The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources in Lagos State, Tokunbo Wahab, has issued a seven-day contravention notice to owners of buildings along Orchid Road, Agungi, Ajiran, Conservation Road, Osapa, along the Ikota River.
News About Nigeria gathered that this action comes after an inspection tour of the Ikota River corridor to ensure compliance with the approved seven-metre setback on both sides of the channel.
The directive, announced alongside the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, stated that it is important to adhere to the State Drainage Master Plan.
Wahab stressed the government’s commitment to enforcing the law and reclaiming drainage setbacks, urging residents to comply to avoid property demolition.
The move follows a petition from the Nigerian Conservation Foundation citing distortions and damage to the drainage channel designed to direct stormwater into the Lagoon.
The commissioner, having reviewed the setback alignment from seven to six metres, called for adherence to the law to prevent flooding and ensure orderly development.
Wahab and his team also inspected Oral Estate II along System 156 Igbo Efon, uncovering total blockage of the Primary Channel by illegal structures without drainage approvals.
A stop-work order was issued to Gravitas company on Chevron Drive for sand filling part of Ikota River, narrowing the lagoon, which could disrupt water flow.
In a related development, the commissioner supervised the demolition of shanties on Thompson Avenue.
Wahab called for citizen participation in maintaining a sustainable environment, citing the government’s ongoing efforts in all-year-round cleaning, dredging, and drainage construction to combat flooding in Lagos.
