Lagos community laments as dredgers’ trucks destroy access roads

In this piece, ANOZIE EGOLE looks at how dredging activities have almost rendered a whole community inaccessible

Era, a community located in the Oto-Awori Local Community Development Area in the Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State, is currently struggling. Residents no longer have access to medical facilities and have been denied access to good roads for over 20 years, ever since more than 20 dredging companies settled in the community.

The once peaceful and bubbling community with many aquatic resources has lost its attraction, as property owners are quickly abandoning their properties due to poor access roads and other basic facilities.

The residents of the community claimed they had petitioned The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwno-Olu, seeking intervention over the havoc that sand miners were wrecking on their community.

When The PUNCH visited the community on June 25, more than 10 trucks, estimated to weigh about 80 tonnes each, fully loaded with sand, were seen leaving the community from their dredging site.

The trucks using the community roads have caused significant damage, especially during the rainy season.

The community alleged that the dredgers moved into the Ologe River in an Era with heavily loaded machines and equipment without consulting with them, adding that they did not present any government permit/licence, Cadastral permits, and environmental impact assessment reports, among others.

They further alleged that the only hospital and public school in the community had become inaccessible due to road and environmental degradation, while joblessness and poverty ravaged the people due to the loss of their fishing business to the activities of the miners.

The Baale of Era Community, Olumide Erinle, and the chiefs lamented that the once-happy and growing community had lost its peace and development since the dredgers came to the community, causing deforestation of the mangrove and destruction of their roads and environment.

Tracing to the root of their ordeal, the Baale disclosed that some unpatriotic persons in the community took advantage of the community’s empty stool since the passing of the former traditional ruler about 17 years ago and connived with the dredgers.

Erinle noted, “Things were moving fine for the community and its people till the dredgers came, everything started falling apart. A lot of our men and women, who are fishermen by nature, have been thrown out of their jobs.”

Residents speak

For the Baale, the situation has made the community unsuitable for investments as property owners keep leaving the community en masse.

“House owners in this area no longer enjoy their property. A lot of them have abandoned their houses and left this community. Some just sell them and move away. The reason is that the roads are in shambles. Most vehicles in this area just move for moving sake. They are no longer in order.