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Henry Okonkwo
Residents of Chief Natufe Street, off Babs Animashaun Street, Surulere, Lagos, are angry. They claim that, for months, they have been bearing the brunt of a face-off between the Lagos State government and the organised union of automobile workers.
According to the residents, their community has lost its serenity since the two groups locked horns in 2017. They insisted that their environment has been destroyed and is still being ravaged because of activities of auto mechanics that settled in the area after the state government dislodged them from their former abode. They lamented that the activities of the mechanics constantly expose their community to health hazards.
Some of the residents who spoke to Daily Sun said their ordeal started when the state government demolished a mechanic village situated along Babs Animashaun Street in November 2016. Many of the dislodged artisans that operated there went into the residential areas to set up workshops.
“They came into our estate and set up their mechanic operations with brazen impunity, not caring about the dangers they exposed us and our children to,” lamented Mr. Tunde Akinyemi, a resident.
More residents lamented the hardship they face daily on their road, which they claimed has been battered by engine oil used by the auto mechanics. They also lamented that they now drive through the community with difficulty because of the logjam caused by the many cars that drive in to seek the services of the technicians.
During a visit to the community, Daily Sun observed that the mechanics were at work in various locations, including Onitimirin, Alhaja Oduola and Chief Natufe streets. Indeed, the bustling residential area has been turned into full-blown mechanic shops. The mechanics’ activities have also worsened the environment.
A resident, Ojo Daudu, said the mechanics infringed on the rights of residents and road users by coming to constitute a nuisance and pose health risks. He urged the state government to visit the community and conduct an investigation into the dangers that the mechanics posed.
“These mechanics have taken over everywhere in our streets,” he complained. “And the chemical wastes like carbides, engine grease, and oils they generate are poured inside our gutters. This has caused so much flooding in our community because the drainage has become blocked. We are prone to epidemic, especially during the rainy season. Another is the bottleneck we now face driving out of our houses because of the huge number of faulty vehicles parked here, waiting to be repaired by these mechanics operating in our estate.”
Another resident, Lekan David, said the residents had, at a time, petitioned the government but nothing has been done to ameliorate their plight.
“The past two years have been very tough for us since the mechanics started operating here after the demolition of their workshops. They operate here every day, even Sundays, between 8am and 8pm. We see how they release toxic gases into our environment. Dangerous gas emissions from cars’ exhaust and spray paints are indiscriminately released on us by these mechanics without caring about the risks they expose us to. It is hellish and scary each time I think of the health implications of their chemicals. In fact, there was a time last year when everybody in our estate was nursing one ailment or the other. We petitioned the government but we heard nothing from them. And that is why we are begging our new governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to come to our aid. We are in pain because of the activities of these mechanics.”
Alhaji Azeez Okusanya, who resides on Alhaja Oduola Street, said the residents have been overwhelmed by the activities of auto mechanics and have become helpless and frustrated under the pain and suffering the residents pass through. “I’ve been living here for almost 10 years. This community used to be calm and serene before the mechanics invaded our neighbourhood. The landlords’ associations here couldn’t withstand the mechanics after they were dislodged by the state government. Hence we watched helplessly as they started setting up their auto mechanic services here.”
But many of the mechanics who did not want their names mentioned said they were left with no option when the state government demolished their shops without prior notification.
“We are here because we don’t have anywhere to go, since they drove us off the Mechanics’ Village at Babs Animashaun Street. When the demolitions occurred two years ago, we petitioned the authorities to seek redress. We cried out to the then governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, and to the ministries of environment and transportation to come to our aid and provide another location for us to earn our daily bread. But we were left to our fate,” they said.
