Lagos Demolishes Shanties on Blue Line Rail Corridor

The Lagos State Government has intensified its efforts to rid some areas in the state of illegal structures and shanties as the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, in furtherance to the directives of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday, supervised the demolition of shanties on the setbacks and rights of way of Lagos Blue Rail Line corridor from Orile to Iyana-Iba.

The commissioner was in company of the Chairman of the Special Intervention Team for the restoration of the Blue Line Right of Way, ACP Bayo Sulaiman; the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Gaji Omobolaji, and his counterpart in the Office of Drainage Services, Lekan Shodeinde.

Wahab was quoted in a statement on Monday as saying that there was the need to ensure a complete restoration of the right of way, including that of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

He said the enforcement became imperative following the expiration of the 1-month notice given by Sanwo-Olu to all street traders, squatters and occupiers of shanties and abandoned vehicles on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway from Orile up to Iyana-Iba.

“The Special Intervention Team is cleaning up the Lagos-Badagry (Expressway) to rid (it) of all environmental nuisances and black spots. The exercise would be sustained to ensure that ejected squatters do not return to rebuild these shanties,” Wahab added.