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Tag: dredging

  • Ogun community decries illegal dredging at Iyesi-Ota

    Ogun community decries illegal dredging at Iyesi-Ota

    Residents of Iyesi-Ota, a community in Ado Odo Ota Local Government of Ogun State, have raised the alarm over the activities of illegal sand dredgers in their community.

    They said their activities posed environmental danger to their lives and also threatened their buildings.

    Speaking to our correspondent, one of the landlords, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being attacked, said: “The executives of Itesiwaju Community Development Association (an association of community landlords) held a meeting with a certain Baale in the community, who is the arrowhead of the dredgers, about a year ago, to sign an agreement to be responsible for any damage posed by the planned dredging, but he declined. We even offered him suggestions on what he can do: to build  a bridge across the stream in the community as a link to the adjoining community.

    “When he failed to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) we presented to him, he moved to Osuke, but he was chased away, prevented from dredging on their land by the residents and he therefore returned to Iyesi.”

    According to him, “the Baale warned some executives of the CDA not to interfere with the project, as Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Abdulkabir Obalanlege, have given their blessings to dredge the stream.

    “He even placed sacrifices at junctions to scare and deter some landlords, who complained that the dredging posed danger to their lives and buildings.”

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    One of the residents recounted how the Baale bragged of having the backing of the governor.

    “Efforts to get the attention of Governor Abiodun to call them to order have proved abortive. The environmental hazards, noise pollution and tremor the dredging is posing to our buildings and lives is frightening. Many residents, some of whom are retirees, may be sent to their early graves by the noise pollution and tremors.

    “We therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Abiodun and Olota to save our lives and properties.”

  • Makoko residents demand dredging of canal

    RESIDENTS of Makoko, a slum community near Yaba, Lagos Mainland, have appealed to the state government to  dredge their canal to check flooding.

    The canal, they said, also serves Ebute-Meta, Sabo and Yaba.

    The Makoko Community Day  Organising Committee Chairman, Chief Kayode Bamidele, said if the canal is not dredged ‘’our roads will be destroyed by flood when it rains’’.

    He  called for the construction of a bridge to link Adams Manuel Street in Makoko with Ishola Street at Alagomeji so as to ease movement and  link them to  other areas.

    The communitY, he said,  also needed a health centre and a secondary school.

    “We travel to other communities for healthcare services and our children have to go to other communities, travelling miles and taking the risk of crossing the express roads every day to go to school,” he said.

    Bamidele said Makoko Day  was aimed at showcasing the community’s diverse cultural heritage.

    Makoko Community President Alhaji Odetunde Mudashiru said the   celebration would foster peaceful co-existence in the community.

    “We also give gifts, encourage the young ones and make them to know what the community stands for. The programme will ensure togetherness among our people.  We also use this medium to plead with government on our needs in the community,” he said.

  • Floods: Coalition urges stoppage of dredging, revisit of EIA

    Floods: Coalition urges stoppage of dredging, revisit of EIA

    The Concerned Citizens of Lekki Peninsula, Ikoyi and Victoria Island – a coalition of estates in the Lekki-Epe axis – have called on the Lagos State government to ensure the immediate removal of all obstructions to the natural watercourse in the area and uphold the sanctity of the Lekki Regional Masterplan.

    The request is coming in the wake of the recent flooding that affected most parts of Lagos Island.

    The coalition blamed the flooding on what it called “the indiscriminate sandfilling of natural water courses, oceans and lagoons in the area and the inability of the government to implement the Lekki drainage regional master plan.”

    Addressing reporters on Victoria Island, the chairman of the coalition, Mr. Olusegun Ladega, identified factors responsible for the flooding to be three folds. Firstly, he blamed the distortion in the Lekki drainage regional masterplan caused by the indiscriminate sand filling of natural waterways, and the illegal construction of structures on drainages and canals that obstruct the flow of water so flood water has nowhere to go.

