Nigeria’s largest city is extracting sand from lagoons and the coastline to erect buildings and create new land, while fish disappear and fishing communities see the water turn into construction sites.

In Lagos, the removal of sand from lagoons and coastal areas supports construction, landfills, and new developments, while researchers and fishing communities report changes in the aquatic environment and work routine.

Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria, removes sand from lagoons, rivers, and coastal areas to supply infrastructure works, landfills, and real estate developments in one of the fastest-growing metropolises in Africa.

The activity drives part of the local construction industry, but fishermen, researchers, and environmental organizations claim that dredging alters the bottom of Lagos Lagoon, increases water turbidity, and reduces areas used by fish for breeding and feeding.

In areas near Makoko, a fishing community built on stilts, men enter the murky water to manually remove sand.

In other areas, mechanized dredgers extract sediments on a larger scale.

According to residents interviewed by the Associated Press, the change in landscape already affects boat routes, fishing spots, and areas once occupied by continuous sheets of water.

Dredging transforms a common raw material into a central element of urban expansion.

The sand removed from the lagoon and coastal areas is used in concrete production, road construction, and shoreline filling.

For builders cited by the AP, the so-called sharp sand, coarser and rougher, is valued for its application in construction.

Sand removed from Lagos Lagoon supplies construction and landfills

The growth of Lagos has increased the demand for sand in recent years.

According to industry analysts cited by the Associated Press, the city consumes tens of millions of cubic meters of the material per year, a volume compared by the report to about 16,000 Olympic swimming pools.

In the local market, dredgers and traders claim that prices follow demand.

A standard load of 30 tons of sharp sand was sold for about 290,000 nairas, approximately US$ 202, according to values reported to the AP.

Extraction has also become a source of income for informal workers.

Akeem Sossu, 34, said he has been diving for at least three years to remove sand from Lagos Lagoon.

With each dive, he stays about 15 seconds underwater and returns with buckets full of sediments destined for construction sites.

Before working in dredging, Sossu worked as a tailor.

He reported that he and a partner earn about 12,000 nairas, equivalent to US$ 8, per loaded boat.

Filling a vessel takes around three hours, according to the report published by AP.

“I leave early, sometimes at 5 or 6 a.m., depending on the tide,” stated Sossu.

The sentence sums up the routine of workers who depend on the tide, the demand for construction, and oversight in an activity that combines economic necessity and environmental impact.

Dredging changes lagoon bed and affects aquatic habitats

For researchers, sand extraction affects not only the visible landscape.

Dredging removes sediments, suspends fine particles, and can make the water muddier, a condition that hinders processes like feeding, movement, and reproduction of aquatic species.

A study conducted in the Addo-Badore axis, in Ajah, Lagos State, analyzed the impacts of sand mining on soil and water.

The research recorded environmental degradation and groundwater contamination at evaluated points, in a region where sand deposits attracted mining activities along the shore.

The Associated Press also cited peer-reviewed studies conducted by Nigerian researchers in the Ajah–Addo-Badore corridor.

According to the report, the analyses identified turbidity above national standards, instability in the bed under dredged areas, and greater stability in places where dredging was absent.

In Makoko, fishermen report perceived effects in daily life.

Some claim that fish temporarily return when dredging pauses, but move away when the machines resume operation.

The assessment is local but coincides with studies associating turbidity and bed disturbance with changes in aquatic habitats.

“We have no power,” said Baale Semede Emmanuel, community leader of Makoko. “The dredgers have ruined all the water.”

According to Emmanuel, shallow areas used by fish in early stages of the life cycle have been altered.

He also stated that the noise from the machines drives schools of fish away and that, in some cases, fish are sucked up by dredging equipment.

“Where there is dredging, there are no fish,” he stated. “The noise drives them away. The places where they used to breed have disappeared.”

Makoko fishermen report decline in catches

With the decline in catches near the communities, fishermen report the need to sail longer distances.

This increases fuel costs and exposes smaller vessels to more difficult conditions at sea, according to residents interviewed by AP.

Joshua Monday, a fisherman in Lagos, said he left his two boats practically idle and started working as a mechanic.

