The Lagos State government on Thursday issued a 48 hours ultimatum to traders operating under Apogbon Bridge and traders operating on the drainage setbacks on Lagos Island to vacate preparatory to the commencement of urban regeneration of Lagos Island.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, issued the notice while addressing the media after an inspection tour to Savage/Elegbata Bombata Drainage channel around Olowogbowo/ Apongbon axis in Lagos Island, saying that nagative human activities in the axis massively contribute to flooding and posed serious threat to lives and properties.
He explained that the tour became necessary because it was observed that the setback of the two critical drainage collectors which are Bombata / Olusi and the Alagbafo collector have been converted into shops/stalls, adding that the channels were initially not captured in that could can hamper the success of the regeneration.
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“I have instructed that the shop/stall owners be served abatement notice; we are going to clear these infractions and keep the maintenance work going while ensuring that the contract is revisited to accommodate these two collectors,” he said.
Wahab who observed during the inspection that traders selling livestocks had also converted under Apongbon bridge to a ranch and livestock market, thereafter ordered an immediate relocation of the livestock traders to designated markets saying they were contributors to blockage to the two collectors in the area.
According to him, “What we saw is not something that we are happy about. People have fully built on setback and drainage channels and when you build structures on these infrastructure, how do you expect these infrastructure to be maintained.”
“We have abused these infrastructure and I have given directives to the appropriate department to serve notice of abatement and if compliance is not carried out enforcement will commence,” he added
He said the government could not fold its hands and allow anyone turn Lagos State to an Hobbesian state “where life becomes nasty, brutish and short,” saying that infrastructure were built for public use but some people turned them to their shops and the state government will stop the bad behaviours right away.
He said all concerned stall owners would be served contravention/abatement notices while the Ministry officials would come back to monitor the level of compliance after 48 hours.
The Commissioner warned developers and residents that dump building materials on the roads and drainage channels causing serious blockage to natural flow of water to desist from such acts while ordering the immediate sealing of 2 buildings under construction , one on Alakoro Martins Street (No 109) and another one in Ebute Ero market for dumping of building materials on the drainage channels.