    Secondly, Ladega noted that the inability of the critical ministries in the state – Environment, Waterfront, Land and Physical Planning – to work in synergy has resulted in infringement and breach of environmental laws by the ministries, leading to a poor and weak enforcement of the laws, building regulations and town planning guidelines.  He listed the third cause of the flood as the sand- filling of lagoons and oceans causing coastal erosion and forcing water back to land, and the inability of estate developers to produce Environmental Impact Analysis reports.

    Ladega urged the Lagos State government to resolve these issues, saying that the flooding was not principally the effect of indiscriminate dumping of refuse and climate change, which government blamed.

    Therefore, the coalition further said, having identified these reasons as the remote causes of the flooding, there was a need to change the narrative from the narrow political one being peddled by the government of residents clogging canals with refuse and climate change.

    The coalition  argued that as the area that pays the highest amount on its properties to the government, it deserves to be given a certain level of consideration especially as concerns infrastructure.

    They called on government to, as a matter of urgency, put in place measure that will abate the menace caused by flooding in the area. One of these demands is the immediate stoppage of all sand filling activities across the state until the Environmental Impact Assessments reports are made available and subjected to independent scientific review. Besides, they urged the state government to enforce the original drainage master plan, and all distortions on the drainage master plan be reversed; all construction hindering flow of water be removed immediately and there should be a restoration of all developments to comply with the Lagos State environmental laws.

    Ladejo noted that the flooding of the July 8  and 22, has exposed the lack of a response plan/structure to deal with an emergency of this scale. Therefore, the body says an emergency plan should be put in place that will address the persistent flooding and attend to residents affected by the menace.

    Other measures the coalition suggested include adequate measures  to inform the public of the emergency plan that will inform the public of the dangers; a plan for the rescue of anyone affected, relocation of those whose properties are affected in case of another flood. Also, the government should put in place a mechanism for the maintenance of drainage structures, and maximise capacity of drainages as both reservoirs and transport medium for waste waters.

    “This is common sense, but it is not done. Drainages are filled up with silt up to about 75 per cent of their capacity. There is the need to repair and reconstruct existing drainages because most of them have lost their capacity due to structural damages,” Ladega said.             The coalition also charged the state government to continue with the use of filter strips in form of permeable paving (main roads and development driveways), which needs to be reinforced as concrete roads are not desirable in these areas. He said there is a need to limit flow of waste water into public drains by improving on waste water management systems in large estates; improved septic tank design/construction in private residence. Ladega explained that there is the need to also maximise river course capacity. For instance, he revealed that the Lagos Lagoon has not been dredged in ages, hence, the need for a deliberate sweep of the river bed to improve water flow and retention.

    “Furthermore, the Lagos State Government needs to develop deliberate policy to protect the Peninsula to influence development and construct mechanical flood defences. This will range from ordinary levees with sand bags to concrete/shell shore protection and embankment,” he explained.

    Importantly, the coalition called on government to construct artificial ponds or lakes to act as additional reservoir / retention for floodwater and caissons. It added that there is also a need to construct elevated road with gentle slope embankment, as this will preserve the integrity of road for the purpose of evacuation during flooding emergency and at the same time increase capacity of drains.

    The coalition also tasked government to appoint a watch dog committee from the private sector and civil society that will monitor, and ensure the environmental laws are properly carried out all through the year.

  • NCF raises alarm over sand mining, dredging

    The Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) has expressed concern over the menace of sand mining and dredging in some parts of Lagos State.

    The organisation has called on the relevant government agencies to curb the menace before it gets out of hand.

    The Lagos-based environment watchdog said as the demand for sand increases in the construction industry, the act is  becoming an environmental issue.

    In a statement,  its Director-General, Adeniyi Karunwi,  noted that the industry has created huge opportunities for both skilled and unskilled labour in Lagos.

    This, he said, had led to an increase in sand mining, with its attendant environmental and economic consequences.

    He said the continued dredging in the state’s shorelines is an illegal activity capable of causing major environmental challenges for the state.

    Describing environmental impacts of sand mining and dredging as disastrous, Karunwi listed soil erosion, formation of sinkholes, loss of bio-diversity, soil contamination resulting from leakages of chemicals into the soil, deforestation, coastal erosion and loss of aquatic lives as possible effects of dredging and mining.

