Lagos State Government has marked at least 39 buildings located in two highbrow estates for demolition over Right of Way of Ikota Riverbank, at Eti-Osa Local Government Area of the State. Ikota is part of the Maroko Okun Alfa ward, in Lekki axis.
This comes as the state government issued indefinite quit norices to affected occupants to enable them move their properties and families before the demotion exercise will commence.
The affected buildings, located at Oral Extension Estate, and Westend, Mega Mond Estate, Eti-Osa, LGA, include: 20 buildings to be totally removed, eight marked for partial removal, while 13 buildings are to go down at Westend Estate.
Meanwhile, enforcement team of Ministry of The Environment and Water Resources, on Thursday, were seen poking the fences of some marked buildings in the estates.
Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, led the enforcement team to the site.
Wahab, while addressing members of the media, explained that government swooped into action following series of petitions on encroachment of the Ikota River.
According to Wahab; “We had several complaints. We have been on this for a while now and we found out at the ministry level that whilst we are engaging to find a win-win solution that will mitigate the negative impact on the environment and they don’t affect the people so much.
“Some developments were also going on to further push back the RoW, and the alignment of the Ikota River.
“So we had a digital footprint of the situation of things and we had to come there today. What we met on ground is not good at all. It’s not palatable.
“So we have said to them, let us allow them move their things out. Family men and women with children and come to school. So whilst that is ongoing, we talked the walls and pushed them back and I’m glad you also saw what was on ground at Oral.
“We have been to Oral Estate before now and you can’t compare what we met then last year and what was on Grant today.
“It shows that while they’re engaging government to find the women solution to redesign some of their primary alignments and secondary collectors, they had also gone ahead to push further back the right of way for the Ikota River and that is not good for anybody.
“So we’ve called the machines in and then we’ve have them to talk all the walls and then push them back from further encroachment and from there we came to the opposite side of it.
“We saw what is happening there too by the right of way on the other side of it. And then from there we came to Mega Mond Estate.
“Now what they are doing here as a reclamation, we also need to put them in check. If you’re doing a reclamation, the first thing you have to do before your reclamation is obtain your drainage clearance and your environmental impact assessment document to be sure that the extension or reclamation you are seeking to do, if you have the approval at all, have a proper drainage alignment that will discharge and will not affect the ecosystem here.
“And we’ve asked them to stop. Now, beyond stopping, they have also pushed beyond the limits into the RoW.
“We’ve asked them to cut it off and push the sand back and then give us all the documents, stop working here, give us a document and we want to believe they’ll comply. And if they don’t, we will wield the big stick.”
On the number of buildings affected, Wahab said,” For the first stretch we have about 18 buildings. Then after the canal we have about 13 or thereabouts. But those ones are not full.
“They are the buildings behind the main buildings. That’s at Oral, and at Westerend, about eight.
“That’s what we have on ground. But what we also seek to engage them properly because now they are selling and divesting and giving titles to innocent buyers of value.
“So that’s why I say let those people that are innocent that had their kids in school so you don’t get their life disrupted because you want to enforce.
“They’re not disputing the fact that something is wrong, they’re all admitted, but please give us time. Let us now find a way to reset to ourselves.
“I know one or two of them personally, and I’m going to keep telling them that this not going to work. But you can’t also let people go through pain. Those tenants like you saw are innocent.
“It was emotional for some of us here. When you see people say, I’m going to pick my daughter from school, I don’t even know where to take or my son to when they come back from school.
“But that should also should not be cloud our sense of reasoning and fairness. So we’ll have a win-win situation. We’ll come back and see how far we’ve gone.
“So, the notices are not timed, but they, just find a way to move their things and then we have a balance.”(Vanguard)
