By Valentine Amanze
The Lagos State Governor, Babajie Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, October 8, 2019, disappointed Lagosians and the organisers of a one-day stakeholders’ dialogue forum on water crisis in Lagos.
He also failed to send a representative at the event, which held at Alausa, close to the governor’s office even though he was officially invited.
The stakeholders had waited to hear the governor’s stand on water privatisation in Lagos, which was pioneered by the immediate past government in the state.
Mr. Oluwafemi Akinbode, the deputy director of ERA-FOEN, and one of the coordinators of “Our Water Our Right” project, confirmed that the governor was duly invited to address Lagosians on his stand on the anti-people policy.
He disclosed that Lagos State government had to fix its EXCO meeting today (Tuesday) as a ploy not to attend the programme.
Besides, rights activists Femi Aborishade, Comrade Sylvester Ejiofor; Comrade Hussaini Abdu, Country Director, Plan International Nigeria; Achike Chude, Joint Action Front (JAF), among others at the forum, condemned privatisation of water in Lagos.
They said that the proposal was to undermining human rights, while urging government to embrace sustainable approach, which is committed to the principle of public service rather than one driven by profit.
Meanwhile stakeholders at the forum which had labour leaders, academics, senior lawyers, right crusaders, water development agencies etc all submitted that government should not abdicate its responsibility to the private sector especially on critical issue like provision of water rather should improve on the provision of water infrastructure through enhanced budgetary allocation, be clear with its priorities on how best to fund water provision.
Dr Hussaini Abdu, Country Director, Plan International Nigeria, who gave his keynote on “The Lagos water crisis and the imperative for sustainable solution,” noted that “sustainable approach to the crisis will require commitment to certain principles that must recognise that there is social and cultural dimension to water, that the poor carry the disproportionate burden of water crisis, and that water through different UN resolutions has been declared human right and should be made safe, sufficient, and hygienically accessible”.
Right activist, Aborishade, said, “It is sad that the government that should protect the people and provide adequate welfare services now conspire against the interest of the ordinary people.”
He also said, “water is life and life is water, so supplying public water should not place undue burden on the people”.