Lagos Water Corporation sacks 391 ’redundant’ staff amid departmental overhaul

The Lagos State Water Corporation (LWC) has dismissed 391 ‘redundant’ employees as part of its ongoing effort to reorganize the company’s structure in the face of financial and operational challenges.

The corporation In a circular on Thursday said that workforce streamlining was necessary due to ongoing water scarcity in the state, despite significant infrastructure efforts.

LWC highlighted that it is grappling with significant financial and operational difficulties, with challenges in generating sufficient revenue to fulfill its obligations.

According to the circular, the unreliable water supply has led to a decreasing customer base and falling revenues.

Moreover, Engr. Mukhtaar Tijani, the Managing Director of LWC, said the overhaul of the department is necessitated by a Personnel Audit carried out in October 2023 to evaluate employee performance in the country.

The report outlined the necessity for staggered actions; the initial phase led to the release of 425 temporary employees with expired contracts.

Furthermore, Tijani noted that the current second phase focuses on permanent employees who are unadvancable and have been static in their positions for up to 30 years, with roles or offices now deemed redundant.

Lastly, he mentioned that the forthcoming third phase will concentrate on retaining skilled technical staff to improve the utility and commercial efficiency of the Corporation.

Meanwhile, Tijani noted that the State Government approved the payment of three months’ salary as compensation for notice and redundancy, along with statutory benefits like pensions for the impacted employees.