Posted by On Saturday, the government of Lagos State vowed that it would demolish all unlawful buildings in Lekki Phase II and the surrounding area without favor.
The state government is dedicated to ensuring that justice and fairness are delivered equally to all, according to Tokunbo Wahab, commissioner for the environment and water resources, who made this explanation on Saturday in Lagos.
Even though Wahab was surrounded by pleading residents and property owners of the completely constructed buildings that had been built on the drainage setbacks and were slated for removal, he said that to do otherwise would be to apply double standards.
The commissioner also noted that the duplex blocks that had already been demolished were aligned with the same drainage setback as the remaining ones.
He vowed that the state would not waver in its efforts to regain the drainage setback and restore the master plan.
Wahab said it was unfortunate that the government had to make the tough call to demolish the finished buildings and restore the drainage setback to allow for the unimpeded flow of rainfall.
According to him, those responsible for the demolitions in Ikota knew they were breaking the law.
From 2020 onward, when most of the buildings were still in the foundation stage, the commissioner claimed that the owners had various contacts with the ministry.
“At Ikota, the level of encroachments is just unimaginable; people have built on the canal path, and we resolved that these nuisances cannot be allowed to continue; it just had to stop,” he stated.
He claimed to have gone back to the Ikota site and spoken with the people whose buildings had still to be demolished.
Wahab said he told them to leave the buildings since pleading with the demolition crew wouldn’t stop the process.
“We have gone round and concluded that all houses on the canal path and on those on the canal itself must be removed and the path recreated to discharge into Ikota River,” he said.
Some homeowners in Victoria Garden City (VGC) in Lekki have expanded their approved plots beyond the VGC’s five-meter buffer Zone, which was a topic of discussion when the commissioner visited the neighborhood.
He continued by saying that the addition would be taken down to open up the lagoon to the water.
He added, “Illegality cannot beget legality; we cannot be brazen in our illegality and be brazen in our nonchalant attitude to the environment; it has to end.”
He claimed that up until this point, the government had followed the route of advocacy, but since the people had been resistant to change, the government had to resort to enforcement measures.
To avoid this kind of problem, Wahab recommended that homeowners get drainage approval in addition to any other necessary approvals before beginning construction.
The things that are bad for the environment will come back to haunt you, so you can’t blame the government for the results of your activities, he warned.