Chairman ad hoc Committee on flood disaster, Lagos State House of Assembly, Abiodun Tobun, has called on the authorities of Nigerite Company to be more proactive in their social responsibility.
He gave this advice during an inspection tour of flood disaster areas in Ikeja, Anifowose and Iju-Ishaga in Ifako Ijaiye LCDA.
“The company should be more active in their social responsibility to the community it operates. The gesture would strengthen the relationship between government and the private sector in the state,” he said.
Tobun lamented the lackadaisical attitude of the company which had rebuilt its collapsed fence and neglected that of the adjoining Anifowose Primary School, Ikeja.
The lawmaker added that the investigation revealed that it was the flood water from the company that pulled down the school’s fence, a fact that should have made the firm feel some responsibility to repair the fence alongside its own.
The lawmaker therefore issued a four-week notice to the company to repair all the damage done to the school premises or face the consequences.
In a related development, he also informed residents of Anifowose to be more environment-friendly and added that the state government would not hesitate to deal with anybody found dumping refuse in the drainage channel.
The chairman of the committee also visited Abeokuta Street in Anifowose where a building was constructed on the drainage, blocking the free flow of water.
He said that the House would make a recommendation of its findings to the appropriate quarters.
In his response, the Public Relations Officer of Nigerite Company, Mr. Oyeniyi Abiodun, promised that as soon as the company gave them approval, they would immediately channel the company’s waste water towards the railway tunnel. He claimed that efforts to get approval were in progress.
He stated that the company in the meantime had notified the engineers of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to allow Nigerite Company to construct an underground drainage that would allow flow of water discharged from the company into the appropriate drainage channel.?