The residents of Era Community in Oriade Development Council in Ojo, Lagos State have petitioned the state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his urgent intervention regarding the damage allegedly caused by dredgers in their community.

Addressing the media on Tuesday, the Baale of Era Community, Olumide Erinle, lamented that the community had lost its peace and development since about 20 dredgers invaded it.

He said the dredgers were causing deforestation and destruction of their roads and environment.

According to Erinle, things were moving fine for the residents till the dredgers came, and everything started falling apart.

“A lot of our men and women, who are fishers by nature, have been thrown out of their jobs,” he stated.

He said that property owners in the area had abandoned their houses.

“A lot of them have abandoned their houses and left this community; some are just selling them and moving away because the roads are in shambles, he lamented.

He stated that the roads had completely collapsed.

“It is very difficult; it is beyond me. We are crying this time to the government and those agencies to do the needful,” the traditional leader noted.

He explained that they had complained to the state government, the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel, the National Inland Waterways Authority and the Lagos State Waterfronts Authority, but nothing had been done.

He disclosed that following the community’s petition, the Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, Mrs Sarah Braimah, had flayed the dredgers for taking advantage of the community and was close to resolving the issue.

However, a Memorandum of Understanding drafted after a meeting with the dredgers had not been for years.

“We are tired. If we are not benefiting anything from them, they are adding more pain to us. They should please vacate our community in the interest of peace.

“Also, we plead with the state government to assist us, looking at the level of degradation in the environment here,” he said.

In his response, the General Secretary of the Dredgers Association of Nigeria, Mr Richard Ntan, said, “If they feel that dredgers are spoiling their environment, they should write to our regulators. Then, we will go for an inspection to see if dredgers are actually spoiling their environment.

“Sometimes these community people complain because they like money too much. After all the dredging is giving them employment in the place.”