Yakubu Busari
There was a mild drama on Tuesday at the Plateau State House of Assembly Complex, as the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Civil Liberty Organization and the Amalgamated Union of Public cooperation Civil Service Technical and Recreational Service Employees, AUPCTRE, protested against the planned bill by Plateau State Governor Simon Bako Lalong to privatize drinking water to him and private individuals.
The protesters who in the early hours of Tuesday Assembled themselves with Musical interlude as well as the beating of drums, were seen singing water for life, don’t sell our heritage, we are poor helpless citizens.
The continue with other phrases such as if you privatize water make efforts to privatize air, the government should ignore all water contractors, water for life not for sale, lawmakers reject the commodification of our water.
The former President of CLO North-central Nigeria, Comrade Steve Aluko condemned that further plan to privatize water as he said it would add injury to the citizens considering the dwindling economic situation affecting the home front in its totality; he condemned the bill calling for privatization of water to the private sector.
He said water is one of the essential ingredients of life; water is the basics part of people, adding that the law of nature has made it affordable to everyone to enjoy it but with privatization, it has health implications and hazards which mean people can’t afford healthy water.
He stated that many countries in Europe and Africa like Brazil, Cameroon have done and it didn’t yield any positive impact.
Aluko lamented that the so-called privatization of water has failed, he stated that the concept generally is that government should find a way of addressing water scarcity ravaging rural populace where they’ve failed in their responsibility to provide affordable drinking water to them.
According to him, the executive should do whatever necessary to create an avenue where the welfare of Nigerians would be the topmost priority for the people to enjoy qualitative drinking water for a healthy community.
Comrade Ambrose Kudu said they union leadership stormed the state Assembly complex to condemn the proposed bill on the plan to privatize water in the state by trying to enrich some few persons and make those living in rural areas to suffer untold hardship.
He emphasized that the challenges of water scarcity are on the increase but as Labour, they stand to ensure that citizens enjoy social amenities, where he said that the regulation of water sector to be handed over to few to exploit the people is not right.
