The Lagos State government has given a 4-day ultimatum to squatters on Coastal Road in the Lekki area of the state to quit or face demolition.
The ultimatum also aplies to other areas of the state where shanties have developed overnight.
According to the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, the development followed an inspection tour to Jakande, Elegushi Itedo, System 156 and 44 on Orchid Road by Commissioner Tokunbo Wahab.
“Following the indiscriminate springing up of shanties and illegal structures, the Lagos State Government has issued a four-day relocation notice to all squatters occupying illegal shanties around the Lagos Coastal Road in Mayegun, Lekki area of Lagos,” a Sunday statement from the ministry’s Director of Public Affairs, Kunle Adeshina reads.
The commissioner said all such illegal shanties and squatters, close to regional road alignment must vacate the area by Thursday afternoon as enforcement would commence in the early hours of Friday morning.
“The government has cleared Ijora Under Bridge, Obalende Under Bridge, Apongbon Under Bridge, and Agege Red Rail Line amongst others. I would like to say that most of these places cleaned up are notorious sites that harbour criminals and as such they are threats to residents. The clean-up exercise would be sustained to ensure that ejected squatters do not return to rebuild these shanties,” he said.
Shanties like this gets ultimatum
He said the team would visit Aboru, Command, Abule-Egba to inspect on-going work in the areas, stressing that the enforcement drive was a statewide exercise.
Lagos Environment Commissioner
The commissioner said enforcement would commence this week on System 157 (Orchid Road) to open the 40 metres drainage, adding that this became necessary as people had built on the canal path and narrowed the primary channel, thereby causing flooding in the area, the statement added.
