1,000 Ogun Residents , Deities Relocated Over hazards of Limestone

A multinational cement company, Lafarge Africa has commenced relocation of no fewer than 1000 people and deities in two communities in Oke-Oko Sekoni community in Ewekoro Local Government area of Ogun State over environmental hazards faced during blasting of limestone

The Managing Director, Lafarge Africa (WAPCO Operations), Adepeju Adebanjo disclosed this at the inauguration of housing facilities held at new Oke-Oko, Sekoni in Ewekoro at the weekend.

Adebanjo who was represented by Ewekoro plant manager, Thierry Terriere, noted that the relocation of the people and their deities was initiated by the management to properly secure its host community from the environmental hazards of limestone blasting and mining.

She said “Oke-Oko, Sekoni is one of the two communities we have found genuine reasons to support in realizing their potentials by completely relocating them to much safer locations newly acquired by us as part of our community development projects for this year.

According to her, the construction of housing units (first phase) and other agreed facilities for entire people of Oke-Oko, Sekoni, one of Lafarge WAPCO’s host communities in Ewekoro on 60 acres of land, was conceived by the management of the giant cement company to relocate the people to a better environment-friendly place where blasting and mining of limestones would not affect.

“The building would comprise ten rooms each when completed for about 1000 people relocating in the community. It is our hope that when completed soon, the newly-relocated Oke-Oko, Sekoni would have been our fair contribution to the much-sought-after societal advancement having been provided with relevant infrastructural facilities.

“Needful to state, however, that the huge resources being committed to this special project is in addition to the yearly developmental initiatives we carry out in Ewekoro Local Government which include bursary awards for undergraduates, equipping the community youths with worthy vocational tools, building of roads, bridges, culverts and drainages, and blocks of classrooms, to mention a few”, she concluded.

In his remarks, the Baale of one of the communities, Mukaila Oginsola lauded the housing initiative by Lafarge WAPCO .

Ogunsola said the gesture would save people of his community from various environmental hazards attached to blasting and mining of limestones around the old location, which is close to limestone belts.

He said, “We thank God though we fought them for this project and they are giving us what we asked them. Those in the village then were not much, but we have increased over the years. From the village, we are about 1000 excluding sons and daughters in Lagos, Ibadan and other towns.”

Vanguard