Residents decry discharge of waste water on Ejigbo roads, fear health hazards
FEAR of an epidemic has gripped residents of the Adekan Akinsanya area and environs in Ejigbo Local Council Development Area ( LCDA) of Lagos State, following discharge of waste water on roads by households and companies.
The residents expressed concern over possible health hazards of the development and urged authorities to act immediately.
They noted that even while it’s currently dry season, the roads are flooded with waste water, making navigation by vehicle owners difficult. They also accused the LCDA authority of failing to construct drainages, while preventing willing individuals and companies from doing so. According to them, a factory, Yikodeen Footwear Ltd, had indicated interest in constructing drainages, alongside other residents. But officials of the council allegedly rejected the offer.
A resident, who simply identified himself as Friday, accused companies in the area of channeling water from factories to the roads, instead of constructing drainages as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility ( CSR).
When The Guardian reached out to the Chief Executive Officer of Yikodeen Footwear Limited, Atunde Olayinka, he said: “We proposed that we would construct drainages while others also do theirs. By that, we can construct a drainage to the end of the road. But Ejigbo LCDA objected.
“So, we are not the only ones discharging waste on the road. It is also affecting us negatively because we have the biggest property on the street. However, they always make it look like we are the only one. Every building on this route has the same problem. But they don’t go to them. There is no drainage from the beginning to the end of the road, and that is why water from all the compounds goes to the road. “We met with officials of the Ejigbo LCDA but they didn’t give us the permission to construct drainages. There is nothing we can do about it. They asked us to construct drainage for the entire street but we told them it would be easier for others to also act if we do our side, since it is the biggest.”
Speaking with The Guardian, the Secretary, Iwajowa Community Development Association ( CDA), Muyiwa Adeaga, said: “We have tried over the years to do the drainage. In fact, the Yikodeen factory went to Ejigbo Council but they did not allow it to do anything. They were told to construct the drainage from the street to NNPC road. And they came with other excuses to discourage the company.
“I sent a video clip to the Ejigbo Chairman and he told me to write a letter. He said he would send engineers to inspect the place and tell us what to do. There are certain things we cannot do because the LCDA will complain that we are taking over their roads. We pay through the nose for everything. We embarked on an electrification project in 2006 and 2007 where we paid millions of naira, and also paid N250,000 to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria ( PHCN) before they approved the project. We still paid their men before they worked, and we are still doing more to develop our community individually.
“There was a time when council officials came to Yikodeen and asked for N500,000. I questioned them on what they had done for the community before demanding such an amount from a company that is helping the community and giving jobs to the youths.”
Responding, the Ejigbo
LCDA Information Officer, Bisi Adekolujo, said: “The stoppage might be because of a dispute between them and the nearest CDA. They cannot be stopped just like that.
“An issue happened around the Bucknor area where people who were dredging sand fought with the CDA. Our chairman tried to settle the dispute but they refused. So, the chairman had to refer them to the state when the matter began to get out of hand. If they stop them from doing something, it means there is a reason. Also, when we call for stakeholders’ meetings, most of them don’t attend.”