.sets record straight

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

A firm, Orange Island Development Company has debunked allegation in section of the media that it violated drainage guidelines of Orange Island, Lekki, Eti-Osa Local Government Area, LGA, Lagos,saying it did not reflect accurate perspective.

The clarification came following media reports that the State Government has ordered an immediate stop to ongoing dredging and reclamation activities at Orange Island, Lekki, citing serious threats to drainage infrastructure and flood control systems.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, reportedly gave the directive recently during an inspection tour of areas in Eti-Osa LGA following multiple complaints from residents about the ongoing illegal reclamation.

According to the report, Wahab said that the land reclamation at Orange Island had gone beyond approved limits, posing a threat to natural drainage systems.

He therefore, directed that the developers involved must immediately cease operations.

“The ongoing reclamation at the Orange Island must stop because the developers doing it have sandfilled and pushed beyond the limits into the Right of Way of Orange Island Lagoon,” Wahab said.

Meanwhile, reacting to the development, the management of Orange Island, stated: “Orange Island Development Company is aware of recent media reports that do not accurately reflect our operations.

“While we respect the media’s role in informing the public, we find it necessary to clarify these issues to prevent misunderstanding among stakeholders and the community.

“For clarity, we wish to state the following: Orange Island has no drainage channel violations whatsoever.

“The stop-work order mentioned in the reports relates to an area adjoining the Lekki foreshore, adjacent to the Orange Island access road—not to Orange Island itself.

“The Commissioner and his team inspected this adjoining area.

“Orange Island is a Public-Private Partnership, PPP, with the Lagos State Government, under the oversight of the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development and all relevant regulatory authorities.

“Dredging works for Orange Island were completed in 2016 in full compliance with statutory requirements.

“We believe that accuracy, balance, and context are essential to fair reporting and remain committed to working constructively with the media to ensure future coverage is based on verified facts and reflects an accurate perspective.”