The Lona Foundation, led by Chief Idoko Kingsley Ilonah of the Lona Group, has donated a solar-powered motorized borehole to the Kogi State College of Health Sciences and Technology, Idah, providing a long-awaited and sustainable source of water for students, staff and campus facilities.
The project — identified during Chief Ilonah’s recent tour of the college — was commissioned this week, with Mr. Christian Ukwenya representing the CEO at the handover ceremony. Ukwenya told reporters the intervention grew out of a needs assessment carried out during the visit.
“This journey began on 26th September 2025 when Lona Foundation got the request for intervention in the college. About two months ago, Chief Idoko Kingsley Ilonah said he would come personally to get first-hand information. We toured the college and saw the pressing needs,” Ukwenya said. “Among the requests, water was not initially listed, but we discovered non-functional boreholes and decided water would be our first area of intervention. That’s what gave birth to this borehole project.”
The donation is a solar-powered, motorized borehole, designed to provide a reliable, off-grid water supply for drinking, sanitation and academic operations. Lona Foundation emphasized the donation is a community development initiative intended to support government efforts, not a political act.
Acting Provost Umar Anakaku Shuaibu expressed gratitude and described the relief the new borehole brings. He said the college previously had three boreholes but only one was functional; a borehole donated earlier by a federal agency remains non-operational despite multiple visits from the agency.
“Before now, we had three boreholes in the college but only one is functional. One was donated by the federal government, but it has not been functional despite interventions. This one from Chief Ilonah has been tested and is functioning well,” the Acting Provost said, urging other sons and daughters of the state to support the institution.
Beyond the borehole, Lona Foundation announced further planned interventions at the college, including renovation of the college library and repair of two dilapidated lecture blocks identified during the visit. The foundation said those projects will commence in the near future.
College authorities said the new water source will improve campus hygiene, support laboratories and clinical training, and help create a more conducive learning environment. The donation also signals a growing trend of private-sector partnerships in supporting tertiary institutions across the state.
The Provost and management called on well-meaning individuals and organisations to emulate Chief Ilonah’s example and partner with the college and the state government to accelerate development and improve student welfare.
