Lagos Water Corporation’s rehabilitation drive aims to revive waterworks, attract investment, improve efficiency and strengthen climate resilience amid rising demand and infrastructure challenges, writes Sunday Ehigiator
Dike Onwuamaeze
The Lagos Water Corporation (LWC) under the leadership of its Managing Director, Engr. Mukhtaar Tijani, recently received international recognition in Glasgow under the 2026 International Water Association (IWA) Climate Smart Utilities Recognition Programme. The honour made the LWC the second Nigerian utility to receive the recognition after Kaduna in 2022, and the first in southern Nigeria. The programme assesses utilities on climate adaptation, greenhouse-gas mitigation and climate-smart leadership. The recognition also highlights LWC’s efforts to build resilience despite longstanding investment and operational challenges.
The Glasgow recognition came against the backdrop of a broader effort to revive dormant waterworks, rehabilitate critical infrastructure, modernise distribution networks and strengthen the Corporation’s operations, as Lagos seeks to build a water system capable of responding not only to today’s demands but also to the growing pressures of urbanisation and climate change. That reality presented a formidable challenge when Tijani assumed office as Managing Director of the Corporation in July 2023, alongside Engr. Helen Omolanke Taiwo as Executive Director, Operations.
At the time, the Corporation reported that only two of its four major treatment plants were functional, producing a combined 15 million gallons of water daily, while only six of its 48 mini and micro waterworks were operating, and even those were below their capacities.
Three years later, the picture has changed to one of an institution undergoing a broad-based programme of rehabilitation, restructuring, technological modernisation, and partnership building.
For Tijani, however, the task appears to have been less about recognition and more about rebuilding the institution from its foundations, with major interventions now focused on restoring production capacity and improving the reliability of the systems required to move water across Lagos.
Replacing critical pumping equipment
One of the latest interventions was the replacement of critical pumping equipment at Iju Waterworks after more than three decades of service. LWC has received six clear-water pumps with motors and one additional pump head for Iju Waterworks, as well as two raw-water pumps with motors and control systems for the Adiyan Intake. Installation of the new equipment at Iju is ongoing.
With Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s vision to advance investment in critical water infrastructure, the intervention is expected to improve water production and operational reliability at Iju after the new equipment is installed and commissioned.
Powering the waterworks
Mukhtaar Tijani’s engineering and energy-sector experience has brought a valuable perspective to his leadership of the water sector. Reliable electricity is essential to treatment plants, pumping stations and distribution networks. That understanding is reflected in the collaboration between LWC and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, linking the rehabilitation of water infrastructure with the power systems required to keep it running. Another major component of the infrastructure programme is the rebuilding of the Akute Independent Power Plant, which is intended to provide dedicated power to critical water infrastructure.
On April 26, 2026, Governor Sanwo-Olu presided over the signing of the power agreement with Fenchurch. Rebuilding of the 26 MW plant began on September 26, 2026, with the existing engines being removed for replacement with new gas engines. The plant is planned to supply Akute Intake, Iju and Adiyan waterworks.
Financed by Zenith Bank under the state’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme, the reported implementation plan is to deliver 10 MW within four months and the remaining 16 MW within 12 months.
The dedicated-power investment is expected to address one of the critical constraints affecting water production and pumping reliability, particularly as the Corporation advances the rehabilitation of major waterworks and the completion of Adiyan II.
The Audacious Mandate
One of the defining features of Mukhtaar Tijani’s tenure has been the decision to approach the Corporation’s challenges as interconnected problems rather than isolated failures.
Production cannot be separated from pumping capacity. Pumping cannot be separated from reliable power. Increased production is of limited value without functional distribution networks.
The cancellation of funding for the USAID-supported Lagos Urban Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (LUWASH) programme, originally valued at approximately $45 million, forced the Corporation to review its plans. The disruption followed President Donald Trump’s halt to foreign aid and the subsequent withdrawal of USAID support.
