 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||
|
News/Events COMMUNIQUE ISSUED ATA ONE-DAY ROUNDTABLE ON "CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE WATER POLICIES OF THE WORLD BANK: ACTIVITIES AND IMPACTS IN NIGERIA" ORGANISED BY THE SOCIETY FOR WATER & PUBLIC HEALTH PROTECTION (SWAPHEP) WITH THE SUPPORT OF GLOBAL GREENGRANTS FUNDS ON 26TH APRIL 2004 AT THE KEN SARO WIWA HALL OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS ACTION/FRIENDS OF THE EARTH, NIGERIA. The Society for Water and Public Health Protection (SWAPHEP) with the support of the Global Greengrants Funds organized a one-day roundtable conference on "Critical Review of the Water Policies of the World Bank: Activities and Impacts in Nigeria" on 26th April at the Ken Saro Wiwa Hall of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Benin City, Nigeria. The roundtable, which was organized to coincide with the World Bank's 60th anniversary, in order to let the World Bank know what the Nigerian society feels about its activities especially as regards the bank's roles in the bid for the privatization of water and sanitation services in the country, drew its participants from a cross section of the Nigerian society. Among the participants were the Edo State Commissioner for Environment and Solid Minerals (ably represented by a director in the ministry), the Edo State Urban Water Board, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), NGOs, CBOs, students and the academics. The pressure of the World Bank and its pro-privatization allies on the Nigerian government to privatize its water and sanitation sectors came under sharp focus and debate. Using case studies, paper presentations from the government and civil society groups discussed the pros- and cons- of privatization and evaluated the roles of the World Bank in the privatization bid. The failed African Development Bank (ADB)-funded water supply scheme and the incomplete Ikpoba Dam project in Benin City also came under the spotlight of the conference. The roundtable also considered the World Bank and IMF Bond Matters Arising and Resolutions The roundtable noted with utter disappointment that the public water utilities in Nigeria had failed to provide adequate and affective water supply services to the Nigerian citizens That contrary to the views of pro-privatization advocates, the failure of the public water utilities in Nigeria is not as a result of lack of funds on the part of government nor is it the lack of technical capacity of the public utilities but the failure is deeply rooted in corruption, indiscipline (from which officials of IFCs may not be completely exonerated) and lack of political will (expressed in misplaced priorities) by government. That, case studies from parts of the world reveal that the problem of corruption bedeviling the public utilities in Nigeria are also common among international water companies. The roundtable declared thus, that the World Bank and other pro-privatization advocates are not justified to call for the privatization of Nigeria's water and sanitation sectors since there are no clear evidences that the private sector will serve the purpose of the poor more than the public sector. That water is life and access to it is a fundamental human right and the Nigerian government owes it to the Nigerian citizens as a social responsibility. That the concept of water pricing to minimize water wastage is acceptable but water must not be subjected to the market forces of demand and supply and left in the hands of capitalist private water companies. That the World Bank concentrates its financial assistance to water supply and sanitation in urban centers and big cities in Nigeria at the neglect of the rural communities. A true commitment by the bank to poverty reduction and development across board should be demonstrated in projects for rural communities in Nigeria.
That the Nigerian government owes its citizens a duty to ensure that the poor and rich citizens of the country have access to adequate safe water and sanitation services. That water and sanitation services in Nigeria should remain in the hands of the public utilities but that the public utilities must be reformed focusing on eradication of corruption and decentralization of the services. That the World Bank should strengthen its regulatory mechanisms for monitoring corruption and indiscipline in the management of its funds given in aid or loans to developing countries like Nigeria to ensure that the funds are judiciously utilized That we endorse community owned water and sanitation services. That the proposed privatization of water and sanitation services in Nigeria should be subjected to adequate and balanced public multistakeholders and truly representative debate and the will of the people arising from the debate must prevail.
· Adequate studies are conducted by government, civil society and independent researchers and there is demonstrated evidence from the reports that private sector participation in water and sanitation services will benefit Nigerians especially the poor; · The process of privatization is transparent and open allowing the civil society to participate at every stage of the process; · A multistakeholders regulatory body backed by law is in place and that the civil society makes up to 60% of the regulatory body. That the roundtable endorses the boycott of the World Bank and IMF's Bond. SWAPHEP thanks the Global Greengrants Funds for its financial support to the roundtable. We are also grateful to the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FOEN) and the African Network for Environmental and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) for their support.
|