Illegal dredgers endanger Ogun communities, flooding, erosion threaten buildings

FATTEH HAMID writes about the activities of sand diggers threatening houses in Ogun communities

Intense activities of sand diggers aided by ‘omo onile’ (land-grabbers) have almost turned Magboro area in the Obafemi/Owode Local Government, Ogun State into a community grappling with recurrent flooding and erosion.

The sand diggers who excavate laterite; an important soil used for different construction activities such as roads, houses, etc, do so heedlessly without care for the environment and the houses nearby. Thus, the homeowners grapple with erosion, flooding, etc.

Magboro is said to be rich in laterite and attracts miners and diggers to the area many years. But urbanisation hit the area and has since become residential. The development, however, didn’t deter illegal sand diggers who continued their activities which make houses to appear without support because the supporting sands had been ploughed out.

A landlord and business expert, Olamide Ilesanmi, told Saturday PUNCH that the activities of sand diggers had caused the residents untold hardship.

Advertisement

He said, “When I bought the land, it was upland and I left it for a period of a year or two years and by the time I came back, I discovered that they had already excavated the topsoil. Likewise, when you see my frontage now you find out the topsoil is gone. When I saw that, I quickly moved to the site to develop it. I believe that when the land is developed, they will stop causing damage. However, for landowners who refused to come in time, the soil on their lands continued to be excavated and they excavated it deeper.

“If it was the diggers alone, it’ll be easy to deal with but their activities are being supported by the land-grabbers and for one to even fight them is difficult because that is what they feed from. In the area, they get sharp sand and laterite. The diggers go with their tippers and use shovels and other equipment to excavate. The sad thing is that one can’t even complain about their activities. They are the one that caused the ditches in the area. I call them illegal miners because they are not licensed. They merely took advantage of the location to carry out their activities.”

Ilesanmi noted that the acts turned the topography of the area from uplands into lowlands, stating that the government refused to take action.

He stated, “If one is coming to Magboro, one will see the mixture of the areas, some houses. Some will be on the top and some are down. These things are dangerous to the environment and we are concerned that the government is not even looking at this area to regulate activities of the illegal sand diggers.

“Their activities have caused a lot of damage to the environment and not only to the environment, but even to the area’s economy. We are challenged and the one contributing money. Last year, the flood destroyed the roads and we had to look for alternative routes. We created a new route so that we could go to our places of work because it was impossible to pass the normal route. It was a terrible situation for the entire community. A friend was coming for my birthday party with his family and they had to turn back because there was no way he could pass through. The government has been silent and no one is talking to the issue,’’

Ilesanmi added that nearly all areas had become flooded and it was getting worse by the day with several houses affected by the development.

He explained, “Like I said, because of this illegal dredging of laterite, one can see many houses are being flooded because the topsoil has been removed. It happens that because they are lower lands, when the runoff comes, it becomes flooded and caused by activities of the illegal miners.”

He said that before now, one couldn’t pass through some of the roads because they would have been flooded, stating that illegal sand diggers were polluting the environment.

According to him, if one looks at the emission from their trucks, they are dangerous to the environment.

He stated, “We are just breathing in and out and we don’t know the kind of gas we breathe in. We don’t know because nobody is testing the quality of the air we breathe in. People living close to trees and some other things that can mitigate those things are a bit advantaged. The miners pour diesel on the road. At times, their trucks get spoiled and block the entire road. In essence, the impact of dredging has reduced the level of flooding. But in some other parts of Magboro, it has increased the level of flooding. When you go deeper inside our community, you will discover that people have to use elevated platforms to enter into their houses. They can’t enter as they like because of the flooding impact on the environment.”

Ilesanmi further said that the land-grabbers also used sand digging to extort land buyers.

He stated, “If the topsoil of some lands has been removed, the owners have to buy sand to fill the excavated portions before they can start building. In that instance, if two or three people are on the same line, if I have money to fill my own land up to an extent, and the next person close to me didn’t have money to do so, the water coming from my own end will enter the next compound. That is part of the problem. By December 2022, it will be 12 years I have been living in this area and they do not seem to stop.’’

Ravaged by sand diggers

A visit to Oke-Ayo Estate, Magboro, showed that houses and new ones under construction had been flooded which caused a halt in the construction of some new buildings.

The state Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs Kikelomo Longe, urged a well-documented agreement between dredgers, miners and the Community Development Associations as enshrined in the nation’s Mining Law to improve lives of residents and sanitise mining and dredging activities across the state.

The commissioner spoke last year during an inspection tour of some illegal mining sites in Abule Oko and Magboro areas.

