Kunle Adelabu
A community leader and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr Omobolaji Osinowo, has condemned the operations of private port owners and dredging companies in the Ibeshe axis of Igbogbo/Baiyeku Local Council Development Area of Ikorodu Division, Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, describing it as total disregard for the residents’ existence.
He also condemned the removal of people around coastal lines in Lagos as abuses of their rights and initiative, and alleged the state government has engaged in the redistribution of the lands to rich friends of those in government.
Osinowo made the allegations in an interview with THE IMPACT recently.
“All that they just know how to do is to displace people from their lands so that they can give them to their rich families and friends. Everywhere that they’ve displaced people, it is usually waterfront. It is waterfront because and obviously, all over the world, waterfronts are prime properties. So, that is what is happening.
“They have turned to my area in Ibeshe. You know how Apapa people used to complain about the menace of the trailers. That is how we are complaining now about the menace of these trucks. On that road, we have recorded many accidents. Do you know how many lives have been lost due to the greed of these people?”
The ADC chieftain in Ikorodu further complained, “While they (Lagos State ) collect money from these dredgers that littered our coastline area and these people operate without any regard to the inhabitants or the residents of the area without any caution or restraint. They don’t care at all. Every part of our coastline is either container port or zone where dredgers are operating.”
He alleged that despite causing environmental degradation, and damage to roads with their operations, these companies have no Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) through which they give back to their host community.
“ While the government made revenue and these companies made huge profit from our lands, they do not have what we call Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to our community which is their host community.
“This is what you should do in a community that is hosting you so that you are responsible and you give them relief for affecting their lives with your operations. They are not only causing degradation but are also damaging our roads. These happen aside from the menace of their truck drivers on our roads.
“A responsible company must be socially responsible to its host community especially these ones that are causing negative effects on us so as to give the people relief and succour to the damages that they are causing. Did you see schools that they have built or town hall that they have donated?
“We have not been getting anything from them except damaging of our roads, environmental degradation and pollution and the nuisance value of their trucks and trailer drivers.”
Osinowo also emphasised that the dredging activities going on in and around Ibeshe in Ikorodu is frightening because of not just the immediate consequences but also the danger it poses in future.
“And, it is terrible, very terrible and very frightening as well. We’re talking about insecurity and everything that we know, but the kind of crime that goes on along waterways are unimaginable. Are they not bringing danger to us?” he asked.
“How have the people benefited anything from what is going on there? Sadly, the companies operating at our detriment are carting away huge sums in profits while the officials carrying out the environmental impact assessment are also making millions on the basis that they are doing it on behalf of the people which is not true.
“Yes, there is sand in water, but it comes from the ground from underneath the water. You keep sucking it and in another 25 years, if you start hearing about land tremor in all those areas, it’s because of the activities that they’ve done over the years; the damages that they’ve done to all those communities.
“That is when houses start collapsing, or they start having earthquake and all those kinds of earth tremor, that’s when they will know the kind of damage that this government has perpetrated in their communities. We can’t sit down and look at all those kinds of thing happening without saying anything,” Mr Osinowo said.
