Lagos new Environment Bill: Civil society groups kick, urge Ambode to refrain from signing

Civil society groups lead by Environmental Rights Action/friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) on Monday February 27, 2017 called on the Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, not to sign the new Environmental Bill passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly about a week ago.

Besides, they have also vowed to resist any attempt to implement the law should in case the governor assent to it.

Essentially, they argued that the passed “A Bill for a Law to Consolidate all Laws Relating to the Environment for the Management, Protection and Sustainable Development of the Environment in Lagos State and for Connected Purposes” is nothing but a clandestine manoeuvre to unleash extreme capitalism, business without morals, and politics without values on Lagos State.

According to them, “It is draconian, obnoxious and anti-people”.

At a media briefing in Lagos on Monday, Deputy Executive Director, ERA/FoEN, Akinbode Oluwafemi, called on Ambode not to assent to “this obnoxious bill” but rather, send it back to the House to throw it open again for wider consultations and inputs from Lagos citizens.

He argued that the bill was only subjected to a hurriedly conducted Public Hearing by the House Committee on the Environment on February 9 before the House passed it on February 20 this year. “We at ERA/FoEN only got the draft document and invite to present a memorandum a day before the Public Hearing proper. Shockingly, some other groups got the invitation the very day of the Public Hearing”.

The ERA deputy executive director stressed that the public has not set eyes on the new bill to ascertain if the fears and objections raised at the Public Hearing were incorporated into what was eventually passed.

Issues he highlighted in the bill include: Allocation of the Fund and Guarantees; the Trust Fund Board; Power to Make Regulations; Sinking of Borehole Hydraulic and other Structures; Maintenance of Water Bodies and that the Law violates the 1999 Constitution in some areas.

“This law is a conspiracy against the people. We believe the added pressure which the crafters of this law impose on Lagos citizens could be the guise to introduce Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the water sector which Lagosians have roundly condemned. Lagosians have rejected PPP in the water sector through civil disobedience, public marches, using the instrumentality of the media. We are again rejecting the push towards PPP through the backdoor as this law portends,” he added.

Deputy Chairman, Joint Action Front, Achike Chudi, said the governor should refrain from signing the bill because people will react in  ways that the government do not expect.

He stressed that there is no alternative to water which is a basic right of every human being and frowned at the idea of privatisation of the water sector.“Government wants to sell the state to private interest”, he added.

Chairperson, Africa Women Water Sanitation and Hygiene Network (AWWASHN) Sessi Funmi, said the law will bring hardship to the people, adding that citizen have right to good environment, water among others.

She stressed that the law will unleash hardship and take away people’s right from them. “It can never and will never be acceptable. We say no to privitisation of water or anything that is water in Lagos State”, she concluded.

Executive Director, CEE-Hope, Betty Abah, said water is indispensable that people need every day. She added that the law will pose serious challenge to the vulnerable people in the society.

“You cannot take water away from people. Lagos State should have human face”, she said.

Representative of Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation of Civil Servants, Biodun Bakare, said the law is anti people adding that the government did not allow stakeholders engagement and hastily passed the bill because of their interest.