Back Row, from left to right: Atekoja Sulaiman; Mrs. Olabanji Omowunmi Akorede.
Middle Row, from left to right: Mr. Kamil Adisa; Mrs. Rita Bekibele; Mrs. Oluwatoyin Towobola; Mr. Sadiq Riliwan Olalekan Olatunde; Mrs. Olowu Abosede Alice; Mrs. Olabanji Akorede.
Front Row, from left to right: Engr. Ogunbiyi Olugbenga; LWC Managing Director, Engr. Mukhtaar Tijani; LWC Divisional Director, CCC, Mrs. Peju Isola; Mr. Adjoto Mudasiru; and Mrs. Jokotola Adams.
LAGOS/Nigeria: The Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) has inaugurated a network of Water Ambassadors to strengthen its engagement with communities and enlist residents in efforts to promote responsible water use and protect public water infrastructure across the state.
The initiative, unveiled at the Corporation’s headquarters, Water House, Ijora, on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, is being implemented under the leadership of Managing Director, Engr. Mukhtaar Temitope Tijani, who charged the newly appointed ambassadors to build trust with residents and communicate credible information about the Corporation’s services.
Tijani urged the ambassadors to approach their responsibilities with honesty, transparency and integrity, stressing that they would serve as an important communication link between LWC and the communities it serves.
He said the Corporation would provide them with relevant information on its programmes and activities, while expecting them to accurately relay information to residents and communicate community concerns to the appropriate authorities.
The Managing Director also asked the ambassadors to encourage responsible water consumption and support efforts to safeguard public water facilities, particularly by drawing attention to problems that could disrupt service delivery.
Representing the Executive Director, Operations, Engr. Helen Omolanke Taiwo, the Director of Distribution, Engr. Bolaji Ogunlewe, described the ambassadors as the potential “eyes, ears and voices” of the Corporation at the grassroots.
Ogunlewe said their responsibilities would include encouraging water conservation, promoting timely payment of water bills, gathering community feedback and reporting leakages, vandalism, illegal connections and other threats to water infrastructure.
He said the programme would initially operate as a pilot in communities where public water supply is active and reliable, with plans to expand it as more rehabilitated infrastructure becomes operational.
According to him, the initiative is built around six key areas: community engagement, information sharing, infrastructure monitoring, revenue improvement, water conservation and school water awareness.
The Corporation expects the programme to improve its visibility within communities, strengthen feedback mechanisms, enhance data gathering and support revenue improvement, while residents are expected to benefit from greater access to information and more responsive engagement with the utility.
Earlier, the Director of Customer, Commercial and Community Engagement, Mrs. Peju Isola, said growing population, urbanisation, pollution, climate change and competing demands for water were putting increasing pressure on water resources.
She said addressing those challenges would require more than infrastructure and policies, adding that committed community representatives were also needed to encourage responsible water use and sustainable management.
Isola urged the ambassadors to educate residents on water conservation, hygiene and responsible consumption, while encouraging communities to protect public facilities and report leakages, vandalism and other problems affecting service delivery.
She also cautioned the ambassadors against making informal arrangements on behalf of the Corporation, urging them to maintain professionalism and refer matters outside their authority to the appropriate LWC departments.
The programme also placed emphasis on payment for water services, with the ambassadors encouraged to help residents understand the relationship between payment and the sustainability of public water supply.
LWC also explained its metering arrangements, noting that meters are available in some parts of its network, including units supplied through grants and development projects, while customers in other areas may be required to pay for installation under prevailing arrangements.
The Corporation further told the ambassadors that water pressure was expected to improve towards the end of October, with stronger supply anticipated from November. It urged them to help residents understand the potential benefits of reliable public water supply and reduce excessive dependence on private boreholes and purchased water.
A major component of the programme is community-based monitoring of water infrastructure. Ambassadors are expected to encourage residents to report damaged facilities, leakages, vandalism and illegal connections promptly so that the relevant technical teams can respond.
To support their work, the Corporation provided training materials and outreach toolkits, including posters and other communication resources. It also said the initial training would be followed by further capacity-building programmes.
The Head of Distribution also committed the Corporation to responding to reported leakages within 24 hours when such complaints are channelled through the appropriate reporting system.
The South-West Region Head, Mrs. Oluranti Taiwo, urged the newly appointed ambassadors to take their responsibilities seriously and contribute to stronger relations between LWC and the communities.
Speaking on behalf of the ambassadors, Oluwatoyin Towobola, representing Lagos Island Local Government Area, and Ibrahim Ismail Oluwatosin, representing Apapa Local Government Area, pledged their commitment to the objectives of the initiative.
The ambassadors subsequently took the Oath of Office administered by Barrister Derin Dada of the LWC Legal Department, after which letters of appointment or engagement and certificates were presented to them.
The initiative gives LWC a structured grassroots platform through which information about public water services can move between the Corporation and residents, while creating a channel for communities to report problems affecting water supply.
Its effectiveness will depend on how well the ambassadors translate their new responsibilities into regular community engagement, timely reporting of faults and greater public participation in protecting and sustaining water infrastructure across Lagos.
