The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has strongly criticised the Lagos State Government for admitting that residents of the Lekki Peninsula might be consuming contaminated borehole water.
The organisation described the controversial statement as an indication of deeper governance shortcomings. This backlash stems from comments made by Mahmood Adegbite, Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services and Water Resources, who conceded that many residents were “probably drinking what I will call ‘shit water’.”
In a statement released on Sunday, CAPPA acknowledged that the blunt remark drew public attention, but stressed that the underlying issue is the government’s decades-long neglect of public water systems.
According to the group, this failure has forced residents to depend on boreholes and wells; not as luxuries, but as basic survival options in the absence of a dependable public water supply. “The government is bad-mouthing a crisis it created,” the group stated, insisting that the Lagos administration’s failure to guarantee safe drinking water has placed citizens at grave health risks while avoiding accountability.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, CAPPA’s Executive Director, explained that faecal contamination, untreated sewage, and poor wastewater handling have persisted for years, compounded by repeated attempts to introduce unsuccessful privatisation schemes.
“You cannot neglect your constitutional duty for decades, then turn around to shame people for doing what they must to survive,” he said.
The organisation maintained that when the state fails to deliver clean water, citizens will inevitably resort to whatever means necessary to access it. “The question we must ask is: What is the Lagos State Government doing to ensure that its citizens no longer have to drink contaminated water, or live in fear of the next outbreak of disease?,” Oluwafemi added.
CAPPA urged the government to immediately commit to large-scale public investments in water and sanitation, discontinue market-driven reforms, and embrace a transparent, community-led management system. It also called for the creation of an emergency programme to address underserved neighbourhoods, repair deteriorated wastewater facilities, and implement climate-resilient strategies.
