Olu Samuel, Lokoja

The old Lokoja water works premises has been invaded by vandals who carted away electric cables and some pumping machines.

This has agravated the water scartcity being experienced in the state capital in the last three months due to the mentainance works going on at the Greater Lokoja water works

Our correspondent gathered that the premises situated at the Marnie road Lokoja was invaded on Monday night when some electric cables and pumping machines were carted away thereby obstructing functionality and free flow of water to parts of the state capital.

Items stolen from the premises include electric cables and pumping machines.

The Greater Lokoja Water has been down for the past three months while the state government is making efforts to make it work again.

The vandalized old Lokoja water have been serving as relief to the residents of Lokoja in the face of scarcity of public water spanning three months now.

Some members of the public,in their reaction, in separate interview with our correspondent on Tuesday described it as a “very sad deavelopment” given the intense heat and the need for water to ease the hostile atmospheric condition in the capital.

Our correspondent however gathered that some workers of the water works have been arrested by the police to answer some questions on the issue.

Commissioner for Water Resources, Engr. Yahaya Farouk, during a press conference on the issue, vowed that perpetrators would not go unpunished.

The Commissioner who inspected the premises on Tuesday said that “it is sad indeed. I just woke up this morning only to be called by the Acting General Manager that the highlift pump, which is a major asset within the waterwork has been vandalized. The highlift pump lift treated water to the reservoir directly or supply water to the people”.

” In the last few days, we have been battling with power fluctuation with the AEDC asking us to be patient and promising to fix the issues related to the Transformer. This challenge made us not to be able to pump water in the last two days “.

” Whoever must have done this looking at where we are coming from has made it a sad situation because it is a criminal affront on the effort of the Government to relieve the suffering of our people in Lokoja”.

” You are aware that the Greater Lokoja Water Works has a problem we are working round the clock to fix. The Old Lokoja Water Works is a temporary effort to alleviate the suffering of our people. Unfortunately, the highlift pump cables have been vandalized”.

” We are assuring the pepatrators of this dastardly act along with staffers of the Waterworks that they resolve and commitment of Gov. Usman Ahmed Ododo to provide water to the people of the State cannot be deterred. We are promising the criminal elements and their accomplice that will think of doing such in future that they are trying the wrong eyes. They have tried our will and they will pay dearly for it”.

” We are using this medium to pass this message across the State and to communicate to the criminal elements that they are anti people and that if they think they are frustrating Government by vandalizing government utilities, and that they are only confronting the people with very wicked act”.

“Our people have suffered enough. Can you become sad because Government is now meeting up with it responsibility of wanting to alleviate the suffering of the people. Despite the little we are doing, as a government we are still not satisfied with what we are doing, until everybody gets water in his or her house. No stone would be left unturned in unravelling the mystery behind this vandalization, because no external person will enter a facility as this and no where to vandalize to demobilize the water supply to the people”.

The Commissioner assured that the problem will be resolved, pointing out that the State Government will not be intimidated, called for the support and prayers of the people to enable the present administration succeed.