    “For instance, dredging in some places has been largely responsible for the loss of breeding habitats for sea turtles, which depend on sandy beaches for their nesting and other biodiversity. The demand for sand for the construction of roads and buildings has increased sand mining and dredging leading to a high demand for low-cost sand,” he added.

    Karunwi explained that a  biodiversity survey by a team of ornithologists along the lagoon in Lagos (from Sangotedo to Badagry), showed an unprecedented proliferation of dredging activities, a situation he believes may be lacking in regulation and coordination.

    Such uncoordinated activities by miners and dredgers, he feared, could cause great depths of almost six metres in the seabed, as reflected in the Banana Island to Third Mainland Bridge axis reported by the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR). The report further noted that depth was noticed in some of the areas where the Institute carried out the research.

    “It is, therefore, in the light of the foregoing, that NCF is calling on the relevant government agencies responsible for stemming this increasing tide of sand mining and dredging, to put a halt to it before it becomes a monster that would eventually consume us.”

  • Court refuses to stop Eko Atlantic dredging

    The Federal High Court in Lagos Monday refused to grant an interlocutory injunction against Eko Atlantic project dredger.

    Justice Jude Dagat held that the N3.7billion guarantee posted by the dredger’s owners represented good security for the claim.

    The judge also refused an application for the suit’s dismissal filed by the dredger’s owners.

    He held that the plaintiff, Mondinvest Limited, can maintain the action for N3.7billion damages.

    Three contractors handling the project urged the court to dismiss a suit seeking to stop it.

    The plaintiff is demanding the money in general damages for the alleged damage of its property due to the defendants’ activities.

    But the defendants, M.V. Breughel (sister vessel to M.V. Congo River), the Master of the M.V. Breughel and Dredging Environmental and Marine Engineering NV, contended that the plaintiff lacked jurisdiction to file the action.

    The plaintiff filed the admiralty case, known as in rem proceedings, for alleged coastline and property damage caused by M.V. Congo River and MV. Breughel currently engaged in dredging operations in the Kuramo Waters in furtherance of the Eko Atlantic project.

    Arguing their notice of preliminary objection, the defendants’ lawyer, Ken Okwujiako, urged the court to dismiss the suit for want of jurisdiction.

    “Our position is that the plaintiff, not being owners of the Kuramo Waters coastline, has no basis for demanding damages. The Kuramo Waters belong to the Federal Government. It is our view that the plaintiff has not stated any right it has over Kuramo Waters whatsoever,” he said.

    Besides, the lawyer said the defendants are agents of a disclosed party, which had already provided a guarantee in case of any damages.

    “We urge your lordship to strike out this suit. At the appropriate time we shall bring an application for cost,” Okwujiako said.

    But, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Adedolapo Akinrele (SAN), said his client’s property on the Kuramo Waters was damaged through the dredging.

    “It’s clear that the plaintiff has suffered damages and is still suffering damages as a result of the dredging,” he said.

    Akinrele, in a motion for injunction, prayed for an interlocutory order restraining the defendants from continuing with the dredging, sand-filling or reclaiming the Kuramo waters pending hearing and determination of the suit.

    A company, South Energy X, Eko Atlantic Project sponsors, has applied to join as a party to the suit.

    Justice Dagat adjourned until April 15 for hearing.

     

  • Lagos warns against unbridled dredging

    Lagos State Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development has warned dredgers against unauthorised and inimical mode of operation leading to irreparable damage to the environment. It said the impact of uncontrolled dredging has constituted huge crisis along the coastline and has therefore prompted stringent rules to check unwholesome operations.

    State Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Eng. Adebowale Akinsanya, who spoke during a stakeholders meeting in Alausa, Ikeja at the weekend, said the government has concluded plans to halt the issuance of dredging licenses in certain areas of the state in order to ensure regeneration and re-assessment of such places. He lamented that unapproved extension of properties into the lagoon without appropriate consultation has led to adverse effects of flooding and erosion.

