NEWS
Water Contracts: CAPPA Flays Lagos Secrecy, Violation of Procedural Framework
From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu
Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has condemned what it described as the opaqueness and significant procedural violations in the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) ongoing procurement process for mini and micro water works under a Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (BFOT) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
According to reports, the LWC issued a tender in September last year, inviting proposals from private firms for the rehabilitation, upgrade, operation, and maintenance of multiple public water facilities across Lagos, including Lekki and Akilo Waterworks, Victoria Island Annex and Magodo Waterworks, Abesan and Alexander Waterworks, and Apapa Waterworks.
However, in a statement signed by the communication and media officerCAPPA Robert Egbe on Sunday, alleged that Lagos State’s pattern of deliberate non-disclosure surrounding its ill-advised plan to privatise public water supply through PPP arrangements not only contravenes mandatory transparency requirements under the state’s own laws but also erodes accountability in the governance of a vital public resource.
The organisation noted that, though the Lagos State PPP Disclosure Framework (2024) expressly mandates proactive public disclosure at every stage of PPP projects, the LWC has continued to conduct mini and micro waterworks procurement in secrecy.
According to the organisation, the Framework requires that feasibility studies, Requests for Proposals, bidder lists, evaluation criteria, contract summaries, fiscal risk assessments, and procurement milestones be published proactively on a public portal without waiting for Freedom of Information (FoI) requests. This obligation applies to all PPP projects, including ongoing procurements such as the mini and micro waterworks programme.
CAPPA stressed that these requirements are not discretionary but mandatory, yet, since the procurement commenced last year, none of the required disclosures has been made available to the public.
The statement observed that not only were full RFP details withheld from stakeholders and communities directly affected by the proposed concessions, but also, to date, the identities of bidders, evaluation criteria, procurement timelines, and award decisions remain undisclosed. No documentation of the process has been published on the Lagos PPP disclosure portal managed by the Office of Public-Private Partnerships (OPPP), the statutory body charged with ensuring transparency across all PPP projects.
CAPPA further noted that instead of compliance with the Framework’s requirement that information be made easily accessible through official state platforms, the only substantive public information about the procurement so far has emerged through a paywalled foreign industry publication, Global Water Intelligence, which reported that the LWC received 19 proposals by October 2025 and expected to conclude awards by March 2026 for a 10-year deal.
“In February 2026, CAPPA also learned through foreign news that Lagos State has initiated a parallel process to privatise wastewater infrastructure, beginning with wastewater treatment plants, including facilities in Lekki.” The statement described this situation as “deeply troubling and revealing.”
“It is disturbing,” CAPPA said, “that residents of Lagos and affected communities must rely on an expensive foreign subscription journal to learn about decisions concerning their own public water and sanitation systems, while their government and its water agency refuse to disclose the same information domestically.”
CAPPA added that the pattern reflects a broader contradiction in the PPP process.
“The Lagos State Government and certain international organisations actively supporting this approach and governance model continue to disregard disclosure and accountability standards with impunity in Nigeria. These are standards they would never contemplate breaching in their own jurisdictions.”
The organisation emphasised that the secrecy surrounding the mini and micro waterworks PPP is a substantive governance failure with direct implications for affordability, access, and long-term public control of water services.
“Experience across jurisdictions shows that PPP water arrangements frequently result in tariff escalation, reduced public oversight, and long-term fiscal risks, while failing to deliver sustained infrastructure investment. Just as we are already witnessing in Lagos, the ongoing push toward private participation in water and wastewater infrastructure is proceeding through shady processes that limit democratic scrutiny and weaken public accountability,” it added.
In light of these, CAPPA made the following demands:
“The Lagos State Government should immediately suspend the mini and micro waterworks PPP procurement until full compliance with statutory disclosure obligations is achieved, alongside the prompt publication of all outstanding procurement documents, including feasibility studies, RFP documentation, bidder identities and track records, and evaluation criteria.
“There should be an independent review and oversight to safeguard procedural integrity and public interest, as well as genuine public engagement and stakeholder consultation in all decisions concerning water governance and infrastructure management in Lagos State.
“Finally, the state must urgently correct the brazen and ongoing violations of its own transparency framework.
