- Water hyacinths may be responsible for dead fishes
Amid the trending social media video report where the Epe Tilapia Fish Farmers raised alarm over sudden massive death of their tilapia fishes allegedly linked to the ongoing dredging activities by Renecon Limited close to their fish ponds, the management of Renecon Limited has debunked the allegations even as it claimed to be under a blackmail.
On Sunday, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) visited the site of Renecon located at Epe in response to the report made by the tilapia fish farmers of their loss in Ebute Afuye Cluster of Epe knocking Renecon activities as incubator for the death of the fishes.
“We would like to put on record that LASEPA did not give the management of Renecon any prior notice of their planned visit, or gave the company’s representatives an opportunity to witness the collection of the samples they collected at several locations that they said they needed to conduct an investigations of the fish farmers unfounded and unsupported allegations.”
“Though, Princess Surah Olayemi Animashaun, the executive chairman of EPE local government has absolved Renecon of the alleged maritime infractions through the media, pointing to the massive presence of water hyacinth which took over the entire fish farming area as cause of the fishes mortality. Renecon, however wondered at the relentless orchestration of the development by unknown persons who are determined to bring down and rubbish the integrity of the company”, the dredging company said.
According to the Managing Director of Renecon Limited, Anthony Bademosi, this is about the second petition by unknown persons to LASEPA against his company, even as he hinted a blackmail scheme against his company.
“The first petition collapsed after due diligent investigations and I wonder how our company activities which is far away from the location of the fish farm could have impacted the unfortunate circumstances”
“We believe that some powerful interests, using the instruments of State agencies, want to get rid of us in Epe. Renecon Limited operates under extant laws both within the federal and state government environmental rubrics. We have conducted our activities well and are in good terms with our local stakeholders, so for some faceless and alleged fish farmers to want to frame us as the oxygenators of the unfortunate mortality of caged tilapia fishes in Epe is not only pedestrian, but a failed clever diversionary tactics to bring us down,” he said.
According to the Renecon boss, traditional fish farmers and informed stakeholders have opined that water hyacinth which is a seasonal environmental malice impacting on water transportation and lives of Marine resources and fisheries in the state, and in particular Epe area caused the death of the caged tilapia fishes as the vegetation covered and heated up the lagoon surface and drastically reduced the oxygen levels under water needed for fishes and other marine resources to survive.
He, however, assured that his company will do its best to cooperate with LASEPA in their investigations as they have done in the past, although he frowned at a situation where Renecon representatives are not allowed to witness the collection of samples.
“We have informed our lawyers to help us track down the persons behind the very unsavory petition with hope to call them out for targeting to disrupt our operations and also set us up against the community which has been supportive of our presence here,” he stressed.
As part of the organization’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Bademosi further informed that Renecon maintains and repairs all the roads within its operational environment, employs sweepers in collaboration with Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to ensure clean environment, constructed speed bumps to control speed by truckers and other road users around the vicinity, employs traffic controllers, and also provide clean water through a borehole for the community.
