Pix caption: L-R: Achike Chude of Justice Development and Peace Commission Vicky Urenma of Child Health Organisation Akinbode Oluwafemi, deputy executive director of Environmental Rights ActionComrade Odusanwo Obatomiwa of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE)

By Daniels Ekugo

The Our Water Our Right Coalition has expressed misgivings on the visit of World Bank Executive Directors to Nigeria supposedly to study the challenges and expectations of partners in West Africa, saying the visit was just a whitewash to consolidate on its plans for wholesale privatization of Nigeria.

World Bank’s ‘Invasion’ Of Nigeria a Red Alert – ERA

By Daniels Ekugo

The Our Water Our Right Coalition has expressed misgivings on the visit of World Bank Executive Directors to Nigeria supposedly to study the challenges and expectations of partners in West Africa, saying the visit was just a whitewash to consolidate on its plans for wholesale privatization of Nigeria.

World Bank Executive Directors that were part of the visiting team were from Switzerland, France, Italy, Nordic, Peru, Germany and South Africa (representing Angola, Nigeria and South Africa). Others are from Burkina Faso (representing Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa), Zimbabwe (representing Anglophone Sub-Saharan Africa), United Kingdom and Indonesia.

The Our Water Our Right Coalition which comprises the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), Corporate Accountability, Child Health Organisation, among others, frowned at the timing of the visit and the secrecy surrounding it.

It faulted the exclusion of the civil society in the discussion to privatise public institutions, describing it as an indication of an ulterior motive, probably to shortchange the masses.

This led to the coalition’s suspicion of unholy alliance between the World Bank and government officials.

A delegation of 10 World Bank executives were in Abuja earlier in the week, to see Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and to promote privatisation, according to Philip Jakpor, the head of media and campaigns, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN).

Akinbode Oluwafemi, deputy director, ERA/FoEN, at a press briefing to alert on the visit of World Bank executive directors, reiterated that “the solution to the water problem in Nigeria is not privatisation, but to put public water back into public hands.”

The Our Water Our Right Coalition comprises thousands of civil society organisations, labour unions, grassroots and faith-based groups, as well as community activists united in the belief that our water is our common heritage, which must not be commoditised, he noted.

Warning Nigerians not be deceived by the thought that the World Bank is a charity organisation, Oluwafemi said the Breton Wood institution is a business venture whose stakeholders expect profit from.

Obatomiwa Odusanwo of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Service Employees (AUPCTRE), one of the unions in the coalition, expressed surprise that “the World Bank is here again”, noting that “we have been in this struggle for the past five years.”

AUPCTRE, he noted, says capital ‘no’ to water privatisation.

Vicky Onyekuru of Child Health Organisation (CHO), echoed AUPCTRE’s dissent to water privatisation.

She said, from research, water is scarce, hence residents enter the gutter to scoop water. The problem of water, she added, has ripple effect, which culminates in untimely death, after epidemics and over-stretching of hospital facilities.

According to her, since Lagos State has not accounted for previous loans taken to for infrastructure development, there should be no need for more loans that will further impoverish the state.

There is a serious disconnect between the political elite and the masses, said Achike Chude of Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC).

“To tell governments at all levels that this country belongs to us, we are going to fight them every step of the way (in the privatisation policy). We cannot allow that which will ultimately lead to our demise.

“World Bank did not bother to engage the civil society, an indication that they don’t have anything positive for Nigerians,” he added.

Oluwafemi stated: “Earlier this week, we received reports of World Bank executives’ visit to the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, as part of a host of engagements supposedly to study the challenges and expectations of their partners in West Africa.

“Ten executive directors of the bank from different countries came for this visit. They are from Switzerland, France, Italy, Nordic, Peru, Germany and South Africa (representing Angola, Nigeria and South Africa). Others are from Burkina Faso (representing Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa), Zimbabwe (representing Anglophone Sub-Saharan Africa), United Kingdom and Indonesia.

“On Wednesday, May 9, 2018 when the team visited Governor Ambode, he is credited as saying that the various budget support initiatives of the bank in the water sector in Lagos had supposedly resulted in ‘stronger ties with the institution’ and urged the bank to plough more funds into water and other key projects in the state,” he said.

Francis Abayomi, the executive director, Peace and Development Project (PEDEP), and Chude urged the media to be at the forefront of the campaign against privatisation.

“Journalists cannot extricate themselves from the problems of the country. They should take sides with the people,” they said.

For Oluwafemi, the Ambode administration has continued to present Lagos as a state ready for any form of private investment, and water remains one of the sectors it is pushing for investors to take control of. “This is very disturbing.”

The coalition used the forum to reiterate its aversion to “the ongoing wholesale privatisation of Nigeria and privatisation of our water”, asking federal and state governments to reject contracts designed by, involving, or influenced by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which operates to maximise private profit, among others.

“Lagos and other states of the federation can fund water sustainably, if they build the political will to prioritise water for the people.

“Government at all levels must integrate broad public participation in developing plans to achieve universal access to clean water and uphold the human right to water as an obligation of the government, representing the people,” Oluwafemi added.