The demolition exercise of illegal buildings in Lagos state by the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, (LAGESC) in collaboration with The Governor’s Office Taskforce Team and Ministry of Environment and Water Resources Enforcement Team has been extended to the Abule-Egba axis on the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway and Agege area of the state.
The demolition exercise which had earlier been carried out in the areas of Lekki, Ogudu GRA, Surulere, Ikeja, Ikoyi, Amuwo Odofin, and some others is targeted at properties that have breached the State’s physical planning law, failed to get approval from the relevant authorities and that have encroached on the right of way.
CP Gbemisola Akinpelu (Rtd), Corps Marshal of LAGESC, while speaking on the joint operation at the Command Headquarters said;
“The occupiers of the illegal structures on the Egbeda axis and the developer of a block of shops at Agege had earlier been served with abatement notices but they failed to comply. This was why our Special Squad had to remove these structures in conjunction with the Governors’ Office Special Project team and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources enforcement arm.’’
Corps Marshal Gbemisola Akinpelu also said that the state government will no longer condone the menace of water tank sellers, car dealers, and illegal shops/houses extensions along any axis that encroaches on the right of way because the business owners are turning the lay-bys and setbacks to illegal car lots, thereby obstructing the right of way for government projects.
From the look of things, the Lagos State demolition exercise would likely spread to other parts of the state as the government looks to not only execute more projects but also ease traffic on Lagos major roads.
Going forward, real estate developers in Lagos must take a cue from this exercise and ensure they build properties in line with the state’s physical planning law to avoid demolition by the state government as this is all for the greater good.