By Daniel Kanu
Assistant Politics Editor
As the world commemorates World Water Day today, Thursday, 22 March 22, 2018, the Environmental Rights Action and Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) in collaboration with “Our water, Our right groups” comprising over 20 civil society groups staged a massive rally in Lagos to protest the Lagos State government plan to privatize water.
The groups were united in raising the alarm on concealed scheme by the governor Akinwumi Ambode-led government in Lagos State to privatize water in the state, warning on the danger ahead.
“We are cautioning Governor Ambode to be careful and he should not hand Lagos water to multinationals because we will resist it,” the group warned.
The protesting groups marched to Alausa (Lagos State sit of power) from the popular Ikeja under-bridge (Awolowo Road) in their mobilization agenda to conscientize the public to resist Lagos government agenda on water privatization.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as: “Lagosians say No to water privatization,” “World Bank take your hands off our water,” “Veolia Metito Abengoa must be stopped,” “Water metering will disenfranchise our people; stop gambling with our water,” “PPP is no solution, Take my water take my life, we will resist Lagos government plan to privatize water, Ambode stop the move to privatize water, and Pedaling Private Profit” among others, the protesters cautioned governor Ambode not to make his government unpopular by giving assent to such ‘’unfriendly, anti-people bill’’
The position of the Our water Our right group is that access to clean, hygienic water is an inalienable right which governments at all levels should protect and not ‘commodify’.
The group has vowed to confront any state government in the country that is toying with the idea of privatizing water, insisting that the initiative will further pauperize the poor masses.
In a letter by ERA/FoEN, made available to The Niche, which was dropped at Alausa for Ambode AND received on his behalf by his SSA on Environment Monitoring, Community Mobilization, Abdulkarim Olasheu, the group stated: “World Water Day 2018: No to water privatization in water sector, we insist”.
The letter was signed by Akinbode Oluwafemi (ERA/FoEN), Achike Chude (Joint Action Front), Oluwatosin Kolawole (Climate Aid), Ayodele Akele (Labour, Health and Human Right Development), Chike Chikwendu (Executive Director Friends of the Environment), Alex Omotehinse (Committee for Defence of Human Rights), Veronica Nwanya (Africa Women Water Sanitation and Hygiene Network) and Benjamin Anthony (Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and recreational Services Employees).
Part of the letter reads: “Though Lagos is surrounded by water, a large segment of its citizen still lack adequate and safe drinking water and sanitation which predisposes them to illnesses such as dysentery and cholera with grave implications on productivity.
“The PPP is an anti-people model. More worrisome are reports that your administration is into concession talks with Veolia, Metito and Abengoa which are transnational corporations with track-record in infractions and corruption.
“Your Excellency, we believe the solution to the current water crisis in Lagos is not to commodify water”.
The group urged Ambode to “halt concession of Lagos water infrastructure with transnational corporations like Veolia, Metito, Abengoa. Remove all the remaining provisions in the in the new Lagos Environment law that opens the door for privatization in the PPP form or any other.
Increase budgetary allocation to the water sector as well as institution of water trust fund that will expand public financing of the water sector”.
It will be recalled that an international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.
The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/47/193 of 22 December 1992 by which 22 March of each year was declared World Day for Water, to be observed starting in 1993, in conformity with the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) contained in Chapter 18 (Fresh Water Resources) of Agenda 21.
