Residents of beachfront estates and fishing communities along the Lekki coastline in Eti-Osa LGA are raising fresh alarm over accelerating coastal erosion and ocean surge activity that has destroyed sections of beach and crept dangerously close to residential structures. In the past six months, several homeowners say they have watched the shoreline retreat by several metres. One resident of a beachfront property said a retaining wall she had built two years ago at considerable personal expense has already been compromised by wave action. Fisherfolk in the area say storm surges are becoming more intense and unpredictable. Environmental researchers from a Lagos-based organisation visited the site last week and are reportedly preparing a report for submission to the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency. Community leaders are calling on state authorities to urgently develop a coastal management plan before the erosion causes catastrophic property losses.
