Thrash national water bill now - AUPCTRE, CAPPA tell national assembly

Following their review of the National Water Resources Bill, the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) have asked the National Assembly to thrash the bill.

AUPCTRE and CAAPA made the declaration at a press briefing held in Lagos.

Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA Executive Director said: “Nearly three years after Nigerians across all the geo-political zones raised serious questions about the contentious National Water Bill, the issue has come up again.

“When Nigerians had thought that our lawmakers would hearken to the voices of Nigerians for a serious review of the Bill, it was steadily progressing towards passage in the National Assembly.

“Like we had observed at the time, we again outline the anti-people and pro-privatization sections of the Bill which makes it inevitable for us to conclude that the Bill is not intended to serve the interest of the generality of Nigerians who not only subscribe to the UN Resolution on the Human Right to Water, but also strongly believe the Bill is the first step in plans to commodify our common patrimony.”

Aderonke Ige, lawyer and CAPPA Associate Director, sited sections in the bill which they observed to be contentious. These included:

Section 13 – Functions of the Minister: (1)(n) “to promote all aspects of public-private partnerships in the development of water resources infrastructure.”

The observation she noted here is that “Provision for public-private partnership in this provision bears the appearance of a positive mens rea (intention) as it is specific towards the ‘development of water resources infrastructure’, however the reality is that the private sector is profit-driven, therefore, it is naïve to take this at face value, knowing that there will be a measure of ownership and control as return on investment. This, in turn, will not favour the public (citizens), who may now have to pay through their noses to afford water. This is against the spirit of human rights.”

Another is Section 24. – Commission not subject to direction. It states:

“The Commission shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person in respect of the exercise of its functions, or the issuance of any report, or conduct of any inquiry, but shall be guided by policy approved by the Federal Executive Council and the provisions of this Act.”

Ige observed that, “This is an outrageous provision that vests too much power in the Commission and therefore subjects activities on water management and control to arbitrariness and possible political whims and caprices of FEC, depending on the composition per time, without an opportunity for checks.”

Comrade Benjamin Anthony, National President of AUPCTRE said, “We plan to engage the National Assembly when they resume, along with our partners.”

This he said will be with the aim of providing alternatives to the water crisis which include proper management and funding of existing public agencies in the sector.

The National Water Resources Bill is an executive bill that has currently passed first reading.