Apparently to safeguard its coastline degradation and other forms of abuse, the Lagos State government, through the Ministry for Waterfront has engaged the services of an international organization to carry out studies on.

Royal Haskonind, a Netherlands’ based firm has been awarded the contract to study the state’s over 186 kilometres, which stretches from Badagry to Epe.

Among the scope of its engagement are to determine by how much the Atlantic is projected to rise, wherein the state would be required to take precautions; areas to be dredged for better navigation; and, the extent of the damage that the abandoned shipwrecks had done to the coastline.

The Commissioner for Waterfront and Infrastructure Development, Prince Adesegun Oniru, an engineer, said the contract was awarded to the Netherlands company because of its expertise and the fact that the country had properly managed her coastline; “bearing in mind that it is a nation situated below the water level”.

Oniru, while lamenting the seeming neglect of coastlines, especially, in Lagos, said the state had to take the lead since its overall redevelopment programmes would be meaningless if the coastal lines are not properly protected.

To him, “the Federal Government agencies that collect dues from the vessels that navigate the Lagos water have not taken any action in removing the wrecked ships that had been an environmental threat to the state. In the circumstance, the state government could not sit back and allow the situation to degenerate further, hence the resolve to undertake the study of the coastlines and water bodies”.

He said efforts are being made by the state government to ensure that the abandoned vessels in the Lekki axis are removed and necessary actions commence soon.

The commissioner reiterated that the same problem of ocean surge that caused severe erosion, which occurred as a result of shipwreck, was witnessed in Okunde Blue Water Scheme, an area situated between Oniru and Elegushi Estates.

The contract fkr removal of the ship’s carcass was awarded late last year, while the last batch of the wreckage is about to be ferried out of the ocean. “When the Federal Government agencies that are supposed to come to the rescue failed in their responsibility, it was the state government that came to the rescue”, said Oniru, thus assuring that there are scientific facts to debunk the belief that Lagos would sink in 50 years time, adding that all who will have the opportunity of living up till then would discovered that the state would not only exit, but also growing from strength to prosperity.

The commissioner also listed four major identified cases of ecological disasters in the state. These include the shipwreck at Olomometa in Ojo local government, which he said had altered natural processes on the beachfront over the past 12 years and resulted in a near total erosion of the buffer between the Lagoon and Ocean; several other abandoned shipwrecks on the Lagos Marina; the Badagry Marina; and, degradation of Akarakumo in Badagry as a result of illegal dredging and sand digging.

He also explained the extent of work done on the New Maiyegun Waterfront Scheme.

According to him, the original topography of the area is marshy and requires extensive sand-filling, which was carried out from the Lagos Lagoon crossing the Victoria Island-Epe Highway with between four and six intermediary pumping station.

The scheme, located a few kilometers from Victoria Island has been provided with roads and drainage infrastructure. The contractor handling the project is Messrs Hitech Construction Company Nigeria Limited.

Sand-filling of almost 80 hectares of land with approximately 1.4 million cubic metres of sand through has been completed by the contractor.

- Lagos Sate Governor’s Media Office

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