By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Residents of several Lagos communities have lamented persistent water shortages, saying they rely on boreholes, wells and water vendors despite government investments in public water infrastructure.
Residents of Mafoluku, Oshodi, Ikorodu, Ajao Estate and Ikosi said unreliable public water supply had forced households to spend more on alternative sources.
A resident of Church Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, Mrs Calista, said she had lived in the area for nearly 40 years without reliable public water supply.
She said her household depended on boreholes and water vendors, with a keg of borehole water costing N100, while vendors charged N250 or more during prolonged power outages.
Similarly, an Ikorodu resident, Mr Larry Owolabi, said his household relied on a compound well that often produced insufficient water during the dry season.
In Ajao Estate, Ms Abosede Ayola said she had never seen government water connected to homes in her community, forcing residents to pay to fetch water from public boreholes.
Another resident, Mrs Favour Anyanwu, said her household spent N4,000 every two weeks on sachet water, while residents also contributed monthly towards electricity costs for boreholes serving their flats.
Mr Obumneme Ezeokoli, a resident of Ikosi, said public water supply in his area had been unavailable since 2013, leaving households dependent on vendors and boreholes.
The residents’ complaints come amid a significant gap between Lagos State’s water production and estimated demand.
The Lagos Water Corporation reportedly produced an average of 7.21 million gallons daily in 2025, against an estimated state demand of 540 million gallons daily.
The corporation’s installed production capacity is approximately 210 million gallons daily, while its annual output for 2025 stood at about 2.63 billion gallons.
Despite the shortfall, the Lagos State Government allocated approximately N37.49bn in 2025 to two major water infrastructure programmes: N16.86bn for improving 15 existing mini and micro waterworks and N20.62bn for the Adiyan Phase II waterworks.
The Adiyan project is designed to add 70 million gallons daily to the state’s water production capacity.
For 2026, the state budget earmarked N4.92bn for improving existing mini and micro waterworks and N26.02bn for Adiyan Phase II.
Budget implementation reports showed that expenditure on mini and micro waterworks reached N1.78bn by June 30, representing 36.2 per cent of the annual allocation. Adiyan Phase II recorded expenditure of approximately N1.04bn in the second quarter, representing four per cent of its annual allocation.
The figures reflect recorded expenditure but do not establish project completion or the volume of additional water supplied.
The corporation previously said its 34,424 registered connections represented about 1.03 per cent of Lagos’ estimated population of 20 million, based on an average household size of six.
It later clarified that the connections were plot-based and could serve multiple households, revising its estimate to approximately 1.65 million residents, or 8.3 per cent of the state’s population.
The corporation attributed its operational challenges to ageing infrastructure, electricity constraints and ongoing rehabilitation works, acknowledging the need for sustained investment in production and distribution facilities.
Beyond government funding, WaterAid Nigeria has partnered with the corporation to rehabilitate water infrastructure in underserved communities.
Its interventions include the Akilo water scheme in Ifako-Ijaiye, recommissioned in December 2025, and the Ojokoro waterworks rehabilitation project.
In March 2026, WaterAid Nigeria and the Lagos State Government unveiled a five-year, $2.5m project to rehabilitate the Ojokoro waterworks and expand the Iju-Adiyan pipeline network.
On September 4, the Lagos Water Corporation also signed a contract with Bayroyal International Ltd. for the rehabilitation of the Ojokoro Mini Waterworks. The project includes borehole rehabilitation, equipment upgrades, solar integration, leakage detection, metering and distribution network expansion.
However, the proposed involvement of private operators in public water facilities has drawn criticism from civil society groups.
The Executive Director of Renevlyn Development Initiative, Mr Philip Jakpor, argued that privatisation would not necessarily resolve Lagos’ water challenges, warning that profit-driven arrangements could undermine residents’ access to affordable water.
He advocated a Public-Public Partnership model, through which public utilities could share technical expertise and operational knowledge to improve service delivery.
Jakpor urged the government to strengthen public water utilities and prioritise reliable supply over profit considerations.
For residents across the affected communities, the immediate challenge remains access to sufficient, affordable water without placing additional pressure on household budgets.
