Residents of communities under the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority (OORBDA) have accused the agency’s management of deception and abandonment of the much-publicised dredging of the Ogun River.
In September 2024, the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, in a widely reported ceremony, announced that it had commenced the dredging of the river. However, over a year later, SaharaReporters gathered that nothing tangible has been done.
Residents who spoke with SaharaReporters lamented that despite several promises and repeated assurances to end the community’s history of flooding through the dredging project, the authority has failed to fulfill its promises.
In October 2024, it was reported that President Bola Tinubu’s administration awarded the contract for dredging the Ogun River from the Ikorodu to Isheri axis in Lagos State. The project aimed to reduce flooding and ensure the free flow of water along the channel.
Communities expected to benefit from the project include Warewa, Mokore, Banku, Arigbede, Riverview Estate, Isheri community (comprising several estates on the Lagos side), Mawere, Maba, Itowolo, Owode Onirin, and several others situated along the Ogun River channel in the Ikorodu–Lagos corridor.
Residents Lamented Failed Promises
A resident familiar with the development lamented that despite the promises, “nothing has been achieved while the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority Executive Director continues to evade requests for accountability.”
“After they came in September 2024, we were very happy and thought we had found succour. But in October 2024, we experienced heavy flooding and we cried out that nothing was done about the project. To our surprise, all efforts to reach the project manager and even the River Basin Executive Director failed as he did not reply to our enquiries. This is a project they have called a multi-billion-naira project,” the resident said.
“There was a time that the Ogun River Basin management brought some equipment to the Ikorodu axis of the river and took videos with the equipment to make it look like work was ongoing. When we reached out one time and he managed to reply, he sent us these videos.”
A community leader added, “Fortunately enough, some people saw them when this happened, so when we were sent videos as evidence of work, we immediately countered it. We even visited the river and confirmed that nothing was done; it was all propaganda.
“At one point, for a multi-billion-naira project, they brought some guys with shovels and boats, asking them to take away debris on the river, and it was surprising because that is not dredging. They did this when we kept complaining, and the lamentations were much.”
Sources within the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority informed SaharaReporters that contractors, in collusion with the Executive Director of the agency, failed to spend up to 15% of the allocated contract amount.
The project was awarded to Lanum Integrated Services in 2024.
While residents decried neglect, the Ogun State Government recently warned that water might soon be released from the Oyan Dam and urged communities at risk to relocate.
Communities listed as likely to be affected include Isheri, Warewa, Akute, parts of Abeokuta, Ayetoro, Itele, Iju, and coastal areas such as Makun, Oni, Iwopin, Igele, Ifaara, Ebute-Imobi, Tungeji Island, and Agosasa in Ipokia Local Government Area.
Several respondents who spoke to SaharaReporters noted that if the dredging project had been executed, they would have been safe even when water is released from the Oyan Dam.
Over four deaths were recorded in the past from flooding incidents, with properties destroyed.
Affected Communities Highlight Issues
On June 4, 2025, the Lagos/Ogun River Basin Communities Association wrote to express concern over what it described as “significant lapses” in the execution of the River Ogun Dredging Project at Itowolo in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
In a letter addressed to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of OORBDA, Engr. Dr. Adedeji Ashiru, the association, stated that it conducted an on-site inspection on May 1, 2025, to assess progress since the project was launched on September 13, 2024.
“We write on behalf of the Lagos/Ogun River Basin Communities Association to express our concerns following an on-site inspection of the River Ogun Dredging Project executed by your Agency and flagged off on September 13, 2024, at Itowolo in Ikorodu, Lagos State,” the letter stated.
Image
“A delegation from our association conducted a comprehensive inspection of the project site on Thursday, May 1, 2025, to assess progress in line with the flood mitigation goals initially outlined at project commencement,” the association said.
However, it noted with dismay that their “findings raise significant concerns regarding the execution and actual impact of the project so far.”
The group listed several observations from its inspection, citing: “Absence of active dredging equipment,” noting that “No dredging machinery was present on-site at the time of our visit.”
It further reported: “No signs of Recent Dredging Work: There were no sand deposits or sediment piles to indicate any dredging had taken place on the riverbanks.”
Another major issue highlighted was the “Obstruction of River Flow: A large outcrop of compacted sediment, water hyacinths, and debris is visibly obstructing the River Ogun water flow upstream of the Itowolo Bridge.”
Community members also pointed to what they described as “Failed Mobilization Attempts,” noting that “community accounts confirm that two dredgers were brought to the site in April 2025. The first was operated briefly and removed. The second, deployed on April 17, 2025, was also removed by April 25, 2025, without delivering substantive work.”
The report added: “Ineffective Manual Clearing Efforts: Attempts to clear obstructions using manual labor and an excavator were short-lived and unsuccessful.”
While acknowledging “Partial Downstream Clearing,” the association stressed that “the critical upstream section remains blocked.”
“These observations suggest that the dredging work, as currently executed, is insufficient to achieve the stated objectives of flood control and waterway restoration,” the letter warned, adding, “With the 2025 rainy season approaching, the risk of flooding for communities upstream of the Itowolo Bridge remains high and urgent action is required.”
The association called on OORBDA to “provide an official technical briefing to community stakeholders on the challenges faced during project execution,” and to “reassess the deployment strategy for effective dredging operations, particularly upstream of the bridge.”
It also urged the agency to “share a revised work schedule with clearly defined milestones, deliverables, and timelines,” and to “consider alternative engineering solutions or specialized equipment capable of accessing constrained sections of the river.”
Concluding, the communities reaffirmed their commitment to collaboration, stating, “We remain committed to supporting collaborative and transparent engagement toward the successful realization of this vital public infrastructure project.”
The community association stated that it had also written to the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, as well as the Presidency, to no avail.
Ogun State Government Accused of Negligence
Residents and community leaders have accused the Ogun State Government of negligence and failure to fulfill promises made by Governor Dapo Abiodun in October 2023 regarding flood mitigation.
Although the state government budgeted ₦849 million for its erosion and watershed project, it reportedly spent nothing within the first six months of 2025.
Records show that in August 2025 alone, the state received ₦182 million as ecology funds. In July 2025, it received ₦212 million; ₦119 million in January; ₦147 million in February; ₦158 million in March; ₦145.9 million in April; ₦157.3 million in May; and ₦141.3 million in June.
The Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, under the leadership of Adedeji Ashiru, has also faced repeated allegations of procurement corruption.
It was recently the subject of investigations by anti-corruption bodies, leading the Bureau of Public Procurement to order a halt to all procurement activities by the authority.
