Residents kick  NPA denies approving the port city

By Godwin Oritse, Godfrey Bivbere & Esther Onyegbula

THE Lagos State government in conjunction with Westron Group, weekend, commissioned a one kilometre link bridge at the Ijegun port city, Lagos, stressing that the new port will further enhance the evacuation of petroleum products from both Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, said the State was heavily behind the developmental plan of the Ijegun Egba community.

Obasa who was represented by Olawale Suleiman, member of the State House of Assembly representing Amuwo Orogun Constituency 11, also said that the private sector initiated development was what the government ought to have done for the community adding that the government was ever ready to partner with any socially responsible organization.

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Speaking earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Westron Group, Chief George Igboegwu, said that the demand for increased port services led to the development of the facility.

According to Igboegwu, Lagos warehouses about 60 percent of the nation’s petroleum product consignments and 25 percent of this is presently handled at the Ijegun port city.

He said: “Lagos, a coastal city with a population of 20 million people and hosting 40 percent of nation’s manufacturing concerns, generating over 30 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, has remained the economic nerve of the country. Without doubt, Lagos maritime advantages largely contributed to city reaching the above phenomenal height and making it the premier city in the country over time.

“The realization of this potential led to the establishment of the Apapa port by the government. However, in the early 1970s, the demand outstripped the capacity of this facility, thereby leading to establishment of the Tin-Can Island port.

“In last couple of years, the country woke up to the realize that the galloping growth of the city, with the attendant demand, has resulted in the Tin-Can port becoming overwhelmed. The failure to come up with an immediate solution led to the paralysis of the area. ”
Residents kick

But residents of Satellite Town community under the aegis of Satellite Town Forum in the neighbourhood of the port city, have kicked against the planned development of a new port city in Ijegun, noting that the plan and the presence of over 16 tank farms poses a threat to their lives.

The residents, last week, besieged the newly constructed bridge and protested against the proposed establishment of the port city in the community. The protesters who stormed the venue of the bridge commissioning as early as 10 am decried the company’s intention of establishing a port city in a residential environment, describing it as recklessness.

Carrying placards with different inscriptions such as: ‘We say no to Ijegun city Port’, ‘we say no to container terminal’, ‘Ijegun port city this is the wickedness of the highest order’, ‘no to tank farms in Satellite’, ‘save Satellite town residents from extinction’, ‘we say no to Westorus’, ‘no more proliferation of tank farms’, ‘no barge terminal in Satellite town’’, the protesters lamented that the establishment of Ijegun port city and its attendant effects will further endanger their lives.

The chairman Satellite Town Forum, Michael Imiteni, said “We have been on this agitation of setting Satellite Town free; Satellite town is a residential area; you can verify from the Federal Ministry of Environment, Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, for this status. But along the line, individual investors are turning it into a mixed environment with commercial activities which has led to the establishment of tank farms.

“Already we have about 13 marketing companies of tank farms and these marketing companies have over 50 tank farms that are already in place and over 600 trucks plying Mumuney Adio Badmos road popularly known as Maruwa road. The port city, according to the company, would divert 50 per cent of the traffic congestion from Apapa to this location.”

The community chairman said the entire community is congested with the existing tank farms adding that establishing Ijegun port city would only compound the suffering.
He added, “Take a look round, these are residential buildings clustered around this place. How do you erect a port city in a residential environment? Let the company construct housing estate instead of bringing ports activities, in addition to a tank farm. We are, therefore, calling on the Federal and Lagos State governments to intervene and rescue us”.

Lamenting, High Chief Barnabas Iwuanyanwu, Chairman, Lukemak Community, the immediate community that has boundary with the company said, “Initially the company told us that they would be constructing residential estate without considering the residents in the community. The hazard of establishing a port and a tank farm within a residential area is very dangerous.”

Reacting to the protest, the legal representative of Westeros Property Nigeria Limited, Barrister Azubuike Peter, explained that the company has the approval of all the relevant authorities like the Federal Inland Waterways, the Lagos Waterways among others, before the bridge was built.

General manager, corporate and strategic communications of NPA, Mr. Adams Jato, when contacted, said there was no approval for a port city in Ijegun.

According to Barrister Azubuike, “it wasn’t an exercise out of the moon, there were statutory approvals; Professionals have come here with the joint community; this bridge is certify by the government. If the government feels that this bridge isn’t supposed to be constructed why give us approval. “We are not lawless corporate entity; we have all the documents from the government.”