Lagos stops illegal development on wetlands

The Lagos State Government has intensified its crackdown on illegal developments on wetlands.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, led an enforcement team to seal a private estate under development on a wetland in Gbagada on Saturday.

This is according to a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs,  Ministry of Environment & Water Resources, Kunle Adeshina on Saturday.

Addressing the media during an inspection tour of enforcement sites, Wahab emphasised the state’s determination to halt the encroachment on wetlands.

“Wetlands are natural habitations whose value cannot be replaced by money,” he stated.

“It is essential to do more to preserve nature and protect these wetlands from further encroachment, as it is recently being experienced in most parts of the state,” he added.

During the tour, Wahab, accompanied by Special Adviser on Environment, Mr Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, and other senior officials from the ministry, inspected the TREM drainage channel located at Anthony Oke, along the Oshodi Expressway.

The team observed that significant portions of the wetland and the drainage channel had been blocked by ongoing construction work for the proposed Maverick Estate.

In response, Wahab ordered the immediate sealing of the estate, which is still in its early stages of development, and instructed all workers to vacate the site.

“The fences of the proposed estate must be pulled down,” he ordered, further directing the developer to present all necessary land approvals, including an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and drainage approval.

Wahab also warned that wetlands across other parts of Lagos, such as Iju, Ejigbo, Badagry, Ikorodu, and Itoikin, which have been illegally encroached upon for estate development, would be reclaimed by the government.

“These areas have been encroached upon without due consideration for environmental guidelines,” he noted. “They will be reclaimed as time goes on.”

The Lagos State Government has been making concerted efforts to address the consequences of climate change, which are exacerbating flooding across the state.

Wahab reiterated the reality of global warming, citing recent flooding incidents in the northern parts of Nigeria, particularly in Borno State.

“Global warming is real,” he said, urging residents to collaborate with the government to restore the right-of-way for drainage channels and wetlands in the state.

The Special Adviser on Environment, Mr. Rotimi-Akodu, also called on residents to desist from dumping refuse in drainage channels or using waste to reclaim wetlands.

“The joint efforts of the people with the government would curb the incidents of flooding to the barest minimum in the state,” he stated.

He added that the government would continue to raise awareness about the importance of wetlands.

The inspection tour also included visits to the System 1 drainage channel, which helps mitigate flooding in Odo Iya Alaro, Ojota, Ogudu, and Maryland, as well as other critical drainage sites in the state.