    He said: “Henceforth, an internet based information system will become operational soon, where all requirements for each category will be available and a two-step process will be adopted in getting approvals for operation in the state. First, all applicants will get approval from the Lagos State government and then go to National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) for concurrent approval for all categories of permits. Temporary permits will no longer be entertained.”

    Speaking on the impact of current human activities and its effect, an environmentalist, Dr. Regina Folorunsho, blamed deterioration of natural habitat and the eco-system on activities such as sand mining, dredging, subsidence, negative land use, deforestation, dams including a host of others. She explained that while dams reduce the influx of sand into the state, dredging on the hand amounts to unevenness in the depth of the lagoon. She further condemned arbitrary creation of islands by individuals for commercial purposes, noting that it constricts the lagoon water flow.

    According to her, the coastal geosyncline along the entire Lagos coastal areas is composed of young sediments still undergoing the natural processes of dewatering and compaction. Such processes result in subsidence and ultimate lowering of the already low-lying coastal topography.

  • River Benue dredging to cost N26b

    River Benue dredging to cost N26b

    • To be completed in two years

    The Federal Government has awarded a N26 billion con-tract for the dredging of lower River Benue to ease movement of cargoes from the ports to other parts of the country.

    Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Acting Managing Director Mr Danladi Ibrahim, who broke the news in Lagos, said the contract was awarded to Messr Oyins Oil and Gas Limited.

    He said: “We have awarded the dredging of lower river Benue for a tune of N26 billion. Also, the dredging of the lower river Niger is completed and quite a number of boats and jetties are under construction. We are all aware that we have completed the Onitsha river port and it will be concessioned to the private sector to operate any time from now.

    “Baro is 95 per cent completed; Lokoja is about 60 per cent as well as Oguta port. We have awarded the construction of Markurdi river’s port and any moment from now, it will take off.”

    Ibrahim said the major challenge facing the agency was funds, unfolding the plans to transform the parastatal to make it financially independent in the next few years.

    The plans, according to him, include the development of a multi-story office complex in Lagos, for revenue generation; the introduction of hover-barge technology in their operation and carrying along critical stakeholders.

    He promised that NIWA would collaborate with the governments of the riverine states to provide efficient inland waterways services.

    “As it relates to the conflict between NIWA and some state governments, we have issues with many states like Lagos, Rivers and Bayelsa but we are ready to engage them and collaborate with them to promote out services.

    “What we intend to do this time around, is to collaborate with these states. Any moment from now, we will be visiting all the states’ governors that we have issues with and collaborate.

    “We believe that by collaborating, this issue will be resolved and inland waterways will be used optimally. Instead of engaging in legal tussles and conflicts, I don’t see any reason  states and Federal Government cannot collaborate to develop the economy,” Ibrahim said.

    Ibrahim said the agency was also collaborating with a Dubai-based company to develop its Lagos Area Office into a multi-purpose edifice to provide world-class service and comfort.

    “We intend to have a 45–storey office tower here in Lagos and in it, we will have about five floors of super shopping malls and 10 floors of car parks attached to it, because it is a kind of inter-modal transportation system, we will have a train station that will link this edifice.

    “The government intends to have a metro station here and there will also be a modern jetty. This will be in partnership with a company in Dubai on a public-private partnership arrangement,” he said, adding that jobs would be created in the sub-sector as management plans to encourage private sector investments in deploying Hover crafts and Hover barges  that can be used to transport travellers and cargoes from the ports,” he said.

     

  • River Benue dredging to cost N26b

    River Benue dredging to cost N26b

    • To be completed in two years

    The Federal Government has awarded a N26 billion con-tract for the dredging of lower River Benue to ease movement of cargoes from the ports to other parts of the country.

    Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Acting Managing Director Mr Danladi Ibrahim, who broke the news in Lagos, said the contract was awarded to Messr Oyins Oil and Gas Limited.

    He said: “We have awarded the dredging of lower river Benue for a tune of N26 billion. Also, the dredging of the lower river Niger is completed and quite a number of boats and jetties are under construction. We are all aware that we have completed the Onitsha river port and it will be concessioned to the private sector to operate any time from now.

