Lagos Gives Squatters of Under Ijora Bridge Five Days to Quit

Segun James

Lagos State Government has given a five-day quit notice to traders and squatters under the Ijora Causeway Bridge and Lagos Blue rail Line overhead bridge in Ijora, to remove all their shanties or face the wrought of the government.

The government made it clear that their activities is constituting danger to the Lagos Blue Line corridor.

The order to vacate was given by the state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, when he paid an unscheduled visit to the area yesterday.

Wahab lamented the security risk that the occupation of the underneath of the blue rail line bridge by mini buses, block molders, fuel sellers and miscreants posed to the safe operation of the blue rail line service, saying the government will not allow such to continue.

The commissioner, who led a high-powered team of officials to the area, including the Chairman, Special Intervention Squad on the Restoration of the Lagos Badagry Rail Corridor Clean-Up, ACP Bayo Sulaiman, and Special Adviser on the Environment, Kunle Rotimi-Akodu, said the state Task Force on Special Offences would take full possession of the whole expanse of land under the Ijora Causeway Bridge and would be sustained by the state government.

He also gave a 24-hour quit notice to all those selling petroleum products under the Ijora Bridge to move all their trucks and containers or risk confiscation, adding that they posed enormous dangers to the infrastructure and human presence in the area.

Wahab reiterated that no form of enforcement must be carried against distributors and sellers of styrofoam products until the expiration of the three weeks moratorium granted them.

He maintained that the three weeks window would allow all producers and distributors to mop up all the stock they have before the enforcement of the ban takes effect.

The environment team was also at the Park View Estate in Ikoyi where a secondary collector has been infringed upon from the upstream by building across and fencing it off.

He directed the Drainage Enforcement and Compliance Department to serve proper notices to all the property owners asking them to give unfettered access to the state to monitor its secondary collectors and remove any impediments if any.

Wahab said monitoring and enforcement of the laws on the environment would be an everyday affair, explaining why the ministry has picked up from where it stopped last year.

The delegation also included the Permanent Secretaries, Office of Drainage Services, Lekan Shodeinde; Environmental Services, Gaji Omobolaji, Managing Director, Lagos Waste Management Authority, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, GM LASEPA, Dr. Tunde Ajayi, GM LASPARK, Mrs. Toun Popoola, Managing Director LASAA, Prince Fatiu Akiolu, Corps Marshal of KAI, Mrs. Gbemi Akinpelu, and other directors in the ministry.