The events of recent days where a sachet of pure water, greatly reduced in quantity has skyrocket to a 100% price increase is very abnormal. This might force the already defenceless people of Kogi state to resort to self help and the intake of all sorts of water might become the order of the day.
Apart from health advantages of high intake of water, Kogi is already known with high humidity which forces people to take as much water as possible. With the hike of price to #20 per sachet people would be forced to drink untreated water in the coming days which will definitely results to several disease if not tackled. The advance effect of such may be too much for our people to bear.
For people leaving purely through miracles in a state where there is hardly any job creation, where people continue to receive little percentages of the already poor salaries, where businesses are going doing due to the untold hardship, a state with high open dedication that must ensure that people do not take unhealthy water and now to weaken their livelihood through price hike will be very dangerous.
Kogi Liberation Movement (KLM) is calling on government to, as a matter of urgency, call the producers of pure water to be watchful. This is because apart from people averting cost and resorts to self help, more pure water factories which do not have necessary equipments to produce healthy water may spring up if they see, that the business of pure water is highly profitable. The dangers of both actions can not be quantified.
Government should look into the quantity of water in a sachet which has reduced greatly and it price should return to normal.
Government must also look inward by ensuring that the popular Ibro water is available for use. You have a state that is underdeveloped, a state that you can’t pay salaries, a state that there are no roads with heavy dust everywhere etc yet you can’t ensure that there is availability of water for the populace. Kogi State is simply in the hands of God, our people are suffering and we can’t keep quiet.
Public servants from the Governor to Councilors wants to turn Abuja the FCT as their base, leaving the people to their fates.
We call on the State Governor to move in and alleviate the sufferings of our people.
In the same vein, KLM wishes to thank Kogi State Government which seems to be waking up from slumber on road construction to continue on that through out the nooks and crannies of the state, even though we have our reservations to the quality of roads being constructed. Government may not be aware that the company constructing the ever busy Lokoja roads is doing that with wheelbarrow, kettle, shovels etc, if this is what we are paying for then it’s better not to waste our time. The way this road is being constructed and the heavy duties that plies our state, one is sure that it would not outlast one raining season. We call on the Governor to be alive to his responsibilities of protecting lives and properties which the two cases presented; represents.
KLM wishes to call on the general public to wake up and protest this man inhumanity to man until their calls are headed to. As it is their fundamental human rights to life and the basis of their life and livelihood that is being threatened with these insensitive capitalist from Government to private firms who can not look at the fate of our people at the moment.
– Salihu Adam Jiddah
Founder, Kogi Liberation Movement (KLM)
