The Lagos State Government has announced plans to commence enforcement operations in Apapa aimed at re-establishing the three metres drainage Right of Way for all its drainage channels.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, made this known while addressing newsmen after an inspection tour to assess the level of compliance in the area.
He stated that the enforcement activities are scheduled to begin following the expiration of notices and convening of stakeholders meetings with property owners earlier in the year, urging them to voluntarily relocate their fences that encroach on the drainage setback.
“We want to check the state of collectors in Apapa in order to evacuate and treat the Collectors; the whole of the Collectors in this area are blocked and the right of way taken over by individuals who moved their fences in order to acquire extra land, thereby denying us access to the drains,” Wahab explained.
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The Commissioner also visited Rock Drive in Lekki I, where he addressed complaints about the conversion of a purely residential area into a diesel depot. He directed immediate enforcement action, emphasizing that the illegal depot poses the risk of a major fire outbreak in the area.
“Let us complement the government’s efforts in ensuring that Lagos is a flood-free state by being decent in our waste disposal behavior,” he added.
In his remarks during the inspection, the Special Adviser on Environment, Mr. Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, reiterated the state government’s commitment to finding a realistic solution to the flooding issue across the state.