LWC had built its four-year rehabilitation plan around the expected funding. With no initial budget provision to cover the resulting gap, Mukhtaar Tijani and the Corporation reassessed their priorities, selecting waterworks that the Lagos State Government could fund. The response was to keep rehabilitation moving, even though the full programme could no longer proceed as originally planned.
That philosophy is reflected in Mukhtaar Tijani’s public statements. During a recent inspection, he said: “The work is progressing steadily,” adding that “We are pleased with the progress we have made so far. Procurement has been completed, all the equipment has been delivered to the site, and installation is progressing as scheduled.”
Reviving Dormant Waterworks
Among the most visible aspects of the programme has been the rehabilitation and recommissioning of facilities that had either become dormant or were operating below potential.
The Mosan Okunola Waterworks was recommissioned on December 14, 2023, with reported production restored to two million gallons daily. Supply was also extended into Baruwa, an area that had faced prolonged water scarcity and groundwater contamination.
The intervention is significant not merely because of the restoration, but because the Corporation moved beyond production to connect the water to communities, with additional connections and network extensions planned.
Akilo Waterworks was recommissioned on December 12, 2025, following the rehabilitation carried out with WaterAid Nigeria and Armani Beauty’s Aqua for Life initiative. The facility has a capacity of 4,500 cubic metres daily, with the capacity to serve approximately 100,000 residents, alongside 20 water kiosks. The project included new boreholes, replacement of electromechanical equipment and rehabilitation of the distribution network. Importantly, the partnership also incorporated household enumeration, baseline surveys, hygiene promotion and community engagement.
This combination of physical infrastructure and community engagement illustrates an emerging model within the Corporation: water projects are increasingly being considered not merely as engineering assignments, but as service-delivery systems.
The rehabilitation programme also includes the construction of a new mini waterworks on Lagos Island and the rehabilitation of Ajegunle Waterworks.
Alongside these interventions is the $2.5 million grant-backed rehabilitation of Ojokoro Waterworks, supported by WaterAid Nigeria and TeamWater, with the involvement of popular YouTuber MrBeast. The partnership reflects the international support being drawn to the Corporation’s infrastructure programme under Mukhtaar Tijani’s leadership.
The Ojokoro rehabilitation contract was signed on September 4, 2026, with Bayroyal International Ltd. It includes civil, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation upgrades, borehole rehabilitation and drilling, solar integration, pressure monitoring, leakage detection, automated network management, metering and network expansion. It is expected to benefit approximately 72,000 residents when delivered. The Lagos Island, Ajegunle and Ojokoro projects are targeted for completion within 12 months.
Adiyan II: Moving a long-delayed project forward
Perhaps the most consequential project in the Corporation’s rehabilitation programme is Adiyan II.
The long-delayed waterworks project was revived in November 2023 following renewed government funding commitments, contractor remobilisation and stronger project oversight. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu inspected the Adiyan II project in February and December 2025 as work progressed, providing support to the project alongside the project oversight being undertaken by Mukhtaar Tijani and the Corporation’s management.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu publicly acknowledged Mukhtaar Tijani’s role in reviving Adiyan II at the first Lagos Physical Planning Summit, held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, on October 15–16, 2024.
Following former Governor Babatunde Fashola’s appeal to prioritise the project, Sanwo-Olu commended Mukhtaar Tijani’s persistence and consistent advocacy in bringing the long-stalled waterworks back on track.
When completed, Adiyan II is designed to produce 320,000 cubic metres of treated water daily, more than 70 million gallons, and is projected to serve more than five million residents. Tijani has repeatedly highlighted the importance of the project. In a public update, he said he had discussed the Adiyan II project and the Corporation’s broader infrastructure upgrades, including the development of network intelligence to improve water distribution.
The project, which is expected to be operational in 2027, is also being pursued alongside investment in dedicated power infrastructure, including the rebuilding of the Akute Independent Power Plant, which is planned to supply Adiyan as well as Iju and Akute Intake.
Rebuilding Network Beneath the sleepless city
Water infrastructure is not only about treatment plants. Much of the challenge lies beneath the roads and communities through which water must travel.
