NEMA Donates Relief Materials To Lagos Shoreline Communities

Residents at the occasion

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has distributed relief materials to members of some communities along the shoreline of Lagos State, whose lives and livelihoods have been threatened by recurrent incidents of ocean surge.

Receiving the items including rice, garri, palm oil and building materials, which were distributed at the Palace of the Baale of Okun Alfa Beach, Eti-Osa Local Government Area, residents of the affected communities, thanked the Federal Government for the intervention
and appealed to both the Federal and Lagos State governments to collaborate in finding lasting solution to the problem of ocean surge, by reclaiming their lost lands from the ocean as in the case of Bar Beach, on Victoria Island.

The beneficiaries included residents of Okun Alfa , Okun Mopo, Lafiaji and Ibeju Lekki.

The intervention was in response to an appeal for help which the communities had made to the federal government through the lawmaker representing them at the National Assembly.

While making the requests of the people to urgently reclaim the affected land, the Chairman of Eti-Osa Ocean Surge Communities, Aare Oladotun Hassan
who expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and NEMA, said the timely deployment of the palliative, was an indication that the authorities indeed have listening ears.

Aare Hassan disclosed that as part of their efforts to tackle the environmental disaster, blamed on climate change, they had decided to hold an ocean surge summit during which they would properly present their problems to the concerned authorities and x-rayed the enormous opportunities in reclaiming the lands from the ocean.

Also speaking, the Chairman, Eti-Osa Local Government Area, Mr. Sherrif Elegushi, noted with regret that the threats to their lives, livelihoods and properties due to recurrent cases of Ocean surge were massive

According to the Council chairman, the ocean is advancing so fast, especially around Okun Alfa, where it had taken over a health centre, electric facilities, community hall and religious worship centre, among others.

A representative from the office of Mr. Ibrahim Obanikoro, the lawmaker representing Eti-Osa at the National Assembly, who also made the donation on behalf of NEMA, Mr. Seun Shoneiki , said he felt highly elated, seeing the level of happiness on the faces of his people as they received the items.

A tour of the shoreline around Okun Alfa Beach revealed that some houses and other structures had been damaged and submerged by the rapidly encroaching Ocean, while many houses as well as business interests had also been deserted as the ocean had come too close to them.

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