Another landlord and car dealer, Ayobami Ogunsanya, whose house was half-flooded, lamented that the activities of the illegal sand diggers had continually affected them despite years of residing in the area.

He said, “When we bought the land, it was during the dry season and we didn’t know the condition. Residents of the area warned us and we raised the foundation. When it rains start, it cannot withstand the flood. It was so much and we had to start using elevated platforms to push away the water.

“That house opposite my building is not accessible for now because of the flood. A woman in the area did a high foundation. The building was completed in 2020 and afterwards, despite the high foundation, there was flooding by the time she was putting finishing touches to the house. She has since abandoned it. The money spent on the building was wasted because the flood has made it inaccessible for over two years.’’

Ogunsanya lamented that the presence of the Ogun State government was not seen in the area, noting that there was no adequate planning and it seemed the government abandoned the area.

He said, “The area looked like an informal settlement with no planning at all. It is expected that the Ogun State Government will move in and remediate some of these things. The access roads and effects of the flooding have affected the community. The government needs to put some certain things in place. But it’s like Ogun State is too big and maybe its budget is not enough to even go round the state.

 “We have reached out to the government especially when we had issues with the Federal Government licensed dredger. Then, it was the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment and now Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, who came to inspect the place, dredging and some other things. We looked at the environmental impact of the activities and the flood majorly but we discovered that even the state government was incapacitated at that particular period.”

Ogunsanya stated that the government’s presence had not been in the area, adding that most amenities were bought by the landlords from transformers, cables and poles used for electricity.

He added, “The government’s presence is not felt and this illegal mining of laterite is everywhere, especially places in the area that are just developing. There is no government agency in charge to control because ordinarily, in other climes, there will be an area left for that purpose and the government will adequately monitor it.”

Effects of mining activities

A study titled, “Sustaining urbanisation while undermining sustainability: The socio-environmental characterisation of coastal sand mining in Lagos, Nigeria,’’ by Ibrahim Rotimi Aliu, Isaiah Sewanu Akoteyon  and Olayemi Soladoye, noted that sand mining had a public health impact primarily because the variables that loaded highly on the component namely dusts, noise, road damage and traffic constitute public health issues.

It stated that sand mining in Lagos had several negative social and environmental impacts including noise, dust, road destruction, deforestation, livelihood change, land degradation, flooding, erosion, threat to buildings and water pollution on the built environment in the coastal areas of Lagos. According to the research, sand mining negatively impacted fishing, farming and water quality in the study area.

In another study titled, “Assessing environmental impacts of inland sand mining in parts of Ogun State, Nigeria,’’ by Adedeji O.H, Adebayo H.O and Sotayo E.I, showed that there was a severe level of degradation at Obafemi Owode Local Government due to active mining sites.

The study revealed further that in fact,  in  most areas,  unscientific and illegal  sand  mining operations had caused severe degradation of  land,  often accompanied  by  subsidence and  severe ecological imbalance and damage to land use patterns  in  and  around  mining regions.

It also stated that many of the abandoned mining sites in Ogun State became dump sites which also cause pollution and further damage to the environment.

In another part of Magboro visited by our correspondent, it was observed that the damage caused by the sand diggers had become more severe.

A landlord at Success Estate, Oke Afa, Magboro, John Anyawu, told our correspondent that the activities of sand diggers had discouraged people from staying in the area.

He stated, “I was not affected too much because I came immediately. They started excavation in the area and digging of laterite for sale. However, every other person around was affected. As you can see, the fences of many houses have collapsed because the lands behind them have gone and there has been excavation by the illegal sand diggers.

“When others who bought lands started coming, they had to spend above normal because the topsoil on their lands have been removed and the lands have become ditches. Many could not stay out of anger and sold their lands to interested buyers. The homeowners in this estate at the moment were not the original landowners. They bought it from aggrieved persons who left their lands and returned years later to see that they had become ditches.”

Anyawu stated that he had been residing in the place for over 11 years and never seen the state government’s efforts to halt activities of the illegal diggers.

Reacting to the situation, Chairman, New Generation Estate, one of the communities in Magboro, Mr Kunle Awosiyan, stated that the Federal Government licensed dredgers of the Ogun River and the illegal sand diggers had caused major havoc to the area due to their activities.

He said, “Dredging the river will continue to enlarge the underground. They may think that they are evacuating sand from the river. However, it is gradually damaging the area because it will make the houses nearby susceptible in the near future.

“As for the illegal sand diggers who take out fillings, they have destroyed our lands. Those who bought lands in the past and come around to build structures on them now will have to find money to fill the lands before building. It has destroyed the topography of the lands in the area. It has also changed the plan of many places in Magoro because where they have evacuated sand, people will not want to build their houses there. Those that have bought the lands in the past are now selling because they don’t have the money to fill before building as a result of the havoc the illegal sand miners caused in the area. It has resulted in serious eviction of many persons.”

