In a strong effort to address security and environmental issues, the Lagos State Government has successfully removed 84 residents from the Eko Bridge in the Ebute-Ero neighborhood and cleared 54 illegal shanties.

The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) carried out the operation, which demonstrates the government’s determination to get the city back into order and stop environmental deterioration.

Eight temporary restrooms that had been causing widespread open defecation and unsanitary circumstances in the region were also demolished as part of the enforcement operation on Monday.

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LAGESC Corps Marshal Addresses the Decision

The action was taken after a seven-day abatement notice that the illegal shanties’ residents had disregarded expired, according to LAGESC Corps Marshal Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (Rtd).

“In consolidation of existing efforts aimed at reducing the spate of environmental nuisances to the barest minimum in the metropolis, LAGESC affected the removal of 54 illegal shanties which harboured 84 illegal occupants and eight makeshift toilets beneath Eko Bridge at the Ebute-Ero area of the State on Monday,” Major Cole stated in an official release.

The Corps Marshal went on to say that the growing abuse of the Elegbete Water Channel beneath the Eko Bridge was the reason the action was considered necessary. Over time, the region had developed into a hub for open defecation, careless waste disposal into the lagoon, and criminal activity.

“This area had evolved into a settlement for miscreants and illegal occupants, contributing significantly to environmental and security concerns,” Cole added. “The operation was necessary to address these issues and restore order to the affected area.”

Lagos Govt Broader Strategies in Destroying Illegal Settlements

                                         Source: Tokunbo Wanba/Facebook

The clearance effort is part of the Lagos State Government’s broader strategy to eliminate unlawful settlements under major bridges in the city.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, authorities dismantled 86 makeshift apartments under the Dolphin Estate Bridge in Ikoyi, where rentals were reportedly as high as N250,000 per year for one room.

Consequently, other target sites are the Ijora Causeway Bridge, Blue Line Overhead Bridge, National Stadium Bridge, and Osborne Bridge. These measures aim to reduce the growth of unlawful settlements like illegal shanties and recover public spaces for lawful usage.

In order to prevent the reoccupation of cleared places, Tokunbo Wahab, Lagos State Minister for Environment and Water Resources, has announced intentions to collaborate with the business sector to convert these locations into public-use facilities, assuring long-term sustainability.

The government’s increased efforts reflect its commitment to making Lagos a cleaner, safer, and more organized city, which is consistent with ongoing steps to address urbanization concerns and improve living circumstances for all citizens. 

He praised the leadership of Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, and emphasized that the agency’s mandate to maintain a cleaner and greener environment, as enshrined in Mr. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES+ agenda, remained primary to the collective cleanliness of the State’s environs.

Commission Issues Strong Warning to Defaulters

Furthermore, he also warned environmental offenders against illegal dumping, unauthorised buildings like illegal shanties, and failing to secure trash collection contracts.

In addition to that, he stated that the law would take strict action against those who violated the state’s environmental standards.

“The Corps Marshal also sounded a strong warning to environmental defaulters usually in the habit of indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and water bodies, erection of illegal structures on road setbacks, lay-bys, curbs, medians, verges and the refusal of public and private premises to obtain a valid waste collection contract, which he highlighted as infractions and maintained that the law will take its due course and deal decisively with flouters who show clear disregard for the State’s environmental laws,” he said.