The Public hearing for the proposed bill for the privatization, commercialization and concession of water on the Plateau took place Tuesday at a committee room in the complex of the Plateau State House Assembly along old Bukuru Road, Jos amidst heavy protest.

The bill titled “A Bill for a Law to provide for a Plateau State Water Sector Law and other Matters connected 2018” is an executive bill which has already passed second reading in the House. The Bill when passed into law, would make water in the state a profit driven commodity. It is this aspect of the proposal contained in the Bill that the Labour Union and Civil Society Organizations are vehemently objecting to and also formed the basis of their protest on Tuesday at the entrance of the Plateau State House of Assembly. When African Drum arrived the scene, many protesters were holding ply cards with different inscriptions like “Water is life not for sale; Do not deceive us, Privatization is false solution to Plateau Water crisis, law makers, reject commercialization of our water; if you privatize water, make efforts to privatize Air”, among others.

Speaking to Newsmen at the premises of the House of Assembly, Comrade Steve Aluko observed that water is an essential ingredient for anybody to live their lives and enjoy their human rights.  Aluko said they would support any law that would promote transparency, accountability, accessibility and affordability but would object to anything that has to do with privatization, concession, autonomy or whatever disguise that would make water to be profit or would take portable water from the pool of the masses. “You know that has its own health, economic and political implications. It would mean many people would not be able to afford water, it would also mean that government is not a representative and sensitive enough to its people” said Aluko.
He said that the reform the Plateau State Government is trying to bring had been tried and failed in Cameroon, Ghana, Spain, Brazil, Argentina and other places

Aluko further said that when water is out-of-the people, that means government has failed in its responsibility adding that what the ‘Shylock people would do in that circumstance is to take advantage of the law and create monopoly.

According to Aluko, “Water must be accessible to all. Water must be affordable to all. Anything short of this, we would not support it, we would not buy into it. So, we are ready to engage the State Assembly and the executive to make sure that the end of the day, whatever comes out of this Bill would be the true reflection of the people’s opinion.” Aluko concluded by advising both the executive and legislature thus: “The Executive and the State Assembly should know that they would not be there forever. So, whatever law they put in place can also hold back on them, so the most important thing for them to do is to make sure that they keep to the requirement of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which provides that the welfare of the people shall be the basis of governance and water is key to social welfare of the people”.

Also speaking on the issue, Comrade Ambrose Kudu, the Secretary of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service, Technical and Recreation Services Employees (AUPTRE) Plateau State Chapter noted that they were not against the Bill totally but against some sections of it which he also said are anti-people. “It is clear that Private Public Partnership (PPP) is just taking public assets and handing them over private sector.
The private sector would not bring in anything but would only use that to impoverished the state.

Kudu stated that what the labour and other civil liberty organizations were saying and also demanding was that those sections in the Bill that are anti-people and clearly in favour of privatization be expunged and other sections be amended.

According to the labour leader, the struggle against the Bill was not limited to only labour union and the CSOs but a struggle for all and sundry stressing that labour struggle has never been limited to workers welfare only but also for social justice.

Kudu said that those at the Plateau State House of Assembly for the protest on Tuesday morning were; Environment Right Action (ERA), from Lagos state, AUPTRE and CSOs.