By Steve Agbota
Succour is yet to come to the people of Afromedia-Ajangbadi, Adaloko, Odan-Era and Era-Awori town in Oto Awori Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos State, three weeks after they cried out to the state government.
The people had cried out to the government and its agencies responsible for regulation of dredging activities to come to their aid as over 20 dredging companies have degraded their communities causing untold hardship, suffering, and pain on the people.
In a renewed save-our-soul (SoS) campaign, members of the communities at a press briefing, lamented that the stop work order by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to all the dredging companies has never been obeyed, instead the dredging companies have continued to wreak havoc day and night with no regulation or control.
Speaking at the protest meeting by members of the community, Gbenga Eguntola, lawyer and chairman of the Association of Development Association Joint Action Committee (ADAJAC), said their daily reality is destruction of their beautiful ecosystem through the illegal dredging activities of commercial profiteers.
“It needs to be said that the particular road destroyed is the main artery connecting and traversing the various communities under Era land, starting from Fiditi Bus Stop portion of Afromedia-Ajangbadi Road, where the major reconstruction of the road started years ago, and stopped in 2018, to Adaloko town to Odan-Era to finally stop at Era- Awori town,” Eguntola explained. He said the situation of the road is aggravated by the activities of dredgers that invaded the peace and serenity of the shoreline of Ologe River in Era town, saying the dredgers have been operating illegally for so many years now unabatedly.
“The peace and serenity of Ologe River, a major recreational and tourist attraction, particularly during major festivals like Ileya, Easter, and Christmas, has been severely tampered with. It has become desolate and this desolation has even affected the local economy of the town, such that fishermen and women can no longer ply their trade. Our road is totally destroyed, commuting from one point to the other has been made much more difficult with the attendant astronomical increase in transport fares.”
He said accessing public facilities like the health centre and government primary schools had become nearly impossible for the sick, pregnant women and the aged, especially during rainy seasons, while landlords have abandoned their property.
According to Eguntola, the dredgers have refused to provide the basic legal obligations, and responsibilities provided in the Mining Act, which is to carry out routine remedial works along the mining routes.
“They have violated laws with impunity, even as they put on their untouchable toga. What have we not done to make them comply with laws and to incorporate CSR as one of their core operational philosophies? All entreaties of the community were rejected by these operators as they bluntly refused to sign the many Memorandum of Understanding the community, through its traditional authority sent to them. Aided and abetted by compromising government officials, they have become so emboldened that they continue to operate with impunity. Stop work orders from the government agencies are treated with disdain, while the government officials look the other way.
“We hereby call on the government agencies of Lagos State, the Federal Authorities exemplified by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, our pragmatic Lagos State Governor to come to our aid,” he pleaded.
The community members also called on the regulatory authorities to compel the dredgers to sit down with the community and execute a negotiated MoU and to also start remedial works immediately as the road has become totally impassable.
On the alleged case in court between the community and the dredgers, Eguntola explained that there was no such case. He clarified that the case in court was between the dredgers and some families who are claiming to be the owners of the dredging sites, and not with the community, and has nothing to do with the dredgers carrying out their responsibility to the community.