Era Town is a community in Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area (LCDA), off Badagry expressway, Lagos. In this report, TOLA ADENUBI who visited the community writes on the environmental damage in the community caused by dredging companies’ activities. Sometime in 2003, the last Baale (traditional ruler) of Era commnunity, Wahab Momodu Egbeile joined his ancestors.
Upon the demise of Wahab Momodu Egbeile, there were series of contrived suits orchestrated by some other families in Era Town which led to a 17 years vacuum on the seat of the Baale of Era Town. During this period some people, who are mostly not indigenes of the town, took advantage of the absence of a Baale in the community, by moving in heavily loaded machines and equipment into Era community for dredging the major river in Era Town, the Ologe River. Unauthorised dredging activities At inception, five dredging companies were at Ologe River dredging without authorisation.
The five companies were Carlton Multi Services Limited, Educhudy Dredging Company Limited, Lloyd & Sotheby Limited, Ac Synergy System Limited, and Fide Natts Global Resources Ltd. “Before the entire people of Era community could blink an eye, these dredgers commenced dredging activities on Ologe River without the due consent and authority of the community, as well as relevant approvals and documents including but not limited to Cadastral Permits and Environmental Impact Assessments Reports. “The Era community in a bid to stop the illegal.
