The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has criticised the Lagos State Government’s plan to introduce a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the water sector, describing it as a betrayal of residents’ right to safe, affordable, and publicly managed water.

This comes after the Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) defended its new PPP pilot scheme, saying it was designed to expand access to potable water across the state. At a recent two-day workshop themed “Attracting Investment for Improved Water Supply in Lagos through Public-Private Partnership,” lawmakers pledged to fast-track legal amendments to support investor confidence. Officials also confirmed that the pilot project would cover about 10% of state-owned water assets.

But CAPPA dismissed the initiative, calling the workshop a “sham public relations exercise.” According to the group, the move signals that “water will no longer be recognised as a human right but instead reduced to a financial asset securitised for the comfort of investors.”

The organisation further accused successive Lagos governments of attempting, for over a decade, to privatise essential services at the expense of already struggling residents.

Responding to claims by LWC that it deliberately refused to attend the workshop, CAPPA said its absence was intentional, noting that it would not “rubber-stamp a fait accompli.”

“By inviting bids before consulting citizens, the Lagos State Government has shown contempt for accountability and treated residents as afterthoughts,” CAPPA stated.

The group urged the government to drop the PPP plan and instead strengthen public investment in the state’s water system, arguing that access to clean and affordable water must remain a basic human right, not a business venture.