“Transparency obligations in water governance are statutory. The Lagos State Government cannot simultaneously claim adherence to PPP disclosure standards while conducting one of its most consequential water infrastructure procurements in secrecy. Compliance with the law is the minimum condition for legitimate governance of public resources,” CAPPA said.
The organisation also maintained that publicly financed and democratically governed water systems remain the most equitable and accountable model. It therefore called on the Lagos State Government to strengthen public institutions and essential infrastructure by allocating increased public funding, reinvesting sector revenues into system maintenance and expansion, and prioritising universal access over commercialisation.’
CAPPA concluded by urging all residents, civil society actors, labour unions, and concerned stakeholders to pay close attention to the state’s water governance processes and actively defend transparency, accountability and public interest in decisions affecting the lives of Lagosians.
By David Torough, Abuja
Former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, has strongly condemned the recent killings in communities in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, where more than 13 people were reportedly murdered by suspected herdsmen terrorists.
The attacks occurred in the Mbaav and Mbadura areas of Turan in Kwande, leaving several residents dead and others injured, displaced, or missing.
Aondoakaa described the incident as “barbaric, inhumane and unacceptable,” stressing that the killing of innocent farmers in their own communities should trouble the conscience of all Nigerians.
In a statement issued by his media aide, James Ian, the former justice minister expressed deep sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives and to residents affected by the violence.
“My heart goes out to the families of the victims who have lost their loved ones in such cruel circumstances,” Aondoakaa said. “I also sympathize with the many people who have been injured, displaced from their ancestral homes, or are still missing following these attacks. The trauma and suffering being inflicted on our people are simply unacceptable.”
He noted that the renewed violence in Kwande reflects the persistent insecurity facing many rural communities in Benue, warning that repeated attacks have turned once peaceful farming settlements into areas of fear and displacement.
Aondoakaa also expressed concern over what he described as the apparent silence and inaction of the Benue State Government amid recurring killings across the state.
He urged the state’s leadership to demonstrate stronger commitment to protecting vulnerable communities and to provide clear direction and reassurance to residents.
The former Attorney General appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene by deploying adequate security forces to affected communities to halt the cycle of violence.
He commended Tinubu for his earlier visit to Benue following the deadly attack in Yelewata last year, which left more than 200 people dead, saying the visit gave hope to grieving families.
Aondoakaa also called on security agencies to act swiftly to safeguard lives and property, while urging all levels of government to collaborate in addressing the growing security crisis affecting communities in Benue State.
By David Torough, Abuja
The Kwande United People’s Organization (KWUPO) has demanded urgent explanations from security authorities following fresh attacks on communities in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, despite the recent deployment of security personnel to the area.
In a statement issued in March by its President General, Comrade Simon Aloko Nachi, the group said residents were attacked on Thursday night in River Jam, Mbaikyo Mbachiom, and across the Yaav Ward, communities located close to Jato Aka in the Turan axis where about 200 security personnel are reportedly stationed.
KWUPO expressed shock and anger that the attacks occurred only weeks after Governor Rev.
Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia visited the area and assured residents that security measures had been put in place to protect them.According to the group, no security intervention was reported during the attacks despite the proximity of the deployed personnel.
The organization described the situation as a serious security failure and questioned the role of the officers stationed in Jato Aka, asking why no attempt was made to repel the attackers or protect the nearby communities.
KWUPO called on Governor Alia, the chairman of Kwande Local Government, and the heads of all security agencies operating in the area to immediately investigate the incident and provide a clear explanation to residents.
The group warned that the continued attacks have deepened fear among residents and displaced families, many of whom have already lost homes and loved ones in previous violence.
It also appealed to civil society groups, the National Assembly, and the international community to pay attention to the security situation in Kwande, insisting that residents deserve urgent protection and decisive action to prevent further loss of life.
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
The Coalition of Geopolitical Youth Associations of Nigeria and Civil Society Organisations have expresses their profound outrage, disappointment and categorical rejection of “unjust criminalisation of a matter fundamentally civil in nature” involving one of Nigeria’s foremost legal minds, Professor Mike Ozekhome, SAN.
The CSOs comprise youth leaders drawn from the six geo-political zones, including but not limited to the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria, Oodua Youth Parliament, Concerned Ndibo Youth Movement, North Central Youths Assembly of Nigeria, Nigeria Youth Advocacy for good governance and allied civil society organisations.
