The United Nations has expressed grave concern about the Lagos State governmentâs renewed plans to privatise important parts of its water system despite widespread public opposition.
In a letter sent to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on January 15, 2020, which only came to light last week, the UN cautioned against the privatisation plans which it said, would have negative impacts on the human rights of lower income earners in the state.
The letter, which the Lagos government is yet to acknowledge was signed by the trio of Philip Alston – Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights (whose tenure just ended); Leilani Farha – Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination, and Leo Heller – Special Rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation.
They listed privatisation of water services and lack of transparency and public participation among the key factors that make water unavailable for the largest segment of Lagos population.
The letter reads in part: âAs Lagos continues to grow, residentsâ access to water and sanitation is worsening. Current estimates suggest that only 10% of the population has access to water supplied by the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC).Rather than seek to implement a combination of improved policies that would ensure adequate access to water for all, the State Government has focused only on the possibilities flowing from privatisation, through public private partnerships.â
The letter observed that: âDespite the urging of many civil society groups, the Government has failed to ensure their right to participate in the relevant decision-making process concerning water supply.â
The UN special rapporteurs listed several efforts they made to seek information about the plans of the Lagos State government which were not acknowledged, including the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe waterâs December 22, 2016 expression of fear on the vulnerability which many millions of Lagosians are exposed to due to the water crisis.
They said they are deeply concerned about the impact the planned forms of privatization will have on the enjoyment by all of the human rights to water, especially for lower income communities.
They also demanded among others:
*Measures Governor Sanwo-Oluâs government has taken to ensure that the principles of meaningful participation, transparency and access to information are respected in terms of planning for provision of water to all residents of Lagos
*Undertaking of human rights impact assessment of the LWCâs Strategic Business Plan 2019-2024 including impact of the principles of equality and non-discrimination and the human rights to water and sanitation
*Overview of proposed privatisation and PPP projects planned for the water sector in Lagos.
