Residents of Natufe/Animashaun Community Development Area in the Surulere area of Lagos State on Saturday staged a protest against the proposed construction of a cemetery within their community.
The construction site, a large expanse of land, is bordered by residential buildings, a school, and a church along Babs Animashaun Street.
The residents who took to the streets in the neighbourhood expressed their disapproval of the project, saying it would pose an environmental hazard to the community.
Speaking during the protest, the Chairperson, Alhaja Omolabake Braimoh, said the project was attempted before but was resisted by the community.
She specifically noted that the construction of the cemetery would pollute the land and water in the community.
“They tried it over two years ago, and we opposed it. Suddenly, we noticed he had started construction again, and he is working day and night to achieve his purpose. So, we are out here again saying no because the cemetery is not good here. We heard he wants to build an adult cemetery here and one for children about three blocks away.
“We do not want it. Look around you, this is a residential neighbourhood. We have children and elderly people here. We have schools, churches, and estates here too. “Locating a cemetery will pollute our land. We are not using pipe-borne water. Our source of water is a borehole, which the cemetery will pollute.”
She said that letters had been written and sent to the Chairman, Coker-Aguda LCDA, adding that more letters would be sent to relevant agencies of government to stop the developer.
She further alleged during the protest that a stakeholder meeting, said to have been convened by some officials of the government at the Eko Club, was not attended by any member of the community.
She said, “On Monday by 4 pm, somebody called me and said he is from physical planning and that I should come with my people to Eko Hall, and I said the notice was too short and that they are not schoolchildren. To gather people together is very difficult, and they should please reschedule. They said no, that they had already fixed the meeting. Immediately, I went to my executives and we sent a letter to them that we won’t be able to make it.
“And since we have been seeing what they were up to, we sent some spies, and we were told that people who attended and claimed to be residents of this area were from Orile, Shitta, and Mushin. At the end of the day, they claimed that 60% of us have agreed. That is part of the reasons for this protest because we did not have representatives at the meeting.”
The residents who took to the streets in the neighbourhood displayed placards while chanting “No to the cemetery.”
Also speaking, a former CDA chairman, Olarenwaju Olaniyan, said there were indications that the developer had gotten permission to go ahead with the construction.
He, however, called for the construction of a facility that would develop the community instead of a business.
“We learnt that the developer now has the permission, but I trust that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu will never give such a permission. The developer should know the consequences of his actions and desist from such a wicked act. We do not have good water here. We are surviving on boreholes, and the moment you start burying people here, you will pollute our ground and water. You will kill us all. We won’t allow that.
“We have stayed here for over 50 years. We have people who are 80 years old and above among us. We are appealing to the developer to do a business that will develop the community and not one that will destroy us. The community says no to turning this place into a burial ground.”
