. Not aware of residents’ action, says investor
Residents of Satellite town, yesterday, protested against the proposed siting of a gas plant in Heathrow Estate, Ijegun-Egba Satellite Town, Lagos by one Peter Akolodor.
The residents said the area is already plagued by tank farms, stressing that adding a gas plant will be dangerous for the residents and the environment.
The premises of the proposed plant was on January 20, sealed by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) with ‘a stop work seal’ pasted on the building.
Also, Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources on January 31, ordered the contractor to stop work for failure to provide all relevant documents, but the owner still continued with the building.
Addressing newsmen, chairman, Satellite Town Forum, Governor Imitini, said the Satellite Town Forum held several meetings with the project sponsor, to dissuade him from such a nefarious project that is highly detrimental to a residential community.
He said the residents appealed to him to build a residential structure like other residents in the area, all to no avail.
Imitini said: “We wish to further draw the attention of President Bola Tinubu, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission, the Inspector General of Police, Federal and State Ministries of Petroleum, Environment, Physical Planning and Urban Development and other MDAs to the fact that the residents of Heathrow Estate, where the land is located and the entire Ijegun-Egba Satellite Town, reject Gas Plant, and indeed any other hazardous business including Tank farm, Container Terminals, chemical processing company and others, proposed by Mr. Peter Akolodor, or any other entity.
“The community has not been invited to any Environmental Impact Assessment (ElA) nor has any EIA been held on this project.
“We wish to inform the Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources that the Oremeji Canal under construction, slated to take flood off Marwa Road is endangered as heavy duty vehicles will be climbing over the walls of the canal to access Mr. Akolodor’s gate. We are not aware that the walls of the canal are fortified and built as a bridge.
“We appealed that Mr. Akolodor should not impose a very dangerous, highly inflammable, heavily polluting business on our community.
“We recall all the havoc caused by such investments; fire outbreak, pollution, accidents and others. We totally reject these very unfriendly businesses.
“There are lots of stop orders, but they ignored them, went behind and commenced work. We are calling on the government to seal up the place properly.
“Another issue borders on brothels in the area. We have enough hotels in this area and we don’t need brothels, we don’t want our children to be corrupted,” Akolodor stated.
Also speaking, Chairman, Ezimora Street, Major General Ernest Chinedu, said: “We have written to about 13 government agencies concerning this matter.
“The man came to me that he wanted to erect a residential building here, but soon we discovered that he started fencing the land. I confronted him and he said I should forget what he told me in the past. We met with him severally, but he insisted that he wants to go on with the project,” he said.
Another resident, Ogwuozu Grace, said: “It’s upsetting that we are already battling with tank farms in Satellite Town and for someone to cite a gas plant close to a residential estate is wickedness.
“The owner of the gas plant resides in Ikoyi but decided to put this here. Our lives are in danger and our environment is being devalued.”
When contacted, Mr Peter Okolor said: “I was not aware of the protest and I don’t have anything with Heathrow Estate. “Maybe they are protesting against the hotels or some of the hospitals and churches around them. I don’t know who the chairman is. That is all I can say.”
