Chinenye Anuforo
RESIDENTS of Satelite town, a community in Oriade Local Community Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, on Saturday marched to Alausa, the seat of government to register their displeasure through a massive protest over the surfacing of a new container terminal in the area despite assurances from the government that there would be nothing of such again.
Particularly, the additional container is located at Liverpool Zone 2 despite agreement on August 12, with the government that there would be no additional tank farms, given the activities of the tank farms which have made life miserable to the occupants.
The protesters criticised the state government for reneging on its promises by allowing a container terminal to be built inside a living estate, Liverpool Zone 2.
The chairman of the Satellite Town Forum, Govenor Imitini, said they were surprised when the state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Channels Television Sunrise interview recently, said tank farms have come to stay.
Imitini quoted the governor as saying, “Tank farms have come to stay. The owners have invested massively in them.”
According to him, any investment that is injurious to the well-being of the people is not an investment but an effort to wipe out a whole community of voters.
“At present over 750 tankers and trailers are generated in our community and indeed use our bad roads every day, endangering the lives of the residents, worsening the state of the roads, blocking everywhere and making life unbearable and deplorable for residents.
“They originate from over 50 tank farms, one new container terminal built in a living estate, one fully operational container terminal (Clarion located at Alakija) and two new container terminals located at Abule-Osun, and one new terminal up along the same Old Ojo Road.