An environmentalist, John Ekoko, on Wednesday decried the ongoing sand filling of Lagoons in some parts of Lagos State by the state government, warning against its consequences.
Ekoko, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Environmental Society, Lagos Island Chapter, spoke in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.
Nigerian media report that massive sand filling is currently ongoing at the lagoon end of Iyana Oworo, Ogudu and Ilubirin areas of the state. According to him, the state government is sand filling the lagoons without due consideration for the surrounding coastal areas.
The environmentalist said that its consequences were already noticeable on the surrounding coastal areas as well as on water transportation.
Ekoko said a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) should have been carried out on the areas before any dredging and sand filling work was carried out.
The environmentalist said that his concern and that of others was that they have yet to see the EIA documents on any of the ongoing projects.
“Environmentalists have spoken against the sand filling and dredging of Lagoons at the environment and non-governmental levels, but government does not want to listen.
“You see what is happening at the western part of the bar-beach because of the Eko Atlantic City project; the coastal areas are now shadows of what they used to be.
“I want to use this opportunity to remind the state government that climate change is real, the world over.
“The sea level is increasing as a result of the melting ice and that is why the issue of flooding is becoming very, very dangerous,” he said.
The environmentalist said that coastal lines had been tampered with as a result of unregulated sand filling and dredging.
Ekoko urged the state Ministry of Physical Planning and Infrastructure to rise up to the occasion and nip the foreseeable disasters in the bud.
He said that the recent experiences along the Lekki axis would be child’s play if government should continue to ignore their warnings.