Awosiyan stated that he had to also fill the land he bought in 2003 when he was about to build as sand diggers searching for laterite had encroached on the topsoil of his land.

He added, “There was a woman beside my house who could not continue because they had excavated a lot of sand on her land. She had to leave at the end of the day because whenever the dam was opened, it affects her place as the ground has gone so low. She sold the land. It has been a really challenging issue. It is only those who can put money there and can refill will continue to stay. The activities of the illegal sand miners have not stopped.’’

Awosiyan further stated that the state government had not been fully involved in handling the issue.

“The government has not been straightforward with us. I must be frank, they tried, the state government official came, led by Mr Ola Oresanya, (State Commissioner of Environment) did his best. He came on an inspection tour of the area. But it was a battle we fought and couldn’t win. Even the drainage system they said would be provided has not materialised. They started but abandoned it; it has been a tough issue.”

Experts weigh in

A surveyor, Ibrahim Ojediran, said that when the government had refused to do what it should do, people would in turn take over without not minding the effect of their activities because oftentimes, they lacked experts’ guidance.

He stated, “The sand diggers do not know the effects of their activities. They are doing it to make money. However, if the government was involved, the service of a professional will be involved and they’ll appropriately guide on what they are to do. Even at the moment, I believe that there are things that can still be done if the government took over the ruins and decided to make it right. Professional guidance will prevent more damages.

He added that the government needed to visit the location.

Ojediran stated, “There is a law that guides construction of buildings. As a surveyor, our services are employed in housing projects. Starting from the survey, surveyors will know the typography of the land, map out the drawing and look at the engineering work. Actually, many of the houses have been built and the flood has affected them. There’s no way that can be avoided due to the sand-digging ongoing there. However, there are still ways to do it. In Lagos, some houses are built on water. But one needs a professional to do it and by doing so, the government can still negotiate with the people there. It’s better to lose a house than human beings. They might have to take over some areas and rebuild. They only need to negotiate and come up with a memorandum with the owners. It’s possible.”

Commenting on the issue, an environmental engineer and professor at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Chidi Okereke, stated that sand mining should be done in an organised way.

He said, “Government should designate areas where sand-mining can be done without compromising the environment. If the mining is done in a location where possibly run-offs from the area can create heavy offload, there will be problems. If drainage outlets are affected, subsequently, it will bring about flooding in the area downstream of the sand excavation point.”

Okereke stated that areas where the aesthetics were compromised could cause not only flooding but pollution and other challenges for the area.

He added, “Usually, where you have unorganised sand mines and resource harvesters, you expect an unorganised landscape. However, if it is organised, with some level of technology or knowledge, you won’t have that.”

He further advised that the government should immediately take charge and see that adequate measures were put in place to prevent disasters.

Govt’s reaction

Contacted for his comment on the issue, the state Commissioner for Environment, Ola Oresanya, stated that the government was aware of the situation and had been on top of it.

He said, “The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has put a stop to mining signage in the area and I am surprised to hear that you didn’t find it there. That is why the community has to work with the government for optimum delivery. If the community had reported the issue, we would have come to arrest them (illegal sand diggers).

“The government can’t be everywhere at a time and I can’t station someone to watch over a large community as big as that. However, if the community acted as a watchdog, then we’ll be able to take adequate steps as the government.’’

Oresanya further stated that there was a time a stop work order was issued on sand mining in Ogun State.

He stated, “When the issue was issued, we stated that no one must mine sand until they get adequate clearance from the Ministry of Environment. But it is saddening that even some persons in government collude with them to perpetrate this evil act. However, if we are alerted, we will be there. I give you my word. I will also release the number for you to give out and in case it was reached out to on all available platforms and no action was taken, then it’ll be a government issue. I’ll however assure you that adequate measures will be taken, and they’ll be arrested. The community has to support us to be effective.”

He noted that it would be disastrous if the people waited for the issues to worsen before calling on the government.

Oresanya said, “When the issue started, I visited the place and there was even litigation on land disputes that we had to sort out. If after our efforts, dredgers returned there to mine sand, it is the duty of the community to inform the government.

“In that area, there are a lot of problems; ecological issues in particular and the community needs to work with us to find a solution. When they call on us, we’ll answer. I assure you that we are ready to work.”

Efforts to reach the state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tunji Odunlami, to comment on the matter were futile. He neither had yet to return calls to his mobile nor replied to text messages sent as of the time this report was filed.