By our Reporter.
Residents of Bokkos Local Government Area have raised serious concerns over the abandonment of the Bokkos Water Treatment Plant project awarded in 2023 by the World Bank through the Plateau State Government, saying the project has failed to deliver any benefit to the community.
In a statement signed by Concerned Youths and Residents of Bokkos LGA and made available to journalists on Thursday, the community decried the lack of progress, poor execution, and silence from all parties involved nearly two years after the contract was awarded.
“No Work, Only Workers Collecting Salaries”
The group listed six major issues plaguing the project:
1. No Progress: “Workers appear regularly but do not carry out any work. They are only waiting for their salaries, resulting in no real development.”
2. Poor Mobilization: The community was told the dam would be excavated and expanded for better water access. “The contractor arrived with equipment, damaged parts of our land, but then left without building any drainage or dam.”
3. Infrastructure Damage: “The raw water valves are broken and need replacement. The main pipeline from Tudu to Angwan Malim was destroyed by the road contractor and buried in the road, blocking water flow.”
4. Property Damage and Wastage: Pipes to homes were destroyed while leakages from the reservoir have caused flooding and property damage, yet residents still cannot access water.
5. Insufficient Capacity: “The reservoir is too small, and the structure on-site is useless without a functioning dam, making the project pointless.”
6. No Distribution Network: “The pipeline has not been laid across the community. Even areas around the water plant do not have access to water. The project is redundant. Water cannot be pumped to serve Bokkos town, talk less of the entire Bokkos LGA.”
“Contractor Collected Full Payment and Left”
The residents alleged that despite these failures, “the contractor took full payment and left without explanation,” leaving the community to suffer severe water shortages.
“In a time when Bokkos faces insecurity, denying us water feels like an additional attack,” the statement said.
Demands
The youths are urgently calling on:
1. The Bokkos LGA Chairman to intervene immediately
2. Traditional rulers and all stakeholders to speak out
3. The Plateau State Government and the World Bank to investigate, hold the contractor accountable, and ensure the project is completed.
“The youths of Bokkos will no longer stay silent. If action is not taken urgently, we will take matters into our own hands to claim what is ours. We demand water. We demand accountability,” the statement concluded.
Signed:
Concerned Youths and Residents of Bokkos LGA
