By joshua 
Lokoja Forum Petitions Senator Karimi Over Marginalisation by NIWA Boss
By THEANALYST MEDIA
Lokoja, November 8, 2025
The Lokoja Consultative Forum (LCF) has accused the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Mr. Bola Oyebamiji, of marginalising indigenes of Lokoja, the host community of the agency’s national headquarters.
In a statement jointly signed by the Interim Chairman, Alhaji Muhammed Attati Bozy, and Secretary, Barr. Ahmed Umar (Esq.), the forum alleged that qualified Lokoja sons and daughters have been systematically excluded from employment and appointments under the current management of NIWA.
The group, which represents Lokoja indigenes both at home and in the diaspora, expressed concern that despite hosting NIWA’s national headquarters, Lokoja people have not benefited proportionately from employment or representation in the agency.
According to the statement, “Recent appointments and recruitments under the current NIWA administration have sidelined Lokoja indigenes, despite their competence and contribution to the peace and progress of the host community.”
The forum described the development as “unfair, discriminatory, and contrary to the principles of equity, fairness, and federal character as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution.”
The LCF therefore called on the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Distinguished Senator Steven Sunday Karimi, to urgently intervene in the matter and ensure that the rights and interests of Lokoja indigenes are protected.
“We trust in the capacity and commitment of Senator Karimi to defend the interests of his constituents, particularly the Lokoja people, whose land and resources continue to host and sustain NIWA’s operations,” the statement added.
The forum further appealed to the federal government and relevant authorities to investigate the alleged imbalance and take immediate steps to correct what it described as a “growing sense of exclusion among the host community.”