The politics of water provision in Anambra

As essential to human life as water could be, in Anambra state, no political will by every administration to provide this essential commodity. OKECHUKWU ONUEGBU in this investigative report writes that all is still not well.]

In 1978 when the government of old Anambra state comprising the present Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu states established a water corporation under Edict 18, the purpose was to ensure that the citizens have access to portable water. Then water, a basic necessity of life was seen as a necessity of life which the government must provide to the populace.

Domiciled in the Ministry of Works (Water Division), the Anambra state water corporation (ASWC) provided well-treated water at affordable rates to most households, government institutions, organisations, hotels, among others. Upon the creation of the present Anambra on August 27 1991, the state inherited 67 water schemes.

The 67 water schemes now moribund are presently five urban water schemes sited at Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi, Ihiala and Aguata, respectively.

They were divided into 14 zonal headquarters namely, Awka zone 1 and Awka zone II, Onitsha zones I to 5, Aguata zone, Anaocha zone, Neni zone, Idemili zone, Ihiala zone, Njikoka zone and Nnewi zone for easy supply of water to all the 179 communities in the state.


As it was then

The edict 18 was later repealed and re-enacted by Edict 3 of 1999. It was also commercialised in a way that users of the essential commodity pay certain rates or tariffs just to support its day-to-day activities even though it was not commensurate to the cost of production. Therefore, the government which usually fixes the tariff provide subvention to the corporation.

The tariff plan of the agency prepared by the state government on February 1st 1999 obtained by this Blueprint indicated that the metered customers using it for domestic purposes were charged 4.5 kobo per litre or N45 per 1,000 litres, while those using it for industries and commercial purposes pay 8.5k per litre or N85 per 1,000 litres.

According to the plan, filling stations, laundry services, banks, car washing services pay 8.5 kobo pay litre or N85 per 1,000 litres, public institutions and establishments pay 5.5 kobo per litre or N55 per 1,000 litres, non-metered customers like public institutions were charged N4,000 monthly.

There are also charges for other users including price issuance of license for drilling of boreholes and other hydrauclic works, license for water quality renewable, among other services.


No respite

Presently, all these state-owned water schemes have collapsed or shut down indefinitely with their premises turned into thick forests. Sources even claimed that some vehicles, office equipment and others belonging to these establishment got missing either because they were sold through auction or stolen by hoodlums. Investigation also revealed that few water schemes currently functional in the state are those executed by European union, UNICEF and other donor agencies and handed over to host communities. They include Obizi-Uga regional water scheme in Aguata LGA, Nibo water scheme in Awka South and Otuocha water scheme in Anambra-East LGAs.


Attempts to resuscitate moribund board?

The corporation was officially shut down in 2012 by the state government which also laid off over 1,000 staff of Anambra State Water Corporation, Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency (ANSEPA), Volunteer Service Agency and Anambra State Marketing Company LTD. Sources in the government cycle claimed the corporation was closed down because it was not generating enough income to sustain its existence let alone internally generated revenue (IGR) for the state. But available records proved that the state government was the one that determines the tariff plan of the board since inception.


Legal solution to mass sack

The Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) in the state intervened by seeking audience with the state government but all to no avail. They sued the state government before the Industrial Court.
The legal battle which lingered since 2012 also has as defendants, the Anambra State Urban Water Holding Corporation (sued as Anambra State Water Corporation) and Anambra State Waste Management Authority (sued as Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency).  
“The union asked the state government to recall ANSEPA staff whose appointment were illegally and unjustly terminated and payment of their arrears of salaries from January 2012 to date, payment of workers of the corporation arrears of salaries from January 2012 to date, absorption and payment of salaries owed workers of Anambra Marketing Company for the period of 2002 to date and absorption of the Volunteer Service Agency (VSA) workers to the core ministry and promotion/advancement of the workers not done since over 20 years,” a source stated.
The National Industrial Court, Enugu Division, on June 3rd 2019 delivered final judgment on that to the favour of AUPCTRE. A copy of the judgement delivered by His Lordship, Hon Justice O. O. Arowosegbe, was made available to Blueprint which also has other correspondences the union and the staff of the water corporation respectively wrote to the state head of service, Governor Willie Obiano and other government functionaries, including fruitless efforts a federal minister made to settle the matter when former Governor Peter Obi was in power.
Among them is the letter dated January 30, 2018 which the sacked staff of the water corporation wrote to the state House of Assembly through its speaker, requesting for their urgent intervention. Attached to the letter are names of 291 staff of the water board corporation who died waiting for their backlog of emoluments.
It reads, “Sir, more than 291 staff of Anambra state Water Corporation who are career civil servants have died prematurely because of the said non- payment of their salaries and pensions and those of the workers that survived are shadows of themselves. They cannot pay their children’s school fees and these children are now school drop-outs. They cannot even afford two square meals per day.
“Anambra state is the only state in Nigeria that does not have functional water scheme. Anambra state is the only state in Nigeria that is owing its water board staff and pensioners. Sir, we are pleading that you use your good offices to ensure that the state government pay the staff and pensioners of the state water corporation their arrears of salaries and pensions to save souls of the surviving workers and pensioners.
“Sir, we also attached to the list of the deceased staff of Anambra state Water Corporation with reference no AN/WC/WEL/01/025/2018 who died as a result of non- payment of salaries and pensions owed them by the state government for your perusal.”
However, despite these years of unpaid salaries and battle for survival, two key officers of the agency still come to office to perform their important function. They are the head of account and head of personnel departments. The HOD account, Mr Hillary Izuagwu, who was found in his office when Blueprint visited in Awka, said he works round the clock for data documentation of his staff.


He said he was hopeful that the corporation would get back to life because, according to him, “Everyone knows the benefits of having a public water scheme. I tell you that once we get this working again, the number of people going to hospital would reduce because water is life. Bad water causes diseases. Public water would also yield revenue to the state. It is also accessible and relatively affordable.”


State government intervention
On June 2nd, 2015, the state House of Assembly passed a bill to establish the Anambra State Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) Law, 2015. The bill which was also signed into law by Governor Obiano, established the Anambra State Asset Holding Company, the Anambra State Small Town Water and Sanitation Agency, Rural Water and Sanitation Agency, the regulatory commission and roles of government and the private sector and for other matters connected therewith.
The law vested all the existing and new state-owned water infrastructures and assets in the urban areas including management of water services assets, investments and liabilities of the water corporation to the Anambra state Urban Water Asset Holdings Corporation (UWAHC). The corporation is to also take care of water issues in cities with over 20,000 population.To be continued tomorrow.

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