…AUPCTRE, RDI, JAF Query N10bn Contracts On Water Projects
By Chidiebere Ugwu
The Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), in conjunction with the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) and the Joint Action Front (JAF), would Wednesday May 8, 2024, hold statewide peaceful protests in Lagos State over the disengagement of 391 staff of the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC).
Addressing a virtual press conference on Monday, the group reiterated that the protest is one in a series of actions lined up to resist the alleged planned privatization of Lagos State Water Corporation, lamenting the increased hardships brought upon the sacked workers and their dependants.
The National President of AUPCTRE, Comrade Benjamin Anthony, who read a speech during the briefing regretted that three out of the 391workers sacked on 15 April 2024 by the Lagos State government over alleged redundancy have died, and called for immediate and unconditional reinstatement of the workers.
Comrade Anthony also wants the Lagos State Government to probe all water contracts awarded by the management of the LWC between 2007 and the present.
He explained that the illegal disengagement of the staff is an escalation of a well-choreographed process which started a little more than ten years ago when the Lagos state government conceived plans to privatize water resources and services in Lagos State.
According to him, the action of the management of the LWC breached Section 20 of Nigeria’s Labour Law which explicitly requires an employer to notify the trade union or workers’ representative of the reasons for and the extent of redundancy before terminating the employment of its staff on account of redundancy.
“Three breadwinners, people who have put in as much as 25-30 years of their lives to make the corporation work have died after this inhuman action was carried out. Many are now in a state of despair and suicidal. The multiplier effect of this action at a time Nigerians are finding it hard to survive extends beyond the affected workers, and has jeopardized the lives of their dependents and exacerbating socio-economic inequalities. Even those who were not affected by the sack are demotivated and fear for their job security”.
In the joint statement by the three organisations that he read, the three organisations blamed successive alleged corrupt management imposed on the LWC by the Lagos State Government for the poor performance of the water corporation in the state.
They also listed contracts that they want the current administration in Lagos state to probe. They include the sum of N4 billion voted for construction of Otta-Ikosi waterworks in 2007 yet it is not working, N3 billion expended on the construction of an Independent Power Plant (IPP) for the waterworks in Adiyan in 2010 which also included an additional N180 million expended monthly on fueling, N897m released by the Lagos State government in 2018 for rehabilitation of Iju and Adiyan Waterworks even though they are still not working, as well as the sum of N789m released by the Lagos State Government in 2018 for rehabilitation of mini and micro waterworks across Lagos.
They also alleged that between 2022 and the present a whooping N2.7bn was voted by the Lagos State Government and expended on the rehabilitation of Ishasi waterworks supervised by Mr. Governor with no visible result.
They wanted the probe extended to the purchase of chemicals for year 2023 which was N950 million yet there was nothing to show in terms of water production that year; N315 million paid as 50% advance payment to contractor for the supply of liquid alum in October 2023 which is yet to be supplied; N1.2 billion voted for purchase of chemicals in 2024 and yet no production of water since the beginning of the year.
Others are the N9.5 million for repair of chemical store gate at Iju and Adiyan and another N7.3 million for construction of falling fence at Apapa waterworks.
Comrade Anthony queried why staff should be the scapegoat for the questionable contracts awarded by successive managements of the LWC who themselves are handpicked by the political leadership in the state.
The statement demanded the unconditional reinstatement of all disengaged staff of the LWC government, a halt to the planned privatization of water in Lagos and termination of all partnerships and any other collaboration by the state government that aims to foist water privatization on Lagos citizens.
In his intervention, Executive Director of RDI, Philip Jakpor said that it was unfortunate that the LWC management is sacking staff on unfounded grounds of redundancy at a time the staff strength of the corporation was just a mere 588 and needing more hands.
Jakpor said the entire exercise is a grand ploy to finally ram through water privatization plans by the Lagos State Government and would be resisted by Lagosians.
Comrade Achike Chude also said the protests shall be followed up with sustained media campaigns through radio, television and newspaper reports to ensure that the people who need to know what is going on in the LWC are aware of the developments for necessary actions.
