Lagos pledges enforcement of environmental infringements

Lagos State government has pledged to continue enforcement operations across the state to restore setbacks and drainage alignments towards preventing flooding.
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The State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this, when he led the Environment team on an inspection tour of some enforcement sites at Magodo, Dodan Barracks, Norman Williams Road, and the Bucknor Oke-Afa channel in Oshodi/Isolo Local Council.
  
Wahab, who was accompanied by Special Adviser, Environment, Olakunle Rotimi Akodu, Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Dr Gaji Omobolaji, and some directors from the Ministry, said the administration was poised to promote and enforce a flood-free Lagos.
 
Speaking on what transpired at the Oke Afa/ Bucknor location in Oshodi/Isolo where several buildings on the drainage setback have been pulled down after delays in enforcing the law, he maintained that the activities of the Ministry is on the field, hence the reason he leads from the front.
 
“We come out everyday and also push our people and our officers out because we are a public facing ministry and we must continually enforce,” he said.
 
The Commissioner added that some residents sued the state to prevent it from reclaiming the setback, but the case was struck out, enabling the ministry to act decisively in the interest of the public, stressing that the contractor would be mobilised to work on the secondary collector.
  
According to him, it was regrettable that all the houses built on the setback had no drainage clearance and the developers had no business erecting the houses.
 
“Houses were found to have been built and in the process, they closed up the natural path of water but will later turn around to accuse the government of inaction with respect to flooding,” he said.
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