By Joy Salami
A civic group, the 100 Most Influential Kogi Men and Women (MIKMAW), has urged Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, to revive the Kogi Water Works, popularly known as the Ibro Water Project, in honour of the late former Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, the Founder and Director of Media, Protocol and Corporate Relations of the group, Torah Ozichu, said the facility has remained non-functional for close to a decade, depriving residents, especially in Lokoja, of public water supply.
Ozichu said access to reliable and potable water is critical to public health, sanitation, household welfare and economic activities, noting that the prolonged abandonment of the infrastructure has adversely affected the daily lives of the people it was meant to serve.
She called on the governor to direct relevant ministries and water authorities to conduct a comprehensive technical assessment of the facility, determine the requirements for its rehabilitation, and develop a practical plan for its restoration, funding, maintenance and sustainable operation.
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According to her, reviving the project would also preserve the legacy of the late Idris, fondly called Ibro, whose administration is closely associated with the water project.
The group further appealed to the state government to retain the facility’s popular identity as the Ibro Water Project and ensure that, when restored, it serves its original purpose of supplying water to residents, particularly in Lokoja metropolis.
“This appeal is not simply about remembering a former governor. It is about transforming remembrance into meaningful public benefit,” Ozichu said.
She urged the government to give the appeal due attention and work towards returning the facility to productive use, stressing that its restoration would serve as both a fitting tribute to the late former governor and a practical commitment to the welfare of Kogi people.
It would be recalled that efforts are been made by Governor Ododo, to revive the water project, with pipe tracing and promise to get it running soonest.
