Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged the Lagos State Government to halt plans to concession parts of the state’s public water infrastructure, warning that the move could undermine access to safe, affordable and reliable water for residents.
CAPPA’s position follows the signing of a one-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Lagos State Government, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and Naston Engineering Nigeria Limited to scope and define components of a proposed water infrastructure programme within the Lekki Concession Area.
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According to the organisation, the first phase of the project involves the installation of a transmission pipeline beneath the Lagos Lagoon into the Lekki Concession Area, while the second phase will cover downstream distribution, including metering and last-mile connections.
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The engagement is expected to produce a technical report and implementation framework that could form the basis for a concession agreement between the Lagos State Government and the consortium.
CAPPA said the development raises concerns because the proposed arrangement could give private companies significant influence over water distribution, metering, tariffs and household access.
The organisation also criticised what it described as a lack of transparency surrounding the MoU, noting that the agreement, its terms of reference and records of consultations with affected communities had not been made publicly available.
“There is no publicly accessible record showing the project’s full scope, how the consortium was selected, what obligations the companies have assumed, or how residents have participated in its development,” CAPPA said.
The organisation argued that while transparency is essential, private concessioning of water infrastructure could ultimately place commercial interests ahead of universal access, particularly for low-income households.
CAPPA’s Water Programme Officer, Holiness Segun-Olufemi, said the deterioration of Lagos’ water infrastructure should not be used as justification for transferring public responsibility to private operators.
“The problem is that successive administrations have failed to fund, maintain, and expand the system at the scale Lagos requires. Allowing a public institution to deteriorate and then presenting private control as its rescue is dishonest. It is an abdication of responsibility,” he said.
CAPPA maintained that Lagos State, given its revenue base, has the capacity and responsibility to mobilise public resources to rehabilitate water infrastructure, expand production and strengthen distribution networks.
The organisation also expressed concern over the planned expansion of prepaid water meters, arguing that the system could make access to water dependent on households’ ability to pay upfront.
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According to CAPPA, prepaid meters can automatically disconnect supply when purchased credit is exhausted, potentially affecting households during periods of unemployment, emergencies or financial hardship.
“For a resource essential to human life, sanitation, and public health, automated disconnections are fundamentally exclusionary and set to worsen the lives of vulnerable groups and low-income earners,” Segun-Olufemi said.
CAPPA drew parallels between the proposed water concession and Nigeria’s experience with electricity-sector privatisation, arguing that consumers have continued to face tariff increases, metering challenges, estimated billing and unreliable services despite reforms in the power sector.
The organisation warned that Lagos could replicate similar challenges in the water sector if public infrastructure is used to support private commercial operations without adequate safeguards for consumers.
It further cited complaints from residents of Akilo and Baruwa, where prepaid water meters have reportedly been introduced. According to CAPPA, residents have raised concerns over intermittent supply, delays in activating purchased units, low water pressure, prolonged outages and discrepancies between payments and volumes received.
The organisation said some households in Baruwa had reported spending as much as N60,000 monthly on water, alongside complaints about disappearing purchased units, prolonged supply interruptions and inadequate mechanisms for resolving disputes.
CAPPA stressed that water is a public good and a human right, insisting that decisions concerning its production, distribution and financing should prioritise public welfare rather than investor returns.
It therefore called on the Lagos State Government to suspend further steps towards concessioning public water infrastructure and halt the expansion of prepaid metering pending broader public consultations.
CAPPA also demanded the full publication of the CHEC-Naston MoU and called for a publicly financed plan to rehabilitate water treatment plants, pipelines, reservoirs and distribution networks.
The organisation said such a plan should guarantee a basic quantity of water for every household while strengthening the capacity of the Lagos Water Corporation.
It also urged communities, labour unions, students, journalists, civil society organisations and residents to engage the government and demand accountability in the management of the state’s water resources.
CAPPA warned that any concession agreement could commit Lagos to long-term arrangements extending beyond the tenure of the officials who negotiate them.
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The organisation said Lagos urgently requires substantial investment in its water infrastructure but maintained that such investment should strengthen public capacity and guarantee universal access rather than create opportunities for private profit from an essential service.