Again, Era Awori Community Cries to Government, As Dredgers Ignore Stop Work Order

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By Innocent Orok

Succour is yet to come to the people of Afromedia-Ajangbadi, Adaloko, Odan- Era and Era – Awori town all in Oto Awori LCDA Lagos State, barely three weeks after they cried out for government and its agencies responsible for regulation of dredging activities to come to their aid, as over 20 Dredging companies have degraded their communities leaving them with untold hardship, sufferings and pains.

In a renewed Save Our Souls campaign, members of the communities in a press briefing with the media lamented that, the stop work order by the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to all the dredging companies have never been complied with, instead the dredging companies have continued their havoc day and night with no regulation or control.

Speaking at the protest meeting by members of the community, Barr. Gbenga Eguntola, Chairman of Association of Development Association Joint Action Committee (CDAJAC) on Wednesday, said “our gathering today is focus and chorus collective dirge of sorrows, pains, challenges that have befallen and are befalling us”.

” What are the realities of our existence today?, The daily realities we sleep and wake up to confront are our dilapidated , degraded and destroyed road. The destruction of our beautiful ecosystem vide the illegal Dredging activities of mindless commercial profiteers.

“It need be said that the particular road destroyed is the main artery connecting and transversing 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.

Speaking further, in a lamentation manner , 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 ” and this dredgers have been operating illegally for so many years now unabetedly”.

” The peace and serenity of Ologe river , a major recreational and tourists attraction particularly during major festivals like Ileya, Easter and Christmas has been severely tempered with. It has become desolate and this desolation has even affected the local economy of the town, such that fishermen and women could no longer ply their trade. Our road is totally destroyed, commuting from one point to the other has been made much more difficult with attendant astronomical increase in transport fares”.

He further said accessing public facilities like health centre and government primary schools are nearly impossible to the sick, pregnant women and the aged especially during rainy season.
While landlords have abandoned their properties due to lack of access.

According to Barr. Eguntola, the Dredgers have refused to provide the basic legal obligations, and responsibilities provided in the Mining Act as amended, which is to carry out routine remedial works along the Mining routes of the Dredgers.

” They 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 philosophy.

“All the 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 government agencies are treated with disdain , while government officials look the other way”, Eguntola explained.

According to him the Mining Act has not placed any onerous responsibility on dredgers . All it asks them to do is remedial works on the mining routes . ” We hereby call on the government agencies of Lagos State, the Federal Authorities exemplified by National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), as well as Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, our pragmatic Lagos State Governor to come to our aid.”

The community members further 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.

Asked about the alleged case in court between the Community and the Dredgers, Barr. Eguntola explained that there is no such case. He clarified that the case in court is between the Dredgers and some families who are claiming to be the owners of the Dredging sites and not with the community. Moreso the case has nothing to do with the dredgers carrying out their responsibility to the community which they operate from.

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