Sand Filling of Lagos’ Waters Threatens Coastal Communities, Businesses

There is an ugly rash of sand filling of the Lagos Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean going on that should concern Lagos residents, particularly homeowners and businesses in the neighbourhood of these disturbing activities. Bennett Oghifo writes

For what it is worth, some believe it is a good business decision to create land from the Lagos Lagoon or from the Atlantic Ocean for real estate development. However, once the paperwork is done and necessary permits are procured it is important to conduct an appropraite environmental impact assessment (EIA) and regular environmental impact auditing by the government to ensure the sand filling and reclamation do not create avoidable problems for the environment that could ruin lives and livelihood.

Already, businesses and homeowners on the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean, particularly those on the Oniru/Water Corporation Road, are gravely apprehensive that the new sand filling being done at the Eko Atlantic City could put them under water and have appealed to the Lagos State Government to rescue them from an imminent disaster.

Adding his voice to the call is a renowned environmentalist, Desmond Majekodunmi who told THISDAY there is an urgent need for a comprehensive environmental impact assessment (EIA), considering the massive sand filling being done by the investors to expand the city.

According to Majekodunmi, “The only effect of the sand filling and the rock groins of Eko Atlantic is to protect the Victoria Island coast from being totally eroded. But the erosion continues where the groins stop and does require very urgent intervention otherwise the Lekki coast and many other coastal areas will soon be catastrophically impacted because of the global warming ocean rise and surges.

“However a comprehensive EIA must be done before any more sand is dredged off the coast.”

Another environmental nuisance in this axis of Victoria Island is stress caused by street youths/miscreants who ‘govern’ the Water Corporation/Oniru stretch of Lagos, making this mainly tourism enclave hellish and unsafe for visitors. 

Interestingly, this area is packed wall-to-wall with prime real estate –high-quality homes and sturdy tourism facilities, one of which is the iconic Landmark City that has built its own shoreline protection unlike other businesses and homes on the Atlantic coast. The owners and investors have every reason to worry about the future of their investments if the Lagos State Government does not intervene.

The Landmark Village, for instance, is a place for business, leisure and education and has emerged as the most visited leisure destination in Lagos, attracting up to 60,000 domestic and international visitors weekly. And over four million people annually in footfall, according to the Chief Executive Officer, Paul Onwuanibe.

Landmark, in its 27 years of existence, has over $250 million property investment and over 14 properties have been developed. 

The company is building a 28-storey facility, known as Landmark Waterview Apartments that will have 306 premium homes, with state-of-the-art accessories to enhance live, work and play spectrum for residents.

Landmark Village hosts over 290 events annually and over 25 of these are international events. It contributes N530 million in federal and state taxes annually, according to Onwuanibe.

In all of this time it has won over 23 awards.

Landmark owns 220,000 sqm of land with over seven industries, 81 businesses in the ecosystem, 44% of them are first time business owners, and 41% of these are women-owned businesses.

There are over 100 rooms managed by the Landmark Hotel and Beach Resort. It employs 4,000 people directly and 12,000 indirectly- 75% are between the ages of 18-35.

Tourism facilities, like the Landmark Village, need government support, he said and appealed to governments to provide financial incentives to stimulate private sector investment in tourism. In Singapore, the government offers grants and tax incentives to businesses in the tourism sector, encouraging their growth.

Besides attending to the issues of sand filling and the miscreants to ensure these investments sustainably add the nation’s GDP, “The government should invest in curating well-documented data that would help guide tourism strategies, trends and visitor preferences. Developed nations use data analytics to understand tourist behaviour and preferences. Australia, for instance, employs data-driven insights to tailor tourism strategies and allocate resources effectively,” he said.

According to him, “Successful tourism development often involves collaboration between the government and the private sector. In New Zealand, public-private partnerships are established to jointly invest in and manage tourism-related projects.

“Governments in developed countries facilitate private investments through partnerships, recognising the mutual benefit of a thriving tourism industry.

“Developed countries invest significantly in transportation infrastructure, including airports, roads, and public transit which in turn increases revenue generation and income in the economy. For instance, data from the OECD indicates that countries like Chile, Sweden, Germany and China allocate substantial funds to enhance their transportation networks, facilitating tourist accessibility.

“Good infrastructure includes a range of accommodation options. Developed nations often support the construction and maintenance of hotels and resorts. In the United States, for example, the Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts show a consistent increase in investment in accommodation-related infrastructure.”