In a statement jointly issued by the to groups, they said they are “deeply concerned by the actions of the Hon Attorney General of the Federation using the instrumentality of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in pursuing a criminal prosecution over a property gift transaction reportedly intended for registration in London, an issue that, by every reasonable legal standard, falls within the realm of civil dispute resolution.”
According to them, “The transformation of such a matter into a criminal prosecution raises serious questions about proportionality, fairness, and adherence to due process. It sends a troubling signal to Nigerians and the international community that legal interpretation may be stretched beyond reason in matters that require civil adjudication, not criminal sanction,especially as the UK adjudicatory tribunal found Prof Ozekhome blameless in it’s judgment.
“Professor Mike Ozekhome is not just a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN); he is a towering symbol of Nigeria’s democratic struggle and evolution. For decades, he has stood fearlessly against military dictatorship, constitutional infractions, executive recklessness, and human rights violations.
“His sacrifices both personal and professional have helped shape Nigeria’s legal and democratic jurisprudence and strengthened the rule of law.
“It is therefore most painful and highly unacceptable that a man whose legacy is intertwined with Nigeria’s democratic struggles could be subjected to what appears to be a needless and avoidable prosecution, particularly after an earlier case on the same subject matter had been withdrawn by the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in a competent court of law.
“On behalf of Nigerian youths and civil society organisations nationwide, we acknowledge the intervention of the Hon Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, for assuming later oversight of the matter.
“We had recognized this as a step towards restoring institutional balance and reaffirming constitutional authority within the prosecutorial framework under the leadership of His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
“However, we firmly state that oversight alone is not enough. We,as well as most Nigerians, had expected him to terminate the proceedings that appear targeted at him alone since none of the other lawyers mentioned in the case has been arraigned.”
The groups demanded the following: “Immediate and Unconditional Withdrawal of the Charges; call upon the Honourable Attorney-General to exercise his constitutional powers under Section 174 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to discontinue this needless prosecution forthwith. Justice delayed in this context is justice denied.
“Prosecutorial powers must never be used in a manner that blurs the line between civil and criminal jurisprudence. We demand a clear reaffirmation of this distinction to prevent future abuse.
“Investigative and prosecuting agencies, including the EFCC and ICPC that had initially rushed to court and given the case wide publicity, must operate strictly within the bounds of the law and avoid sensational actions that may erode public trust and confidence in anti-corruption efforts.
“The continued prosecution of a respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria over a matter widely perceived as civil risks undermining confidence in Nigeria’s justice system and diminishing the standing of the legal profession.
“Nigeria’s global image must not be compromised by prosecutorial decisions that appear excessive or legally questionable, particularly when they involve individuals of international legal repute.
“Nigerian youths demand a justice system that is impartial, principled, and immune from perceptions of intimidation or selective application of the law.
“Let it be clearly stated : our call is not for immunity from the law.
“No Nigerian is above the law. However, the law itself must not be stretched beyond logic or fairness ot targeted at specific critical individuals in pursuit of outcomes that could have been resolved through civil mechanisms.
“Justice must never be weaponised. Justice must never be selective. Justice must never be perceived as retaliatory. Justice must never been seen as persecutory.
“We therefore urge the Honourable Attorney-General to act decisively and courageously in defence of constitutionalism, fairness and national interest by discontinuing these charges in their entirely.
“Nigeria’s democracy was built on sacrifices made by Nigerians amongst whom Ozekhome’s name resonates clearly. It must not be weakened by prosecutorial excesses of retaliatory measures.
Justice must not only be done; it must be seen to be done.”
The joint statement was signed by Amb. Olasunkanmi Kolawole,
Convener & President
North Central Youths Assembly of Nigeria; Dr. Isah Abubakar,
Co-Convener & President
Northern Youth Council of Nigeria; Comrade Tochukwu Okoye, President
Concerned Ndibo Youth Movement of Nigeria; Activist Olamilekan Oladimeji,
President Odu’a Youth Parliament,Malam Lukman Lawal, National Coordinator
Youth Alliance for National Transformation and Comrade. Alabi Akeem Abiodun, National Coordinator
Nigeria Youth Advocacy for good governance.
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