THE Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) of the Lokoja diocese of Catholic Church has said the N2.9 billion water provision projects in the 2017 budget of Kogi state was not implemented barely one month to the end of the financial year.
A statement by the Director of JDPC, Catholic Church, Lokoja Diocese, Rev fr Leonard Odomeja, in Lokoja, the state capital, said that the observation was made by the monitoring and evaluation unit of its social accountability project.
He said the provision for water, sanitation and hygiene in the Kogi State 2017 budget have not been implemented for the benefit of the people.
The JDPC, LOKOJA Catholic Church Diocese, had in 2016 commenced the implementation of a social accountability project tagged “Increasing citizens participation and inclusive governance for improved water, sanitation and hygiene in Kogi state’
The/project aimed at promoting citizens’ and community participation in the governance structure of Kogi state; mobilising citizens/communities to dialogue with the duty bearers (government) to solicit for improved supply of water to the people and create awareness and advocate for behavioural change on sanitary and hygiene practices.
The project is being implemented in 13 communities spread across the three senatorial districts of the state. The communities include Ege, Idoji, Kuroko, Adogo and Obangede in Kogi Central senatorial district and Adankolo, Felele, Banda, Kabbawa and Sarki Nnoma in Kogi West senatorial district among others
The organisation however stated that the 2017 budget provisions of N300 million for the expansion and improvement of township water supply schemes and N450 million allocated for the construction of urban towns and local government headquarters water schemes were yet to be implemented.
It also stated that the N144. 747 million set aside in the budget for water schemes in Ege, Idoji, Obangede, and Adogo among others was yet to become a reality.
Despite N800 million provided for water project schemes, several communities like Anyigba, Ejule, Idah, Agaliga lack access to potable water, the statement said.
“Also, despite the claimed rehabilitation of the old water works in Lokoja and the N500 million allocated to the Greater Lokoja water supply scheme phase II, JDPC discovered that several communities within Lokoja town experience lack of water supply,” the statement said.
It said that although, the ministry of rural development allocated N1.2 billion for the provision of 500 boreholes, several rural communities in the state still lack access to water supply.
The Organisation called on the government so show more commitment in arresting water deficits currently being experienced in many parts of Kogi State, including Lokoja the state capital.
It said that the claim by the Ministry of Water Resources that it had rehabilitated/constructed 23 water projects cannot be verified as its team could not see the projects in any of the communities mentioned as beneficiaries.
The group expressed delight over what it called a slight improvement in water supply to communities like Adankolo, Kabawa, Obangede and Ankpa.
According to the statement, a significant improvement has been recorded in sanitation and hygiene particularly in Lokoja due to efforts of youths and other volunteers’ participation in sanitation exercises.
“Through our intervention, communities are gaining the consciousness of demanding for improved service delivery from the duty bearers through responsible and constructive means,” the statement said.
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