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By Kehinde Aderemi
The De Renaissance Patriots Foundation, a socio-cultural organisation committed to the welfare of indigenous Lagosians, has called for host communities to benefit more directly from major industrial investments in Lagos State.
The Foundation said the presence of large-scale industries should translate into sustainable employment opportunities, improved infrastructure and better social amenities for host communities, rather than unemployment and economic hardship.
In an open letter dated Thursday, August 6, 2026, jointly signed by its President, Mr. Miftah Bolaji Are, and Secretary-General, Mr. Yomi Tokosi, and titled “Dangote Refinery, Oil Exploration in Badagry, Urban and Industrial Development, Lagos State Government and House of Assembly: The Burden of Corporate Social Responsibility to the Indigenous Communities of Lagos,” the group acknowledged the economic significance of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Summit Oil’s exploration activities in Badagry and other industrial developments across the state.
Quoting a Yoruba proverb, the Foundation stated: “One cannot stand beneath an orange tree and be forced to suck a sour fruit.”
It added: “The establishment and continued expansion of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, oil exploration by Summit Oil in Badagry and the urban and industrial development of Lagos State are significant developments in the economic history of Lagos State, Nigeria and Africa.”
While welcoming the investments, the Foundation cautioned that they could have disruptive socio-economic and cultural consequences for indigenous communities if adequate measures were not taken.
It warned that without deliberate intervention, Lagos State could become “encircled by creeping islands of slums.”
According to the Foundation, communities across the state’s five divisions — Ikorodu, Badagry, Ikeja, Lagos and Epe — are already exhibiting signs of concern and apprehension over the long-term implications of the developments.
It therefore urged the Lagos State Government, the Lagos State House of Assembly, Summit Oil, Dangote Refinery and the organised private sector to take proactive steps devoid of bureaucratic delays or partisan politics.
The organisation commended the investments of Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Summit Oil and other private sector players, describing them as major contributors to Lagos’ industrialisation, job creation, energy security and national economic growth.
However, it posed a critical question: “What is the permanent economic place of the indigenous communities of Lagos in this historic development?”
To address the issue, the Foundation proposed the establishment of a professionally managed Indigenous Lagos Host Communities Development and Investment Trust.
According to the group, the Trust would finance education, healthcare, vocational training, youth empowerment, environmental protection, maritime development and other long-term community development initiatives.
“We are not asking the Dangote Group to surrender its investment. We are asking for partnership, participation and shared prosperity,” the Foundation stated.
It argued that while industrialisation transforms host communities and alters traditional livelihoods, indigenous residents should not remain mere spectators as wealth is created on their ancestral lands.
The Foundation also cited Chapter Three of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which established Host Communities Development Trusts for petroleum-producing communities, noting that although the provision applies to upstream petroleum operations, its guiding principles should inspire a similar framework for communities hosting major downstream projects such as the Dangote Refinery.
It maintained that communities bearing the long-term social, environmental and economic impacts of industrial activities deserve more than temporary employment opportunities or periodic corporate social responsibility projects.
According to the Foundation, establishing a structured mechanism for permanent economic participation would promote shared prosperity, strengthen community relations and guarantee sustainable development for indigenous Lagos communities.
