Lagos Orders Safety Audit of Dredging Sites After Incident Reports
LAGOS — The Lagos State Safety Commission has ordered a comprehensive safety audit of dredging sites across the state after receiving recurring reports of incidents involving workers and members of the public.
The commission announced the measure during mandatory safety training for dredging and sand-haulage operators in Ibeju-Lekki.
Director-General Lanre Mojola, represented by the commission’s Head of Safety Audit II, Festus Todowede, said the agency regularly receives incident reports linked to dredging and sand-mining activities across Lagos.
The commission said the audit showed the need for stronger safety awareness and better controls across the sector.
It has also made safety training mandatory for dredging operators, with companies urged to strengthen precautions designed to protect workers and people living or working around operating sites.
The state has not, in the material reviewed by IDNN, published a list of sites found to have breached safety rules or announced sanctions against specific operators.
Dredging consultant Adejuyigbe Oluwaseyi told operators that safety measures should be part of daily work rather than something activated only during inspections.
He urged operators to identify hazards before work begins, assess risks, train workers properly and ensure regular use of personal protective equipment.
He also said operations considered unsafe should stop until identified risks are addressed.
The issue has wider public-safety consequences because dredging involves heavy machinery, waterways and sand-haulage activity, creating risks for both workers and nearby communities when safety controls fail.
The next accountability question is what the audit produces.
That includes whether Lagos publishes site-specific findings, issues corrective directives or takes enforcement action against operators found to have breached safety requirements.
For now, the verified position is narrower: Lagos has ordered a statewide safety audit, made safety training mandatory for operators and cited recurring incident reports as the reason for tighter controls.
