A strong appeal has been made on Bauchi State Government to as a matter of necessity drop the idea of privatization of the water sector in the as it will bring untold hardship on the general public particularly the poor among the populace.
The appeal was made by the leadership of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) and an NGO, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) at a joint press briefing on water privatization in Bauchi State on Wednesday at Hazibal Suites.
In his speech, the National President of AUPCTRE, Comrade Benjamin Anthony alleged that from all indications, the government is planning to ensure that the privatization happened in the year 2020 stressing that it was because of that the union and the NGO are kicking against the planned privatization of the water sector by the state government.
He noted that water is essential for the survival of man, animals and plants. he was of the opinion that privatizing the state water corporation is like “gifting what is supposed to be a free gift of nature and best managed in a democratic space to profit-hungry entities”.
Benjamin Anthony added that “We learnt that to convince citizens of the state to accept privatization of the water sector, the state government had organized some village leaders, took them to Yankari and Switzerland to show them the benefits of privatization”.
“At that time, AUPCTRE pin-pointed the tragedy that water privatization would unleash but to our surprise, we have learnt that the administration of Governor Bala Mohammed is planning to ensure the privatization happens in the year 2020″, he said.
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“If this is allowed to happen, the state government will in effect be gifting what is supposed to be a free gift of nature and best managed in a democratic space to profit-hungry entities”, he declared.
The AUPCTRE President added that “Without mincing words, we are here to address a sad precedent that is spreading across the federation. From Lagos to Plateau, Delta, Imo, Edo and now Bauchi State, our findings show that the state governments are abdicating their statutory duty of providing basic social amenities for the people and instead, handing public assets to privatizers”.
“In 2014, we had observed that the Bauchi State Urban Water Sector Law No. I Vol.39 OF 2014 was geared at delivering the much-discredited Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model of privatization in the water sector and raised objections to this”, he added.
“As we had alerted and still do today, the Bauchi Urban Water Sector Law was hastily passed by the State House of Assembly in 2014 without a Public Hearing and without the consent and backing of the people. It has dangerous provisions including one that prohibits access to water for premises without water meters” Benjamin Anthony alleged.
The AUPCTRE President further stated that, “We are here to reiterate our opposition to this anti-people law, because in all cities where this model was experimented, it led to rate hikes, poor quality service, shut-offs for the most vulnerable people in communities who cannot pay, lay-offs for workers, and other consequences that erode the universal access to water that the United Nations (UN) advocates.
Gabon, Cameroun, Tanzania, Rwanda, Nagpur in India, Manila in the Philippines are a few sad examples of this failed PPP in the water sector. In all these places, water privatization left the people poorer because of the huge loans they had to pay back”.
“The importance of water to human existence cannot be over-emphasised. Water links and maintains all the ecosystems on the planet and it is essential for the survival of man, animals and the plants. While climate change and the migration of people have brought a strain on existing water resources in a state like ours, the solution to water shortage is not to privatise what is available at the moment. But unfortunately, our state government is listening to the World Bank and corporate interests in the water sector that has in the last decade promoted PPP as the solution to the shortfall in financing infrastructure and services in low and medium-income countries. The World Bank Group and multilateral development banks have set up multiple initiatives to promote changes in national regulatory frameworks to pave way for PPPs. Bauchi is one of the states specifically targeted”, he concluded.
“OUR DEMAND is that We are using this medium to reiterate our stand that Governor Mohammed can still right the wrongs we have observed in the law by jettisoning it. The Governor must stand with the people and open fresh discussions on how to ensure that clean and safe water is available, adequate and affordable for all within the realm of the public sector which is democratic, open to constant review, and protects the most vulnerable of our people” he added.
Also contributing on the subject matter, the Head of Media and Campaigns, Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) Philip Jakpor said that privatizations fail due to corruption on the side of investors pointing out that power sector privatization in Nigeria did not work “as the 24 hour electricity promised to Nigerians is elusive” .
While buttressing his points further, Philip Jakpor pointed out that privatizations in water sector failed in many countries such as France, Buenos Aires, Cochabamba, Cameroon, Gabon, Nagpur in India and Manila in the Philippines.
” It was water privatization that caused the Flint and Pittsburgh water crisis in the US which shocked the world when the reports showed that residents were drinking lead. Many are sick today and many more will be but the company at the centre of all this Veolia has walked away with millions of dollars” he stated.
He explained that “It was water privatization that caused the Flint and Pittsburgh water crisis in the US which shocked the world when the reports showed that residents were drinking lead. Many are sick today and many more will be but the company at the centre of all this – Veolia has walked away with millions of Dollars”.
He added that a report, by Transnational Institute (TNI) covering nearly three decades, shows that many nations have re-municipalised after privatizing water saying, “That is exactly why we are asking the Bauchi State government not to even embark on this
and then