The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) and residents of the Epe Community have called on the Lagos state government to rehabilitate the Epe mini waterworks.
The Group made the call during a community engagement held in Epe with support from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) tagged: WATER PARLIAMENT” Water is a human right.
In his welcome words, Project Assistant FES, Ayodele Olaosebikan, said this meeting is important just as water is very important to human survival, and as such the community must be resolute in their demands for the rehabilitation of Epe mini water works and for the promotion of water as a right.
Mr Olaoseibakn advised the residents to come together and speak in one voice to ensure that the government fix the water infrastructure in the community because if there is no water in the home it can lead to several health challenges.
In his intervention, CAPPA Director of Programmes Philip Jakpor, said, “availability and affordability of water is an issue that concerns all, hence the need for all the locals to work together to ensure that the fundamental human rights to water are protected by the government.”
Mr Jakpor, in his presentation titled ‘Effective Communication in Water Advocacy’, said “In other climes where water access has been achieved, everybody works together for a common goal.”
According to him, for communication at the grassroots level to make an impact, the locals must have adequate knowledge of the subject matter, create a unified message, and identify and elect credible persons to champion their cause.
He concluded his presentation by urging the residents to take advantage of global commemoration of unique events like World Water Day and Africa Week of Action to get their issues in the media.