Mrs. Adeola Salako, spokesperson, Lagos State Ministry of Housing, said in a statement on Tuesday that the residents were engaged in illegal sand dredging on the proposed Lagos Homes Housing Scheme, Igbogbo.
Salako said the commissioner in the ministry, Mr. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, held a parley with the community leaders in Alausa, Ikeja and the focus was on the active involvement of host communities in protecting government projects.
“Community members must collaborate with the state to ensure that government property is not vandalized or encroached upon by unscrupulous individuals,” Akinderu-Fatai is quoted as saying.
The commissioner frowned at the activities of some people in the area dredging the site to the extent that a huge portion of the land was no longer useful for its original purpose.
“The state government has invested in the well-being of the people by citing some of its housing schemes in Igbogbo to ease the housing deficit in the state.
“It is said that this gesture is not reciprocated with an attitude of gratitude from the community,” he said.
Mr. Wasiu Akewusola, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, is quoted as saying that those who perpetrated such behavior were known faces in the community.
Akewusola appealed to the leaders to caution the people against such acts, as the state government would not hesitate to serve justice to anyone caught in the act.
Also, the Odofin of Igbogboland, Chief Tajudeen Onasanya, who led a team to the ministry, is quoted as promising that the unguided activities of dredgers would be stopped.
According to Onasanya, measures will be adopted to track the perpetrators of such acts.
“Sand dredging will now be monitored by the community and those caught in the illegal activities will be reported to the appropriate quarters,’’ he said.
He also pledged that the community would take ownership of the government’s property in their domain to ensure safety.
“Igbogbo is a peaceful community that supports government efforts. We are ready to sign an agreement to keep the property in the area secure and free from all forms of encroachment,” he said.
The Director of Commercial Law, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Kehinde Taiwo, was at the meeting to perfect the agreement between the state government and the community leaders, according to the statement.
