There was Lekki, a seashore of abundant fishes, aquatic splendour and comfortable fishing communities. Then came a seaport, a government-backed investment, at a cost to humans and the environment.
Nobody wanted to tell the story behind the pain of many residents of the coastal settlements of Lekki in Lagos. A few people said it had better be buried in a secret grave forever. When this reporter probed further, he found a narrative told with grief.
In the assessment document, environmental experts predicted there would be adverse impacts on traditional livelihoods, noting that fishermen would likely be restricted from operating in the channel area during dredging and marine infrastructure construction. They observed that the project would hurt the terrestrial ecosystem of the port site vegetation, soil and the removal of wildlife habitat.
But this rural life was disrupted for the people when the deep seaport emerged, causing many people deep pain. Now, the port has stripped the Lekki community of its charm and the people of their wealth. Catfish, tilapia and crabs were easy to catch; Chinese fish and sharks were the pride of a successful fisherman. But these aquatic blessings are disappearing, ruining the livelihood of the people, many of whom want to continue fishing.
“We are pleased to announce that the construction of Lekki Port is now at 94.3% completion,” Lekki Deep Sea Port stated on its website at the time.The place many call Lekki is an extension of the small rural settlement between the lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean of Nigeria’s Lagos State. In the dark days of the 19th century, Lekki was a meeting point for invading imperialists trading Africans overseas for cash.
Residents said their fishes consume the toxins daily excreted from the seaport. The fish are weakened once they taste the dangerous wastes and eventually die or run far away. Once an oil or oily compound is discharged into water, it is spread on the surface by winds and currents, forming a thin layer, a report by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific, stated. On the surface of seas in tropical or temperate zones, oils can be polymerized gradually by biodegradation and eventually form dense particles which sink.
The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency representative failed to respond to a public service query sent to its official mail to know what measures had been taken by the authorities to mitigate the adverse effects of the seaport on host communities. The state established LASEPA to ensure sound environmental management programmes and projects in Lagos.
Ayinla Ismaila, the chairman of the association of fishermen in the Lekki community, said there was no way the seaport would “fully compensate” the Lekki community as claimed and he would not be aware of it. Other fishermen in Idotun made similar statements as Mr Ogundipe on the compensation claim by the port management. One such person, Adams Kabiru, said while some people got some consolation stipends from the port management, he got nothing.
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