By Paul Dada and Kudirat Adewale
The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), says it has identified the reasons Nigeria is bedeviled by water crisis.
The international human rights organisation made this assertion on Friday in Lagos during the media presentation of its new report titled: “Big Debt, Big Thirst: A Case Study of World Bank Supported Projects in Ekiti, Rivers and Bauchi States.”
The report, CAPPA says, examines the ongoing implications of privatisation reforms advocated by international financial institutions, particularly the World Bank, and reveals a disturbing pattern of systemic failures that continue to compromise water access for millions of Nigerians.
In his speech, the Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said, “the water crisis confronting Nigeria and much of Africa cannot simply be attributed to environmental or demographic pressures alone but also the predictable outcome of decades-long state withdrawal from public investment, coupled with the aggressive imposition of neoliberal policies falsely presented as pathways to development.”
He said though privatisation and commercialisation had been widely promoted as efficient solutions to public sector shortcomings but the researches carried out by CAPPA in Ekiti, Rivers, and Bauchi states showed a reality different from these. “Instead of improved water access and infrastructure, citizens experience steep tariff hikes, workforce downsizing, diminished public accountability, and continued systemic inefficiencies,” he said.
Continuing, he said, “The World Bank’s Third National Urban Water Sector Reform Project (NUWRSP3), supported by a significant $250 million loan from the International Development Association, promised transformative results for state water sectors through privatisation and corporatisation.
“Yet our findings unequivocally hold that five years after the project’s completion and with a national debt repayment stretching over forty years, local communities remain deeply underserved and disappointed. Systemic issues such as lack of managerial accountability and inconsistent power supply, which were flagged as major challenges under public management, remain unaddressed and even exacerbated under this private-driven reform framework.
“Take Ekiti State, for instance, where substantial investments were made in critical infrastructure like the Ero and Ureje dams under the NUWSRP3. Residents in areas such as Iworoko and Olorunsogo (Zones 1A-C, Zone 2, and Zone 4), who paid significant amounts-between N5,000 and N50,000-to obtain prepaid water meters and piped connections to central water points in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, continue to suffer water deprivation. When engaged, many community members nostalgically reference the 1990s as the last period when they had consistent access to potable water-ironically, a time when water utilities were publicly managed.
“Similarly, in Bauchi State, the loan injection aimed at infrastructural upgrades and the corporatisation of the state water board has failed to resolve chronic water scarcity, primarily due to persistent electricity shortages. This situation reinforces our long-held conviction that the privatisation of essential utilities, often heralded as the panacea for public sector inefficiencies, frequently proves anything but infallible.”
He said the power sector was also an example of an area where privatisation had not proved effective. Olufemi said “It is hard to argue that Nigerians have benefited from this shift where many have found themselves burdened by crazy and outrageous bills, all the while receiving little or no energy. This absurdity is heightened by the recent introduction of different consumption bands, which only serves to emphasise the comic tragedy of the situation.
“The dysfunction evident in Nigeria’s national electricity supply similarly afflicts our water systems. Corporatised thirst, privatised water, privatised light, and enormous debts imposed upon Nigerians and future generations, yet the taps remain dry, leaving communities continually thirsty. At this point, it is essential to also state that public services operate within an interconnected and fragile ecosystem-where the effectiveness of one sector invariably impacts another. Our findings specifically highlight how inadequate electricity supply directly undermines the performance and reliability of water supply systems across the three states, among other issues.
“In Rivers State, we observed further complexity. The NUWRSP3 in Rivers State, designed to enhance water supply services for the over 1.5 million residents in the Obio-Akpor area of Port Harcourt, was initially envisioned to be a collaborative effort between the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB). However, ineffective coordination between the two financial institutions and procurement challenges led to severe delays in advancing the project and culminated in the World Bank ultimately withdrawing its support.
“For us, the withdrawal of World Bank support mid-project exemplifies the consequences of inter-institutional misalignment even in the so-called privatisation model and the sometimes-distorted nature of international development financing where rigid timelines and loan conditions override practical realities and public interest, leaving communities in dire need unmet.
“Despite these failures, the burden of debt repayment persists, saddling citizens with enormous financial obligations. These loans, denominated in foreign currency, divert precious and scarce monies away from urgent public investments, further exacerbating economic hardship amidst soaring inflation and poor economic outlook. A pertinent question thus arises: Who takes responsibility for these failures?”
He said the report was calling an immediate cessation of the privatisation of water services in Nigeria while advocating for a fundamental reorientation that recognises water as a fundamental human right, necessitating sustained public investment, transparent governance, and genuine democratic control.
“Achieving this vision requires comprehensive public funding mechanisms, such as ring-fencing earnings from our natural resources to finance water infrastructure and projects, along with increased allocations of national and state budgets to the water sector. Additionally, robust regulatory frameworks and active community participation are essential to ensure equitable access and long-term sustainability,” Olufemi said.