He had learned to repair boat engines years before, as an alternative source of income.

“If it weren’t for this mechanic job, I don’t know how I would survive,” said Monday.

According to the fisherman, a single trip can consume more than 150 thousand nairas, about US$ 104, in fuel, with no guarantee of a sufficient catch.

“Sometimes you go to sea and come back with nothing. All the fuel is gone,” he said.

The loss of income affects a chain that is not limited to boat owners.

Reports about coastal communities in Lagos indicate that fish traders and families who depend on artisanal fishing also report reduced earnings when catches decrease.

In Makoko and other riverside areas, residents claim that the expansion of landfills and real estate developments pressures traditional communities.

Monday said that developers and groups with greater economic power have occupied areas close to the water, while fishermen are forced to leave their work spots.

“Big men are pressuring us,” said Monday. “When they come, you have no choice. You take your things and leave.”

The fisherman has moved to Sagbo-Koji, another coastal community under pressure.

Informal dredging becomes a source of income in Lagos

Among dredging workers, the activity is described as an income opportunity in a city with few formal alternatives for part of the population.

Joshua Alex, a dredging operator, told the AP that he depends on the job to support himself.

“I am the father of a child,” said Alex. “This is how I take care of myself.”

The operator also reported payments to enforcement agents to keep the activity running.

“The Maritime Police come, we settle with them. The NIWA comes, we settle with them,” he said, referring to the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority.

For environmental advocates heard by the AP, this type of arrangement makes it difficult to distinguish between authorized and illegal operations.

According to these groups, interrupted activities can resume shortly after enforcement actions, which reduces the effectiveness of public control.

Lagos government claims to combat illegal dredging

Lagos State authorities claim they combat illegal dredging.

In February 2025, the state government announced an operation by the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development against unauthorized dredgers, with the halting of irregular activities.

The AP reported that authorities, including Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, promised to strengthen actions against illegal operations associated with floods, erosion, and environmental degradation.

The report also noted that the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development did not respond to the questions sent.

Residents, on the other hand, claim that the inspection is irregular.

Emmanuel, a community leader in Makoko, said that payments allow the resumption of activities after interruptions.

The statement is an accusation attributed to the local leader and not an independent finding.

“When the government interrupts dredging activities today, they receive payment and then ask to resume activities,” said Emmanuel.

He also accused authorities of prioritizing revenue and private projects in waterfront areas.

Lagoons and shallow areas help reduce flood impacts

Lagos is located in a low coastal region, with urban areas close to lagoons, canals, and shores prone to flooding.

According to scientists cited by the AP, wetlands and shallow lagoon sections act as natural buffers because they help absorb some of the water during periods of rain and high tide.

When these environments are removed, filled, or destabilized, researchers say the city may become more exposed to flood risks.

The assessment appears in studies and reports on dredging, erosion, and habitat loss in coastal areas of Lagos.

The Guardian cited a survey attributed to the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, according to which unregulated dredging and mining eroded the bed by almost six meters between Banana Island and the Third Mainland Bridge, in a stretch of approximately five kilometers of the main lagoon channel.

Experts interviewed by the British newspaper also linked large-scale sand removal to habitat loss, increased turbidity, and pressure on artisanal fisheries.

Nnimmo Bassey, director of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, stated that dredging without adequate environmental assessment can eliminate species and harm communities dependent on fishing.

Sand mining exposes dispute between construction and fishing

Sand is one of the most used materials in construction, but its removal in large volumes can reorganize entire environments.

In the case of Lagos, researchers and residents relate the extraction to changes in the lagoon bed, water circulation, and fish availability.

By transforming sediments into buildings, roads, and landfills, the city also shifts part of the environmental cost to communities living in or near the water.

This assessment is supported by reports from fishermen, studies on turbidity, and warnings from environmental organizations monitoring the region.

The dispute involves different interests.

For informal workers, sand extraction can be the main source of livelihood.

For construction companies, the material supports urban expansion.

For fishermen, the same activity alters work areas and increases the cost of staying in the profession.

The case of Lagos shows how a metropolis can depend on resources extracted from the very ecosystems that help protect it.