Twenty-five civil society organisations, community associations and trade unions have threatened coordinated mass resistance across Lagos State if the government attempts to seal residential boreholes, warning that residents will not accept being punished for finding alternative sources of water after decades of inadequate public supply.
The groups, under the Our Water Our Right Africa Coalition, OWORAC, said any attempt by the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, LASWARCO or government task forces to invade residential communities, demand permits or seal domestic boreholes would be resisted through legal action, public protests and coordinated mobilisation across all local government areas.
The warning comes amid growing anxiety among Lagos residents following a statement attributed to Oluwabukola Adeyemo, Executive Secretary, LASWARCO, , declaring that drilling boreholes and extracting groundwater without government authorisation is illegal and could attract property sealing and criminal prosecution.
The commission had also introduced a dedicated reporting hotline, encouraging residents and community leaders to report unauthorised borehole drilling and groundwater extraction.
However, the coalition, comprising more than 50 national and regional organisations and communities, accused the commission of creating unnecessary fear among residents by failing to distinguish between domestic water consumption and commercial groundwater extraction.
The groups demanded immediate clarification from LASWARCO, insisting that the government cannot criminalise households for providing water for their families when its public water infrastructure has failed to meet the needs of the population.
At the centre of the disagreement is the interpretation of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017, which the coalition said expressly exempts residential boreholes used for household water supply from licensing requirements.
The groups cited Section 253(1) of the law, which allows individuals to construct, dig or extend wells and boreholes in residential premises without obtaining a license from the Lagos Water Corporation, provided the water is intended for domestic household use.
They also referred to Section 259(2), which they said establishes licensing requirements for boreholes used for purposes other than domestic consumption, particularly commercial and industrial extraction.
According to the coalition, LASWARCO’s public warning failed to acknowledge these statutory exemptions, creating the impression that every household with a borehole could face prosecution or property sealing.
The organisations described such an interpretation as an overreach of regulatory authority and warned that it could encourage hostility among neighbours by turning residents against one another over access to water.
They argued that domestic boreholes are not a luxury for many Lagos households but a survival mechanism developed in response to the absence of reliable public water supply.
To support their position, the groups cited official Lagos Water Corporation records showing that the utility has only 34,424 registered connections, representing approximately 1.03 per cent direct coverage in a state with more than 20 million residents.
Even using the corporation’s broader estimate that these connections serve multi-tenant properties covering about 8.3 per cent of the population, the coalition maintained that more than 91 per cent of Lagos residents remain without adequate access to the public water network.
The groups also expressed concern over the poor operational condition of major water infrastructure at Iju, Adiyan and Ishasi, arguing that the facilities have failed to provide the reliable public water supply residents need.
They further cited Section 252 of the 2017 law, which they said protects the Lagos Water Corporation from paying damages or compensation to residents for the total failure or interruption of public water supply.
The coalition questioned why residents should face criminal sanctions for drilling boreholes when the government has not fulfilled its responsibility to provide accessible public water.
Beyond the dispute over permits and enforcement, the organisations drew attention to the environmental conditions that have made access to safe water increasingly difficult in several Lagos communities.
They identified Baruwa, Iludun and Ajegunle as areas where prolonged petroleum pipeline contamination has affected underground water sources.
They also highlighted coastal communities along the Lekki corridor, where poor drainage systems, inadequate centralised waste water management and saline intrusion have contributed to groundwater pollution.
According to the coalition, residents in these areas cannot safely depend on groundwater, leaving families with the additional burden of purchasing water from private vendors at considerable daily expense.
The situation, they said, has deepened water poverty among low-income households already struggling with the rising cost of living.
Even in communities where groundwater remains usable, residents have developed informal arrangements to keep water flowing.
The groups explained that households often extend their borehole taps to neighbouring compounds and streets, while community members contribute money to purchase fuel or electricity needed to operate pumping machines.
These community-led arrangements, the coalition argued, demonstrate how residents have collectively responded to the government’s failure to provide adequate water infrastructure.
Rather than dismantling such arrangements, the organisations urged the Lagos State Government to study and support them as practical examples of community participation and shared responsibility.
They also rejected the argument that transferring public water infrastructure to private operators and multinational corporations is the only solution to Lagos’ water challenges.
The coalition maintained that water is a fundamental human right and should not become an exclusive commodity accessible only to residents who can afford prepaid water services.
The organisations also accused LASWARCO of applying different standards to ordinary residents and multinational companies engaged in large-scale groundwater extraction.
They recalled that during regulatory engagements with Nigerian Bottling Company, Guinness Nigeria and FrieslandCampina WAMCO in late 2024, the commission reportedly acknowledged that it had spent more than seven years engaging the companies diplomatically despite outstanding compliance issues.
