Ogun Targets Water Revenue Leakages Through Illegal Connection Crackdown

The Ogun State Government is stepping up efforts to block revenue leakages in the public water system as the state water corporation moves against illegal connections, meter bypasses and unauthorised service lines.

The enforcement drive is being led through the Ogun State Water Corporation, with the Special Adviser on Sustainable Development Goals and Water Resources, Damilola Otubanjo, warning residents involved in unlawful connections to regularise their status.

The corporation said some consumers deliberately engage unaccredited plumbers to bypass water meters, allowing them to receive supplies without using approved vending centres or recording the volume of water consumed.

Such practices have financial consequences for the utility because water is being supplied without corresponding revenue reaching the corporation.

The problem, however, goes beyond unpaid consumption. Officials say unauthorised tap-downs from existing pipelines can alter the distribution pattern across communities and reduce the amount of water available to customers who are properly connected.

Some illegal connections have reportedly involved extensions from existing service lines into neighbourhoods without approval. Commercial water operators have also been accused of tapping into the state’s main distribution network without authorisation.

The corporation is now seeking greater cooperation from residents as enforcement activities intensify.

Otubanjo urged members of the public to report illegal connections and pipeline vandalism, stressing the need to protect infrastructure used to deliver treated water to homes and commercial establishments.

The renewed enforcement effort comes at a time when the state is investing in the expansion and rehabilitation of its water infrastructure.

Recent work by the corporation has included pipeline repairs, additional metering, new customer connections and measures designed to improve communication with consumers.

The government has maintained that those investments can only produce sustainable results if consumers comply with approved connection and payment procedures.

The issue of illegal connections has remained a longstanding challenge in Ogun’s urban water system. National water-sector reform records have previously identified illegal connections, low metering and non-revenue water among the operational difficulties confronting the state utility.

The current campaign is expected to place greater emphasis on identifying unauthorised connections and ensuring that consumers who are already receiving water through informal arrangements enter the official system.

Residents currently operating illegal connections have been advised to regularise them at the nearest corporation office.

Failure to comply could result in penalties or prosecution, according to the state government.

The enforcement drive ultimately puts the focus on both revenue protection and the integrity of Ogun’s water distribution network, with the corporation seeking to ensure that customers who pay for services are not disadvantaged by unauthorised access.