The Minister of Transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman has given a deadline of four weeks to an inter-ministerial committee on wrecks to work out all modalities for removing wrecks and derelicts from the Lagos waters.
The minister gave the directive last week in Lagos while presiding over a meeting with Lagos State Government officials on removal of wrecks and derelicts littering the Lagos waters.
The development also coincided with the complaints by management of Lagos Channel Management (LCM) that the plethora of wrecks on Lagos channels was hindering regular and effective maintenance dredging of the approaches to Lagos harbours.
The managing director of LCM, Mr Danny Fuchx told the minister last Friday that the company is finding it difficult to carry out its mandate because of the wrecks which is currently littering Lagos waters.
Suleiman however said the wrecks removal committee would come up with a list of critical wrecks and derelicts that must be removed immediately and also come up with a time frame on the removal of the wrecks.
He said the committee which was to start work immediately would superintend over the removal of wrecks and derelicts and come up with the cost implication of removal of the wrecks.
The minister said the challenges the Lagos state had been facing in terms of the shoreline it wanted to do and the hazards posed by wrecks and derelicts were understandable.
According to him, the Lagos State Government has expressed concern over the challenges as they have been having a lot of developmental projects and the wrecks had become a concern to them.
Suleiman who said there were over 100 wrecks and derelicts on the Lagos waters, described the problem as highly critical and endangering the marine environment.
“From the presentations made on wrecks and derelicts by both NPA and NIMASA today, it is very important we address the issue as soon as possible’’, the minister said.
He told NIMASA and NPA to give a clear report on critical wrecks and derelicts that must be cleared immediately, adding that “those causing erosion must be identified and removed.’’
Giving an insight into what NIMASA had already done in the area of wrecks removal, Head, Marine Environment Management Department at NIMASA, Mrs Juliana Gunwa said the agency had so far removed 15 wrecks from the Lagos waters since 2008, even as she recalled that the agency removed four out of 16 vessels beached on Feb. 14, 2010 and said the rest should be removed to avoid a looming disaster.
According to her, the agency had identified in all 21 wrecks and derelicts scattered all over the Lagos waters, adding that six were of high priority for something urgent to be done.
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