In a sharp rebuke that has sparked widespread conversation across Kogi State and beyond, renowned public commentator and grassroots development advocate, Michael Samuel Idoko, has condemned the Kogi State Government’s decision to allocate a staggering ₦100 billion for the revitalization of the Lokoja Waterworks project. The announcement made by the Kogi State Commissioner for Water Resources on May 13, 2025, has generated mixed reactions but none as forceful and pointed as Idoko’s.
Speaking with Naija Reality News on Tuesday evening, Idoko did not mince words, calling the proposed spending “an irresponsible misallocation of public funds” and “a slap in the face of the suffering masses who still struggle daily with poor healthcare, broken schools, unemployment and unsafe roads.”
According to the Commissioner, the ₦100 billion revitalization plan aims to overhaul and modernize the aging Lokoja Waterworks, a facility originally constructed decades ago to provide potable water to the state capital and surrounding communities. The Commissioner claimed that the project would include laying new pipelines, upgrading treatment facilities, and introducing smart metering systems to ensure accountability and sustainable use of water resources.
But Idoko who has a long history of advocating for fiscal transparency and pro-poor budgeting has questioned the scale, timing and integrity of the project.
“While revitalizing water infrastructure is important, spending ₦100 billion on a single project in a state where basic hospitals lack gloves and syringes is an insult to the intelligence of the people,” he stated. “This is not just an excessive figure, it reeks of over-invoicing, inflated contracts and misplaced priorities.”
Idoko demanded that the state government publish a full breakdown of the proposed expenditure, including contracts, timelines and independent oversight mechanisms. He also challenged the Water Resources Ministry to explain why such a massive sum is being committed without public consultation, legislative scrutiny or an environmental impact assessment available to the public.
He further questioned the urgency and motives behind the sudden announcement, noting that “this government has not been known for prioritizing water infrastructure until now. Why now? Why so much?”
Residents of Lokoja, many of whom have long endured erratic water supply, expressed cautious optimism about the project but shared similar reservations about the cost. “We want water, but we also want honesty,” said Murtala Ismail, a trader at the Kpata Market. “If they will spend ₦100 billion, they must show us what exactly it is for.”
Michael Samuel Idoko also warned that this could become another white elephant project like several others in the past, where large sums were budgeted and released but results were nowhere to be found.
He called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to closely monitor the disbursement of funds related to the Lokoja Waterworks project, stressing that such a huge sum must not disappear under the guise of public works.
“We have seen time and again how projects become channels of looting rather than tools for transformation,” he said. “The people of Kogi deserve better. They deserve water, yes but they also deserve the truth, fairness and real value for money.”
The Kogi State Government has yet to respond formally to Idoko’s remarks, but sources close to the Ministry of Water Resources insist the project is a “necessary investment” in the state’s future. However, with growing public scrutiny, the government may now face pressure to open up its books, justify its budgeting and prove that the ₦100 billion investment is not just ambitious but accountable.
Michael Samuel Idoko has vowed to continue engaging the public and using civic platforms to demand transparency, probity and equity in the use of public funds, especially in a state where every naira counts for millions living below the poverty line.