Under Mukhtaar Tijani’s leadership, the Corporation has worked with technical partners to trace and digitise more than 170 kilometres of transmission pipelines using Geographic Information System technology.
Previously unmapped sections were incorporated, while valves, junctions and key customers were geotagged. A preliminary hydraulic model was also developed to analyse water flows and pressure.
In 2025, LWC went further by deploying a robotic pipeline inspection device developed with Konsadem Associates and McAlpha Inc. The technology is designed to identify corrosion, cracks, blockages and potential leak points. The resulting information has been used to inform rehabilitation priorities in areas including Ishasi, Apapa, Magodo, Alexander and Isolo.
The significance of this intervention is that it moves infrastructure management from guesswork towards data-driven decision-making.
Opening the PPP door
Another component of the strategy is the Corporation’s attempt to leverage private capital and expertise without surrendering government ownership of its water assets.
LWC developed its 2025–2030 Strategic Business Plan, unveiled in December 2024, with 12 priority goals and a costed implementation schedule.
The priorities include rehabilitation of major treatment plants and trunk mains, completion of Adiyan II, restoration of power infrastructure, rehabilitation of 16 mini and micro waterworks, staff development and improved customer engagement.
The Corporation also established a public-private partnership framework for seven pilot schemes covering Lekki, Akilo, Victoria Island Annex, Magodo, Abesan, Alexander and Apapa. Following stakeholder engagement in August 2025, formal invitations for bids were issued.
The proposed model retains government ownership of the assets while introducing private financing and operational expertise.
At a staff engagement on the proposed PPP programme, Mukhtaar Tijani articulated his ambition succinctly: “My vision is to see the waterworks alive.” He also spoke of the objective of enabling residents to experience functioning water supply in their communities.
Building for the future
The Corporation’s current direction increasingly extends beyond repairing what is broken to preparing for future demands. That includes climate-smart infrastructure, improved network intelligence, digital customer systems, stronger partnerships and new financing models.
As Lagos State’s population grows, the water demand continues to increase, making it necessary to expand infrastructure to keep pace. In response, the Corporation is developing a master plan to guide its efforts to close the gap between water supply and demand.
The plan is being designed as a roadmap covering the short term, from 2026 to 2030; the medium term, from 2031 to 2040; and the long term, from 2041 onwards.
Through this approach, the Corporation aims to place current rehabilitation efforts within a wider plan for meeting the state’s future water needs, linking the restoration of existing facilities with the infrastructure expansion required to serve a growing population.
From recovery to resilience
Perhaps the most revealing measure of Mukhtaar Tijani’s work is the breadth of the agenda. The objective is no longer simply to restore individual waterworks. It is to create a utility capable of producing, distributing, metering, and managing water more efficiently, while attracting technical expertise and investment.
The Corporation’s partnerships involving WaterAid, JICA, the Resilient Water Accelerator, Suez and other technical and investment partners continue to provide part of the institutional backing for the reforms. Yet, the ultimate measure of any water utility remains straightforward: whether residents can turn on a tap and receive safe, reliable water.
That is why the significance of the reforms at Lagos Water Corporation lies not only in the number of projects announced or facilities rehabilitated, but in the attempt to reconnect infrastructure investment with everyday service delivery.
The journey is not complete. Some projects remain under construction, some benefits are still projected, and several infrastructure investments are at procurement or implementation stages. But the record since 2023 shows an institution pursuing change on multiple fronts, from dormant waterworks and ageing pumps to digital mapping, staff restructuring, private-sector partnerships and climate resilience.
For a city that doesn’t sleep, whose population and water demand continue to expand, that institutional rebuilding may ultimately prove as important as any single waterworks. The task ahead is to turn the momentum into sustained, measurable and dependable water supply for more Lagos residents.
As Tijani puts it, the ambition is straightforward: to bring the waterworks back to life and ensure that the Corporation’s transformation ultimately translates into reliable water supply for the people it was established to serve.