Residents of the Natufe/Animashaun Community, Surulere, have staged a massive protest against the construction of a cemetery in their neighbourhood. They recently described such a construction as illegal and dangerous.
Carrying placards that read “No to cemetery in Nature Estate,” “Don’t impose cemetery threat,” and “Say no to nightmares” over the weekend, the residents pledged to resist the project and march to the Lagos State Government House in Alausa this week.
According to Alhaja Aminat Omolabake Braimoh, Chairperson of the Community Development Association (CDA), a cemetery poses a major health risk to residents as it sits directly opposite a school in a flood-prone area.
“Each time it rains, water seeps into our boreholes. Imagine what will happen when corpses are buried there our drinking water will be contaminated,” she stressed.
Aminat urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State House of Assembly to step quickly and protect the people’s rights to good health.
Mr Olanrewaju Olaniran, another resident, disclosed that despite the community writing various petitions against the project since 2020, construction has not been halted.
He noted that government agencies reacted to the petitions by marking the site twice, but the project is still ongoing.
“We are saying no to this cemetery. It’s a threat to our health and safety,” he said.
Vowing to continue the protest until their voices are heard, the Natufe/Animashaun Community further alleged that some officials have decided to completely ignore government directives.
As of the time of this report, all efforts to contact officials of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development proved abortive.
