The Lagos State Government yesterday issued a final warning to squatters and operators of illegal motor parks in Obalende to vacate the area, as preparations begin to hand over the site to a corporate organisation for redevelopment.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, spoke to journalists after inspecting the Obalende park, as well as areas under the Adeniji Bridge and Oja-Oba on Lagos Island.

Wahab said the inspection marked a final clean-up exercise aimed at dislodging squatters and illegal motor park operators from the affected areas. He said the handover process had commenced and was expected to be concluded within hours.

According to him, the Obalende underbridge space had been slated for redevelopment since 2024, with three separate notices already issued to occupants. He explained that implementation was delayed until 2026 due to extended discussions with a corporate partner on a sustainable design that would align with its Corporate Social Responsibility objectives and ensure long-term maintenance by the government.

Wahab said the redesigned facility would still accommodate a motor garage, alongside public toilets, sleeping bays, electric vehicle charging points and other amenities. He described the current exercise as the final stage of the formal handover process and urged all affected persons to comply with the directive.

Responding to concerns that those affected might relocate to other areas, the commissioner said the exercise was not intended to displace people but to redesign the space in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. He said the aim was to make the area safe, habitable and functional for a modern urban economy.

On the inspection of Oja-Oba, Wahab said the Lagos Island Local Government had expressed interest in taking over some cleared underbridge spaces previously managed by the state government.

He said similar spaces across the state had been put to productive use, adding that the Adeniji underbridge would soon be transformed into a sustainable and environmentally friendly cluster.

Wahab added that the government was mindful of existing economic activities under the bridges and would carry out proper assessments to reorganise them into appropriate clusters rather than displacing livelihoods outright.