.Says it’s scam, calls on residents to reject plan
By Valentine Amanze
The Environmental Rights Action (ERA) has appealed to Lagos residents to resist the state government’s plot to kick-off its water privatization policy despite public outcry.
It also advised the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to discontinue the project.
The state government, it was gathered, completed the agenda few months ago after “interested parties” convinced Governor Sanwo-Olu of what he would benefit from it.
ERA in collaboration with Our Water Our Right, a coalition of over 50 civil society and human rights organisations including Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), AUPCTRE, Corporate Accountability, Joint Action Front, PSI, African Women Wash Net among others revealed at a press conference in Lagos on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 that the Governor Sanwo Olu-led government despite Lagosians aversion to privatization/PPP in Lagos water sector has perfected the documents.
The group was also worried about the integrity of the companies penciled down for the job, revealing that they have questionable records and are not registered in Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
Our Water Our Right coalition demanded a halt in PPP/Privatisation of Lagos water infrastructure to transnational corporations like Veolia, Metito, Abengoa, which records have shown incompetence and failure in all the countries they operated.
It also advocated for the disclosure of all the IFC and World Bank activities and discussions with Lagos State government officials on water, including formal and informal advisory roles.
Besides, the group appealed for increased budgetary allocation to the water sector, as well as institute Water Trust Fund that will expand public financing of the sector.
Comrade Philip Jakpor, ERA’s Head of Media and Campaigns, said that despite denials by the Lagos government it was still bent on foisting the Public-Private Partnership model of water privatization on Lagos citizens.
Jakpor further stated: “On October 17, Global Water Intelligence Magazine – a high-value business information for the private water industry – published updated details about the water privatization plans of the Lagos State government, which showed that despite the aversion of Lagos citizens the Adiyan 11 and Igbonla privatizations are said to be imminent. This is in addition to other waterworks being rounded up for privatization by the year 2022.
“The GWI reports that LWC hopes to reach financial closure on Igbonla by end of 2019. The project managers are a consortium of Brio Resources and Spanish corporation Acuamed, which, has been tied up in an international corruption scandal.
“What we want is contained in the way forward document-Lagos Water Crisis: Alternative Roadmap for Water Sector which was presented to the previous administration and represented to the current administration at the Stakeholder Dialogue. The solutions must be within the framework of broad public participation in developing plans to achieve universal access to clean water in Lagos.”