Lagosians Reject Water At N10
By Sebastine Ebhuomhan, Law Correspondent, Lagos

Lagos residents are mobilising to force down the cost of 'pure water' currently fixed at N10.00 on the heels of a government's directive last month to stop production for one week to carry out the sanitation of the environment. The artificial scarcity resulted to the current price.

As production resumes fully now, Lagosians are insisting on return to N5.00. At Ogba Bus Stop in Ikeja, sellers and hawkers of pure water have reduced drastically. This is not unconnected with the seemingly organised move by transporters, commuters, sellers and buyers to resist the sale of the packaged water at the exorbitant cost.

"These people are thieves. They think they can take us for a ride. How can they just decide to increase the cost of pure water like that? They have not added anything to the contents. They did not increase the content of each pack. Instead, they have even reduced the content of each pack, blaming inflation and rising cost of operation. And most of them still sell unhygienic water in spite of the NAFDAC number inscribed on each pack. So, what is the basis or justification for increasing the cost of a pack to N10.00 after reducing the content in quantity and quality?" a commercial bus driver asked angrily.

At the sprawling Agege Motor Park during the week, several pure water hawkers were beaten up by a mob, which constituted itself into an enforcement task force, moving about to enforce the rejection. The mob, which included some protesting water sellers, also destroyed the products of some pure water sellers who insisted on selling the packed water at the rejected price.

__________________
I am an eternal excellency, and joy of many generations.