The House of Representatives has mandated the House Committee on Environment to urgently visit coastal fishing communities in Ibeju Lekki local government of Lagos state, for a first hand assessment of the dredging activities of Dangote Refinery and Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprises Ltd.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance moved by Hon. Adebayo Olusegun Balogun from Lagos state during a special plenary on Monday.
The lawmaker explained that Ibeju Lekki local government is the fastest growing economic hub of Nigeria due largely to the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lekki Deep Sea Port and the sitting of Dangote Refinery and Dangote Greenfield Port and Quays.
He further said that Dangote Group and Lekki Port LFTZ have engaged in unprecedented dredging of the sea causing unquantifiable erosion of the seashore leading to destruction of building and fishing equipment and also making fishing almost impossible, that the wanton dredging of the ocean has distorted the costal ecosystem leading to massive loss of land, destruction of access roads and trees of economic value.
According to Balogun, communities like Tiye, Idotun, Idasho, Okunraye, Lekki, Oshoroko and environs are seriously under threat of extinction if nothing is urgently done.
“The association of fishing and fishing related persons on behalf of the affected communities have written letters to the management of Dangote Group and the Lekki Free Trade Zone on the environmental danger of their dredging activities without any response.
“The association has also written to the Federal Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR) to intervene in the issue and save their environment and source of livelihood.
“None of these agencies of government responded to their cry, with the exception of the Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR) that sent a letter and pleaded with the fishing communities to remain law abiding, while they look into the issue,” he said.
The lawmaker further expressed worries that the association of fishing and fishing related persons and communities along the coast line of Ibeju Lekki local government have lost confidence in the system and are willing and ready to engage in self-help to protect their communities and source of livelihood sooner than imagined.
“If urgent steps are not taking to address this issue, we may experience break down of law and order which may lead to wanton destruction of material and human resources as recently experienced during the ENDSars protest,” he said.
