- General Secretary, Dredgers Association of Nigeria, Richard Ntan
By Anthony Nwachukwu
The Dredgers Association of Nigeria (DAN) has dissociated from the over 20 operators allegedly involved in the ongoing mindless environmental degradation of Era Town in Oto Awori Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, stating that they are not valid members of the registered body.
In a statement, the General Secretary of DAN, Mr. Richard Ntan, said that such operators soil the image of dredgers across the country, particularly in Lagos, thereby pitting the organised and registered dredgers’ body against regulatory authorities who do not verify their status before giving them approval.
Reacting to media reports on the insensitive dredging activities, Ntan said that they are “the consequences of government regulatory agencies not helping to organise businesses in Nigeria but when troubles comes, all the good and bad people, in this case dredgers, will be lumped together.”
He called for proper regulation and review of the operations in Era, and strict profiling of the alleged dredgers, while those found culpable should face extant environment regulatory laws.
He backed the community’s demand that their roads should be repaired, and the necessary social responsibility ecosystem extended to them, while all the non-state actors – the hoodlums and land grabbers – should be arrested and made to face the law.
“We at Dredgers Association of Nigeria do not condone illegalities, and where we find our members to have breached the law, we have never hesitated to intervene and find the right solution,” Ntan stated.
However, “we noticed that government agencies will issue dredging permits to most of these alleged dredging companies, and when problem happens, they and the media will blame the organised dredgers body.
“We are ashamed of what is going on in Era Town and wish to join the community to call on all relevant regulatory bodies on environment, mining and inland waterways to quickly intervene and save Era community.”
Frustrated at regulatory authorities’ lack of willpower to resolve the issue over the years, the Baale of Era Town, Chief Olumide Akinsoji Erinle, had called on Governor Sanwo-Olu to intervene in the unwholesome activities of the dredgers, who they said are operating without the community’s consent.
Erinle, who spoke Tuesday in the company of other chiefs and community development executives, accused the dredgers of causing “environmental degradation, with the road in total collapse.”
He added: “A lot of our men and women, who are fishers by nature, have been thrown out of their jobs. Of course, house owners in this area no longer enjoy their property.
“A lot have abandoned their houses and left this community, some just selling them and moving away. The reason is that the roads are in shambles, in complete collapse.”
