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By Tunde Omolehin
While countries wrangle over who should pay for the climate crisis, a community on Lagos Island is being swallowed by the sea.
The Jesus Community in Qua Iboe, Lagos, is disappearing before our eyes as the sea rise overwhelms the shoreline and dredges up underwater land.
The Lagos State government, which manages the 25,000-strong settlement, has rejected the sea erosion as natural and is no longer funding the island’s crumbling infrastructure.
The state government blames human activities for the woes of the community, like dump dumping, as well as illegal sand dredging. The community alleges, however, that the affected sand has been used by the government to lay the Lagos Atlantic Bridge.
At the Jesus Community, homes collapse and gaps disappear between woody twigs and branches
Six years ago, the government warned that unless residents relocated, the community would no longer exist in 30 years’ time. Residents were asked to relocate to safer sections of the island within five years. The government had no alternative plan.
“When the community of Jesus Community in Qua Iboe was first warned about the sea-level rise, we were asked to move out by the year 2017. The residents have been relocated but it’s just a question of time,” Isaac Ogedengbe, an activist, told Al Jazeera.
Erosion in Nigeria is a common phenomenon. Over the years, this country has witnessed several disasters, including floods and mudslides. According to the government, these disasters do not originate from climate change, but are natural.
For Ogedengbe, the Jesus Community is a perfect example of a community that’s slowly being sucked away by the sea.
“If the state government had paid attention to the needs of the communities, they would have been relocated a long time ago,” he said.
Community canoes and naval vessels have stopped around the Jesus Community. Locals must get permission from the authorities to get into the community, and minors must use boards and ropes to cross the sea.
James Ezeukwu, another activist, said that the community was enjoying the same privileges and opportunities as other communities on the mainland.
“The only thing we have that makes us more privileged is a community development fee,” he said.
Teachers walk inside the shrinking Jesus Community School. The state government is no longer funding the school and has also stopped paying education allowances to children.
In early 2018, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode directed authorities in the state to demolish low-rise buildings on the coast as well as clear all illegal sand dredging. In 2018, the state moved on to the extension of the Lagos Atlantic Bridge.
In 2016, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomed the decision to relocate the Jesus Community, saying that it would relieve pressure on the Lagos coast.
“Although the relocation would also help reduce the adverse effect of sea-level rise on the community as well as minimise the risk of erosion due to increased human activities along the shoreline,” it said.
However, the state government rejected the advice, arguing that the move would no longer be financially viable and divert infrastructure from other areas.
The community is being swallowed by the sea with the state government refusing to pay for repairs.
The federal government has also refused to pick up the bill, saying that it is not a Nigerian problem.
Erosion in Nigeria is a common phenomenon. Over the years, this country has witnessed several disasters, including floods and mudslides. According to the government, these disasters do not originate from climate change, but are natural.
“And if we say that it is not an issue of climate change and not a Nigerian problem, we are neglecting the plight of the people who have to live with rising sea-levels and failure of the government to use technology to tackle the threat,” Lafiaji Zakariyau, a resident of Qua Iboe, told Al Jazeera.
He said the community is continuously losing objects and other things to the ocean.
“In one week, people could lose some of their property,” he said.