Lagos Discovers 32 Abandoned Vessels On Coastline

The Lagos State Government has said no fewer than 32 abandoned vessels have been discovered on the state’s coastline.
The Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Mr. Adesegun Oniru, stated this recently in Ikeja at a news conference to mark Governor Babatunde Fashola’s first year of a second term in office.
Oniru said the abandoned vessels had caused serious environmental degradation and worsened the problem of coastal erosion in the state.

The Lagos State Government has said no fewer than 32 abandoned vessels have been discovered on the state’s coastline.
The Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Mr. Adesegun Oniru, stated this recently in Ikeja at a news conference to mark Governor Babatunde Fashola’s first year of a second term in office.
Oniru said the abandoned vessels had caused serious environmental degradation and worsened the problem of coastal erosion in the state.
He explained that some of the abandoned vessels were oil tankers which could wipe off entire communities in the area within three to six months if urgent steps were not taken.
“Some of the vessels are oil tankers and you can imagine what happens to marine life when there is such a vessel.
“You can imagine what happens to our shoreline when there is a beach vessel. It can wipe out a community within three to six months if not addressed.
“Today, the ministry has found about 32 beach vessels across the state 180 kilometres beach forests. The government through the ministry is working on training officers on marine study in Holland. Six officers will be trained on how to handle challenges on the coastal fronts,” he said.
He explained that the continuous presence of the vessels on the shoreline could worsen the devastating erosion in the area.
Oniru said that stiffer penalties would be put in place to curb activities of illegal dredging and sand mining.
He disclosed that no fewer than 21 persons had been arrested and prosecuted in the last one year for illegal sand mining activities in the state.