Lagos cemetery protest intensifies as Nature Estate residents oppose burial site near school, citing health and water contamination fears

Lagos cemetery protest escalated over the weekend as residents of Nature Estate in Surulere carried placards and vowed to resist the construction of a cemetery in their neighbourhood.

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The project, they say, poses a grave health risk and threatens to pollute their drinking water.

Chanting slogans like “Say no to nightmares” and “No to cemetery in Nature Estate,” the demonstrators warned they would march to the Lagos State Government House in Alausa this week if the project is not halted.

Alhaja Aminat Omolabake Braimoh, Chairperson of the Community Development Association (CDA), raised concerns about the proximity of the cemetery to a school and the area’s notorious flooding problems.

“Each time it rains, water seeps into our boreholes. Imagine what will happen when corpses are buried there—our drinking water will be contaminated,” she said.

Braimoh urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State House of Assembly to intervene immediately to uphold residents’ rights to safe living conditions.

Another resident, Mr Olanrewaju Olaniran, noted that the community has submitted several petitions since 2020.

Though government agencies marked the site for violation twice, construction work continues unchecked.

“We are saying no to this cemetery. It’s a threat to our health and safety,” Olaniran stated, adding that some officials appear to be defying state directives.

The Natufe/Animashaun Community reiterated their intention to keep protesting until the project is stopped, accusing unnamed officials of deliberately ignoring residents’ concerns.

Efforts to reach the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development for comment were unsuccessful at the time of this report.

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The Lagos cemetery protest underscores a growing tension between urban development and community health, with Nature Estate residents determined not to back down until their fears are addressed.