    “Baro is 95 per cent completed; Lokoja is about 60 per cent as well as Oguta port. We have awarded the construction of Markurdi river’s port and any moment from now, it will take off.”

    Ibrahim said the major challenge facing the agency was funds, unfolding the plans to transform the parastatal to make it financially independent in the next few years.

    The plans, according to him, include the development of a multi-story office complex in Lagos, for revenue generation; the introduction of hover-barge technology in their operation and carrying along critical stakeholders.

    He promised that NIWA would collaborate with the governments of the riverine states to provide efficient inland waterways services.

    “As it relates to the conflict between NIWA and some state governments, we have issues with many states like Lagos, Rivers and Bayelsa but we are ready to engage them and collaborate with them to promote out services.

    “What we intend to do this time around, is to collaborate with these states. Any moment from now, we will be visiting all the states’ governors that we have issues with and collaborate.

    “We believe that by collaborating, this issue will be resolved and inland waterways will be used optimally. Instead of engaging in legal tussles and conflicts, I don’t see any reason  states and Federal Government cannot collaborate to develop the economy,” Ibrahim said.

    Ibrahim said the agency was also collaborating with a Dubai-based company to develop its Lagos Area Office into a multi-purpose edifice to provide world-class service and comfort.

    “We intend to have a 45–storey office tower here in Lagos and in it, we will have about five floors of super shopping malls and 10 floors of car parks attached to it, because it is a kind of inter-modal transportation system, we will have a train station that will link this edifice.

    “The government intends to have a metro station here and there will also be a modern jetty. This will be in partnership with a company in Dubai on a public-private partnership arrangement,” he said, adding that jobs would be created in the sub-sector as management plans to encourage private sector investments in deploying Hover crafts and Hover barges  that can be used to transport travellers and cargoes from the ports,” he said.

     

  • Ekiti to spend N2b Ecological Fund on dredging

    The Ekiti State government has said the N2 billion Ecological Fund received from the Federal Government will be used to dredge eight waterways in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    Conducting reporters round the project sites yesterday, Special Assistant to Governor Ayo Fayose on Environment Bisi Kolawole said the allegation of diversion of the funds was not true.

    He said the government would use the funds to prevent ecological disaster in Ado-Ekiti, adding that ecological problems in other towns would also receive attention.

    The governor’s aide identified communities to benefit from the second phase as Efon, Ifaki and Ilawe.

    The waterways undergoing dredging include Adere, Ureje, Isinla, Elemi and Omi Olori.

  • Suit against dredging contract for hearing today

    An activist, Mr Sam Nmeje, has prayed the Federal High Court in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, to declare as illegal the contract awarded for the capital dredging of the Calabar channel.

    He said the contract process breached Section 16 of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, and is therefore unlawful.

    President Goodluck Jonathan, Attorney-General of the Federation, Minister of Transport, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) and Calabar Channel Management Limited (CCML) are the respondents.

    The plaintiff said BPP allegedly cancelled a bidding process midway in 2010 “without stating any reasons for doing so”.

    He said another bidding process was held, and CCML, which allegedly was not in existence in 2010, bidded for and won the contract.

    “I know as a fact that the six defendant (CCML) lacks the necessary capacity and experience to execute contracts of such magnitude and economic importance to the Federation of Nigeria.

    “It was incorporated solely for the purpose of unlawfully procuring the Capital Dredging of the Calabar Channel, as is apparent from its objects in its memorandum and articles of association,” the plaintiff said.

    The plaintiff sought an order of injunction restraining the defendants from releasing any funds to the contractor for the project’s execution.

    He also sought to prohibit the Calabar Channel Management Limited from mobilising workers to the site, carrying out any work or executing the “unlawfully procured contract”.

    Nmeja is also seeking an order of mandatory injunction directing NPA to immediately revoke the contract award to CCML for allegedly being procured contrary to the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

    The suit, before Justice Obilo Emmanuel, will be heard today.