Wahab and others during the tour. Phot credit: V
Lagos State government, yesterday, issued a four-day relocation notice to squatters occupying illegal shanties around the Lagos coastal road in Mayegun, in the Lekki area of the state.
Speaking after an inspection tour to Jakande, Elegushi Itedo, System 156 and 44 on Orchid Road, the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said all such illegal shanties and squatters, close to Regional Road Alignment must vacate the area by Thursday afternoon, as enforcement would commence in the early hours of Friday morning.
The commissioner was accompanied by the Special Adviser on Environment, Kunle Rotimi-Akodu; Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Mahmood Adegbite; Permanent Secretary Office of Environmental Services, Gaji Omobolaji Tajudeen; Chairman of the Task Force on Special Offences, CSP Sola Jejeloye; and heads of agencies.
They inspected System 157 (Orchid Road), System 44 (Lekki to Ikota), Mayegun Area (Jakande), Regional Road Alignment, Dodan Barracks and Obalende
The commissioner said the tour was important to ensure that the coastal alignment of the aforementioned areas are secured and illegal settlements along the corridors are removed.
He stressed that by next week, the spots would be cleared with the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) involved in proper regeneration of the axis.
“The government has cleared Ijora Underbridge, Obalende Underbridge, Apongbon Underbridge, Agege Red rail line, among others. I would like to say that most of these places cleaned up are notorious sites that harbour criminals, and as such, they are threats to residents. The clean up exercise would be sustained to ensure that ejected squatters do not return to rebuild these shanties,” he said.
He said the team would visit Aboru, Command, and Abule-Egba to inspect ongoing work in the areas, even as he stressed that the enforcement drive is a statewide exercise.
The commissioner said enforcement would commence this week on System 157 (Orchid Road) to open the 40-metre drainage. He added that this became necessary as people have built on the canal path and narrowed the primary channel, thereby causing flooding in the area.