The coalition questioned why the government would exercise years of patience with multinational corporations extracting millions of litres of water for commercial purposes while threatening ordinary households with task forces, property sealing and criminal prosecution.
It argued that large-scale commercial extraction and industrial pollution pose greater risks to communal groundwater resources than families drawing water for cooking, washing and other household needs.
The groups further expressed suspicion that the proposed crackdown on domestic boreholes could be connected to plans to introduce privately operated water schemes and prepaid metering systems across Lagos.
They alleged that criminalising household boreholes could force residents into a captive water market where access to an essential resource would depend on their ability to pay.
The coalition warned that such an arrangement would deepen inequality and expose vulnerable households to further hardship.
To prevent further uncertainty, the coalition called on LASWARCO to immediately clarify that the 2017 law exempts domestic boreholes and wells used exclusively for household purposes.
It demanded assurances that residential properties would not be sealed and that residents would not face harassment or prosecution for maintaining domestic water sources protected by the law.
The organisations also urged the Lagos State Government to abandon plans to privatise the Lagos Water Corporation and instead prioritise universal access to safe, piped public water.
Other recommendations include redirecting strict regulatory enforcement towards high-volume commercial water extractors and industrial polluters, rehabilitating existing waterworks and ensuring equitable water distribution across communities.
They further called for comprehensive governance reforms within the Lagos Water Corporation, including transparent management structures that give workers, community representatives, trade unions and civil society organisations a direct role in the administration of the utility.
The coalition also appealed to Community Development Associations, youth councils, labour unions, artisans, market women and neighbourhood networks across Lagos to remain vigilant and organised in defence of their domestic water sources.
It warned that any attempt by LASWARCO or armed task forces to enter residential communities, demand what it considers illegal permits or seal domestic boreholes would trigger immediate legal action and coordinated mass resistance.
The groups maintained that residents should not be forced to choose between paying exorbitant prices for water and risking government sanctions for providing their own household supply.
25 Civil society organisation contends
The statement dated November 4, 2026, was jointly signed by Adewale Ojo, the Chairman, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, Lagos State, Dagga Tollar, Secretary, Movement for Socialist Alternative, MSA, Miriam Ginika John, President, Advocacy Initiative for Restoring Woman and Girls Education for Promotion of Justice to Save Lives (Rowgles Advocacy Initiative), Chief Akeem Muraina Mosunro, Baale, Ifako Tuntun (Onibari 1) Community, Towolawi Jamiu, Public Relations Officer, Oworo Youth Forum, OYF.
Others are; Adebayo Saheed Adedeji, Leadership Council, Movement for African Emancipation, Zikora Ibeh, Assistant Executive Director, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, Ibrahim Oluwatobiloba, President, Voices of the Masses and Support for Credible Leadership, Balogun Hameed, Director of Research, Frontline Socio-Economy Research Centre, Tunde Yusuf, Secretary, Ajegunle People’s Movement, APM, Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director.
Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, RULAAC, Peluola Adewale, National Mobilisation Officer, Joint Action Front, JAF, Alex Omotehinse, President, Centre for Human and Socio-economic Rights, CHSR.
Still others are; Hassan Taiwo (Soweto) Member of the Organising Committee, #EndBadGovernance Movement, Lagos State, Gbenga Komolafe, General Secretary, Federation of Informal Workers Organisation of Nigeria, FIWON, Akin Okunowo, National Coordinator, Anti-Cult Alliance Movement, ACAM, Felix Ikupolosi JP, Chairman, Iludun Town Association, Rufus Olusesan, National President, Precision, Electrical and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association, PERESSA, James Oyewole, Chairman, Baruwa Water Pollution, Baruwa Community, Oladunni Segun, Amilcar Cabral Ideological School Movement, ACIS-M.
Finally, Mary George-Peluola, Director, Women Advocate Research Documentation Centre, WARDC, Chinedu Bosah, National Secretary, Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights, CDWR, Comrade Philip Imonikhe, President, Pulp Paper and Paper Products Printing and Publishing Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, Comrade Dare Adeyemo, Chairman, National Union of Nigeria Welders, NUNIWE, Lagos State Council and Comrade Adeola Adepegba, National President, Nigeria Union of Private Cab Operators, NUPCO.
All are representatives of 25 organisations, trade unions and community associations.
The coalition, which brings together labour organisations, human rights advocates, environmental campaigners and community associations, said its opposition to the proposed enforcement was rooted in the need to protect residents’ access to water.
It declared that the Lagos State Government had been formally put on notice that attempts to seal domestic boreholes would be treated as an unlawful provocation and resisted until universal access to public water was restored.
