Residents of the Ajiran community in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State have lamented hardship caused by the bad road network and lack of development in the community.
The residents, while expressing their grievances in a protest on Monday, said the lack of development had been exposing them to untold sufferings, adding that despite several letters to the government to execute projects aimed at assuaging their conditions in the community, nothing had been done.
During the protest, the residents, chanting solidarity songs and urging the government to intervene to foster development in the community, were seen displaying placards with inscriptions such as “We want peace in our community,” “All we are clamouring for is development in our land,” “The indigenes and youths of Ajiran are suffering,” and “Indigenes also have right to the wealth of our land,” among others.
Speaking during the protest, the Secretary, Ojomu Youth Forum, Wasiu Yekini, while lamenting over the incident, said youths in the community were not being empowered.
He said, “We don’t have good roads, schools, hospitals and markets in the community, no empowerment for our youths, and no single developmental stride in the community.
“The administrative headquarters of an oil firm in West Africa is in our community but we don’t have anything to show for it, no indigene of this community has been employed by the firm. We have 17 villages and our land is being sold, we want our rights and our money to be invested in the development of our community.
“We are protesting to call the attention of the government to save our soul; we have written letters to the government to intervene because we are law-abiding citizens who want the good of our community, we don’t want the breakdown of law and order in our community.”
A community leader, Waheed Fadipe, while complaining over the lack of development in the community, said residents had been experiencing difficulties accessing their farmlands in the community.
“All our rights have been taken from us; we can’t go to the farm or have access to the land. We don’t want issues; the government should intervene and heed our request,” Fadipe said.
