Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Saturday issued a final warning to illegal occupants and structures on the median of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, announcing that a large-scale demolition and clearance operation will begin next week as part of efforts to restore order and improve environmental sanitation.

Speaking to journalists during the monthly environmental sanitation exercise at Itire Road in Surulere Local Government Areas of the State, the governor said the government would no longer tolerate the illegal occupation of the road median, describing it as an abuse of public infrastructure and a threat to the ongoing reconstruction of the highway.
Sanwo-Olu said the exercise would cover the stretch from Orile Iganmu to Okokomaiko, warning that all illegal structures on the corridor would be removed.

“This is the final notice to everyone occupying the median of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway. From next week, we are coming to clear the entire median. Everything there will go. Every illegal structure will be removed,” he declared.
He stressed that the median was designed as part of the highway infrastructure and not for commercial activities or habitation.

“It is not meant to be a market. It is not meant to be a place where people erect structures. It is a highway median, and we must preserve it, especially considering the huge public investment on that corridor.”
The governor said thousands of enforcement personnel would participate in the operation to ensure strict compliance with environmental and physical planning laws.

“We are coming with all the necessary manpower and equipment. We will remain there until the job is completed. No one should expect any exemption,” he warned.
Sanwo-Olu also used the occasion to reaffirm his administration’s commitment to improving waste management across the state through increased investment in sanitation infrastructure.

He explained that the government had already ordered 150 additional compactors to strengthen waste evacuation across Lagos, adding that the first batch would arrive within the next three months.
The governor disclosed that the state, in collaboration with local governments, was also procuring about smaller compactor trucks capable of accessing inner streets and estates to improve refuse collection.

According to him, the government is simultaneously investing in long-term waste processing infrastructure, including a modern material recovery and recycling facility capable of processing about 4,250 metric tonnes of waste daily.
The recycling plant, expected to become operational next year, will significantly reduce pressure on landfill sites by converting waste into reusable materials.

Sanwo-Olu acknowledged that some Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste operators were facing operational challenges due to rising costs and inadequate equipment but assured residents that government interventions were underway to improve their capacity.
He, however, urged Lagos residents to support the waste management system by paying their waste disposal bills promptly.

“Waste management is not the responsibility of government alone. It is a collective responsibility. Residents must also play their part by paying for waste collection services. That is what enables the PSP operators to continue providing efficient services.”
The governor reiterated that environmental sanitation remains a key priority of his administration, stressing that Lagos generates tens of thousands of tonnes of waste daily and requires the cooperation of government, businesses and residents to keep the state clean.

He also encouraged parents to involve their children in sanitation activities to instill environmental responsibility from an early age, describing cleanliness as essential to building a healthier and more sustainable Lagos.
On the governor’s entourage was his wife, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs Oluremi Hamzat, and the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab.