Kogi targets N3b revenue from water

THE Kogi state government on Thursday said it was targeting at least N3 billion annually as revenue from water supply to the people of the state.

Apart from this, the government said engagement of private sector operators for the management of the potable water-related facilities in the state and distribution of water to the public would make access to water easy.

The director general, Public-Private Partnership, Kogi state, Bob Achanya, who said this in Lokoja said water distribution in the state capital had improved since the commencement of the operations by the private sector.

He lamented that the state government was spending N30 million every month on the Lokoja water works to maintain the facility without the people getting potable water.

He, however, said the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, approved the engagement of the private sector for the running of the sector and other facilities owned by the government with the aim of making them more functional and productive.

He said already many areas in the state capital that had not been enjoying water supply for almost two years had been getting water since the engagement of the private company a month ago.

Achanya said the move was part of efforts of government at realising its target of financing its budget with 40 per cent of funds from the PPP arrangement.

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He explained that at full implementation of the agreement with the private company, the government would be realising N250 million monthly from rates collections from households in the town.

The PPP boss stated that before the commencement of the programme, the government embarked on households enumeration following which no fewer than 50, 000 household were captured in the state capital.

He, however, said the government had based its projection on an average of 30,000 households for a start with the rates payable between N2000 and N2500 monthly.

He said the move by the government would enable it to get revenue from the facility that had not been generating revenue but gulping from the scarce resources of the state.

Also speaking, the plant manager, Lugard Water Hybrid Services Limited, Ologun Kolawole, said the company moved to the facility on May 25 with materials needed to function.

Kolawole, however, said many communities and households had not been getting water because many pipelines across the towns were corrosive and damaged.

He, however, said many communities and households that had not been getting water now enjoyed water supply from the state government.