Statement issued by Lagos State Commissioner of Environment Tokunbo Wahab
Today, alongside my esteemed colleague, the Honourable Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi @seunosiyemi_, the Special Adviser to the Governor on the Environment, Engr. Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu @rotimi_akodu, the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources; Dr. Gaji Omobolaji Tajudeen, Engr. Mahmoud Adegbite, and other stakeholders, we conducted a critical inspection along the Lekki-Epe Expressway corridor. This exercise was essential to synchronize our ministries' efforts in preserving our environment and safeguarding the future Green Line Rail Project.
Our findings revealed that several automobile dealers, who were previously granted temporary approval to operate on designated sites, have brazenly exceeded their allocated boundaries. Not only have they encroached upon wetlands, but some have also erected permanent structures directly under power lines. This is a clear violation of their permits and a direct assault on our master plan.
Wetlands are not wasteland. They are nature's sponge, designed to hold excess water during heavy rains. The recent drone survey by our ministry exposed the shocking scale of destruction to these ecosystems, particularly the coconut plantations along the corridor, which have been severely degraded. This will not stand.
In sync with the Ministry of Transportation, we have initiated immediate enforcement against these infractions. The Green Line is a legacy project that will commence soon, and we will not allow the selfish interests of a few to compromise the mobility and environmental safety of millions of Lagosians. Consequently, we have agreed for the car lot owners to vacate the various places, move their vehicles, while the government comes up with a workable solution that will protect the environment and nature’s wetlands, the Green Line rail right of way, and also accommodate in a safe and practicable way the thriving car businesses to have a win-win situation.
Furthermore, we have taken a zero-tolerance stance against the illegal reclamation and narrowing of the Ikota River by Partibons Homes Estate/Bee-Forth Estate Phase 2. I have issued an immediate seal and stop-work order. It is heart-wrenching that individuals would deliberately destroy a critical river ecosystem for illicit real estate ventures, thereby exacerbating flooding for entire communities.
Members of the public are hereby advised to always do their due diligence and ensure all documents are verified before buying properties from these individuals
This administration will not fold its hands while nature's design is distorted. We have already removed 17 contravening structures at the Ikota River in Oral Estate Extension and will continue until the river's right of way is fully restored.