The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoEN) has called on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to declare his stance on the controversial Public Private Partnership (PPP) water privatisation in the state.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos on Monday, the Deputy Director of ERA/FoEN, Akinbode Oluwafemi said, the failure of the government to open up on the controversial water PPP “gives room for us to suspect that something is in the offing and the people are deliberately being kept in the dark.”
Oluwafemi said the Governor should clear air on the controversy surrounding the PPP advisory contract that the IFC was pressured by civil society and labour to cncel last year.
He said, the Commissioner for Environment, Dr Babatunde Adejare in a memo to the Lagos State Water Corporation (LSWC) said, the PPP is null and void.
“At a rally organised in March 17, 2016 by the Africa Water Hygiene and Sanitation Network (AWWWASHNET) in Lagos, Permanent Secretary, Mr Biodun Bamgboye debunked the PPP plans saying the Governor had no plans to privatise water.
“Suprisingly, Governor Ambode was quoted as saying was the way to go just two days after. We are disturbed at these conflicting statements. In all these, we see a lot of so-called reorganisation at the LSWC which is evidently paving way for a PPP. These activities are carried out without due process and unknown companies are springing up to grab slices of our water resources.”
Oluwafemi said, the state government is toying with a failed model of PPP that the World Bank private arm-International Finance Corporation (IFC) advised it to embark upon even with documented failures in Manila and Nagpur, in the Philipines and India respectively.
The group also said, it has observed systematic non-release of funds meant for procurement of chemicals for water treatment by the current administration in the state.
“For us, this happening has become regular in the last seven months and fits into our belief that there is a grand ploy to make Lagosians believe that indeed the public sector workers cannot manage water infrastructure. The ultimate aim of the brains behind this development is to goad Lagosians into believing the solution is in private hands.”
On April 12, US Representative Gwen Moore, a ranking member of the Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee, tasked with oversight of the World Bank Group sent a letter to World Bank President, Dr Jim Yong Kim calling on the group including IFC to cease funding and promoting water privatisation pending an independent review and congressional hearings.
However, the World Bank in December 2015 opened up that it has withdrawn support for a PPP in Lagos and Nigeria.
“The PPP for the operation of the Lagos treatment works is not going to be possible under this project…It is not the intention of this project to continue with it anymore,” the World Bank said.
Also speaking at the briefing, Head, Media & Communication, Mr Philip Jakpor said, the announcement by World Bank shows that the government should take a proactive action against water privatisation. This is to show that this can’t work.”
Oluwafemi however demanded that Governor Ambode should halt the secret concessions of Lagos water infrastructure, provide necessary financial and other resources needed to run existing water infrastructure and come out with a master plan of incremental overhaul of the entire water infrastructure in the state.”
