Lagos Water Deal Shrouded In Secrecy, Says Advocacy Group
A leading civil society group, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has slammed the Lagos State Government over what it describes as a “secretive” water infrastructure deal with the Belstar/ENKA consortium.
The group criticised the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), warning that the lack of transparency surrounding the agreement raises serious concerns for public accountability and water access in Africa’s most populous city.
In a strongly worded statement, CAPPA’s Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said: “That this agreement was conceived and finalised behind closed doors, then simply announced to the public, is an affront to the very notion of a democratically accountable government.”
While the state government touts the MoU as a step towards rehabilitating and expanding water facilities, CAPPA argues that key questions including the identities and credentials of the contractors, financial details, and the future ownership of the waterworks remain unanswered
The NGO warned that the move could be a veiled push towards water privatisation, a path it says has already proven to deliver higher costs and poorer service globally.
“Lagosians have a right to know the full terms of any deal that affects access to such a basic need,” Oluwafemi added, calling for the immediate release of the full MoU and a public stakeholder forum.
CAPPA insists that the solution lies not in private hands but in a renewed commitment to publicly owned and democratically managed water systems.
