MAN Condemns Sealing of Coca-Cola, Guinness, FrieslandCampina Factories in Lagos

In a statement signed by its Director General, Mr Segun Ajayi-Kadir, the group said it was appalled by the action, adding that it was already in talks with relevant agencies in the state over the issue.

Earlier this week, the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LASWARCO) sealed the factories of the Nigerian Bottling Company (producers of Coca-Cola), FrieslandCampina (makers of Peak Milk), and Guinness Nigeria Plc. for violating water abstraction regulations in their operation.

The commission’s Director of Technical Services, Mr Olowu Babatunde, said on Tuesday that the companies were extracting large quantities of groundwater without proper authorisation.

In his statement released on Friday, MAN’s DG said the government’s decision was ill-timed and in bad faith as talks were ongoing about the issue among the affected parties, noting that efforts to reach the authorities after the shutdown were futile.

“The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) is constrained to convey this open message to the Governor of Lagos State, as all attempts at approaching the relevant heads of agencies and ministry have failed. MAN is appalled by the inauspicious act of the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LASWARCO) in sealing factories over their purported refusal to pay the astronomical and unjustifiable water abstraction fees imposed by the Commission,” he stated.

Mr Ajayi-Kadir added, “This action is ill-timed and quite unfortunate, as the Commission and MAN had engaged in meaningful dialogue and reached some agreements over the lingering issue about three months ago.

“This was expected to culminate in an MoU to commence in January 2025.

“Only three weeks ago, another round of discussions took place between LASWARCO and representatives of MAN, including affected member companies, which led to ongoing discussions in the companies as to the most viable option for addressing the alleged outstanding payments from earlier contested fees.

“It is while these discussions were going on and during the Yuletide that the Commission decided to cause this major and unwise shutdown of the companies.”

MAN accused the Lagos state government of being tyrannical in its regulation and imposing exorbitant fees on manufacturers at a time when the industry is facing a downturn, saying the industry spends a lot on water for production as the government fails to supply water.

“It is important to properly situate this inappropriate action within the context of the prevailing inclement operating environment in general and the downturn in the manufacturing sector in particular.

“A situation where industries are burdened with payments in excess of N100 million for generating water for production purposes, in the face of the government’s failure to supply the same, is unfair.

“The exorbitant fees and the untoward means of extracting payment exemplifies the negative impact of the tyranny of regulation on private business,” the statement read further.

Mr Ajayi-Kadir lamented that manufacturers are enduring a harsh economic climate as the volume of unsold inventories keeps rising. He expressed concerns over the possibility of other states taking similar enforcement action as the Lagos state government.

“To date, manufacturers across the country are saddled with more than N1.2 billion of unsold inventory, borrowing at more than 30 per cent and struggling under a debilitating 250 per cent increase in the cost of power.

“Numerous taxes, fees, and levies by the three tiers of government and non-state actors in some cases, numbering between 60 to 120 confront each manufacturer, not to mention the disruption of production activities due to insecurity and high cost of logistics. There are more! So, to add this oppressive water abstraction fee in Lagos state that may potentially be adopted by other States presents an ominous and rancorous future for manufacturers in particular and private businesses in general,” he added.

He pleaded with the Governor of Lagos, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to direct  LASWARCO to reopen the sealed facilities while MAN and the agency resume discussions.

“This will pave the way for a logical and passable conclusion of the ongoing conversations on how to permanently resolve the matter of outstanding fees, as well as conclude the impending MoU between the Water Commission and the Organised Private Sector,” he said.