By Tina Ezin, Calabar
Six civil society organisations have petitioned the Lagos State House of Assembly, urging it to halt ongoing privatisation moves by the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) under its Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative.
The petition, signed by the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF), Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN), Child Health Organisation, New Life Community Care Initiative (NELCCI) and the Ecumenical Water Network Africa/Blue Communities Africa (EWNA/BCA), warned that the PPP project would worsen access to potable water in Lagos.
The LWC had on August 15, 2025, convened a stakeholders’ engagement at the Protea Hotel, Ikeja, with support from WaterAid, to promote private financing for water infrastructure. However, the groups accused the organisers of presenting the engagement as public participation when, in reality, it was designed to force privatisation on residents.
Their petition also expressed concern over comments by Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon. Steven Ogundipe, who reportedly assured stakeholders of swift legislative backing for the PPP initiative.
Citing examples from the United Kingdom, the groups said water privatisation has failed in many places.
They pointed to a 2024 report by the University of Greenwich’s Public Services International Research Unit, which revealed that investors in England and Wales had withdrawn more than £85.2 billion from water utilities over three decades, prioritising profits over service delivery.
The petitioners further blamed poor legislative oversight for Lagos’ water challenges, calling on the Assembly to investigate funds allocated to the sector since 1999.
They listed several contracts and expenditures that should be probed, including N4 billion for the Otta-Ikosi waterworks in 2007, N3 billion for an Independent Power Plant and its monthly fuel cost of N180 million, as well as hundreds of millions allocated to rehabilitation projects at Iju, Adiyan, Ishasi and mini waterworks across the state.
They alleged that despite billions spent on chemicals and infrastructure, access to potable water has remained poor, insisting that proper use of public funds could transform the LWC.
The groups demanded termination of all PPP-related arrangements, including partnerships with WaterAid, and called for increased budgetary allocation with strict oversight.
As an alternative, they recommended that Lagos explore the Public-Public-Partnership (PuP) model, which they said has recorded success in other countries, rather than handing water supply over to private investors.
