By Abu Micheal
For weeks now, residents living around the Greater Lokoja Water Works have watched with keen eyes and quiet hope. Trucks roll in and out. Men believed to be Engineers move with files and equipment.
There is a beehive of activity where silence had reigned for years. And the question on everyone’s lips is simple: what is going on at the Greater Lokoja Water Works?
The curiosity is understandable. The Greater Lokoja Water Works, once envisioned as the lifeline for the state capital, was badly damaged during the 2022 flood. The scale of destruction ran into billions of naira, and it was assumed that the administration of former Governor Yahaya Bello, already in its twilight, could not shoulder the burden of fixing it.
When Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo assumed office, he met a facility that was moribund. Yet, he promised to make water one of his thematic areas, knowing fully well that potable water is not a luxury but a necessity.
Efforts to reawaken water supply were not abandoned. His administration turned attention to the Old Lokoja Water Works built in the 1950s and managed to resuscitate it. But anyone who lives in Lokoja today knows the truth. The old facility was never designed for the Lokoja of now. The metropolis has grown astronomically. Its population has outgrown the capacity of a plant conceived decades ago. The taps still run dry in many homes, and the demand for water in the state capital has continued to rise with each passing dry season.
It is against this background that the recent movement at the Greater Lokoja Water Works has rekindled a hope many had given up on. Residents do not yet know the full details of what is happening inside the premises. But the presence of experts, the movement of materials, and the renewed activity suggest one thing: something is being done. And for people who have lived with water scarcity for too long, even a whisper of progress sounds like good news.
The expectation is not misplaced. The place of potable water in the life of any government cannot be overemphasized. It touches health, sanitation, business, and dignity. If the activity currently ongoing is indeed the commencement of work to return the Greater Lokoja Water Works to life, then the Ododo administration deserves commendation ahead of time. This is a government that has already met people at the point of their needs in other areas. Salaries and pensions are being paid as and when due. The free education policy is running. There is visible support for agriculture. The security architecture has been rated as top notch. Township roads are being constructed across local government areas. These are gains the people can see and feel.
To add water to that list would be the icing on the cake, especially as another dry season approaches when water becomes the topmost priority in every home. A working Greater Lokoja Water Works will not just quench thirst. It will reduce the burden on households that spend thousands monthly on water vendors. It will improve hygiene in schools and hospitals. It will support small businesses that depend on water to operate. In short, it will restore confidence that government can deliver on the basic things that matter most.
Politically, the timing also matters. As we edge closer to another period of electioneering, performance will speak louder than promises. The people of Kogi have shown before that they reward what works and reject what does not. A revived Greater Lokoja Water Works would stand as one of the major accomplishments of this administration, a legacy project that outlives slogans.
All lost hope about the Greater Lokoja Water Works is now being rekindled. The call therefore is simple and direct. Government should let the cat out of the bag. Let the people know what is happening. Let the experts working on site be introduced. Let there be clarity, timelines, and assurance. Curiosity is good, but information builds trust.
If indeed the giant is waking up, then Lokoja is about to drink again. And when that happens, it will be more than water flowing through pipes with a facility that is expected to run 24 hours all day, meeting not only the population of the State capital, has the capacity to feed communities living in and around Obajana Junction, Zariagi, Jimgbe and communities in an around Banda. It will be proof that government remembered its most basic promise to the people.
– Abu Micheal writes from Lokoja.
