many activities and purposes, particularly at the domestic level, towards encouraging hygiene and healthy living.

Regular provision of pipe-borne water remains a chief challenge that is mostly evident in urban and semi-urban centres throughout Nigeria. Owing to present economic hardship, many residents and house-owners are unable to pay the huge amounts that borehole outfits and water tanker operators usually charge.

Despite acclaimed effort at serving the masses, the government does not see water as a necessity of life which must not be toyed with. In Kogi State, all is not well as long as majority of the people, whether Ebira, Igala or Okun, continue to suffer hunger and water scarcity.

The dynamic governor and his aides should understand that the prayer in the mouth of everybody, at least 99 per cent, in the state now is that May God remove Yahaya Bello from our head. There is no pretence about it. The governor should understand the people’s feelings from the jubilation that greeted his rumoured death and attacks on him at mosque, Idah and other places.

John Peter, Lokoja, Gogi State