27th September, 2016
The Lagos State Government on Tuesday demolished illegal structures erected by traders selling building materials along the Centre for Management Development (CMD) Road, Magodo area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
Officials of the Ministry of the Environment stormed the areas at about 11.00 am just as some of the traders were setting up their things to commenced the business of the day.
Some of the traders on sighting the government officials took to their heels while others frantically managed to savage the remains of their wares in the hands of the government bulldozer that was leveling the area.
The demolition exercise, which is in line with the state’s commitment to keep the environment devoid of any infraction, is scheduled to take place simultaneously in all five divisions of the state, twice a week until December.
“This development has been long overdue as notices have been served to illegal structure owners to no avail,” said the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, during an interview with newsmen after the exercise.
“We have served them this year and last year, and we have done a lot of advocacy. On Saturday which was sanitation day, we were here to seal up the whole place but on Monday which was yesterday when we came here, all the seals were broken. It is a violation of government’s order. This setback is supposed to be green and we have been given order to clear them,” he said.
“In addition to demolishing these illegal structures on the roadside, the Ministry of the Environment will also work hand in hand with the Lagos State Transportation Management Agency (LASTMA) and Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) to enforce this order by making sure all demolished structures do not return and also discourage illegal packing of vehicles in these areas. We will ask LASTMA to come here and take up this place while KAI officials will be on patrol to make sure that nobody comes to this place again,” he said.
Also commenting on the need to clean up Lagos, especially starting with Magodo GRA, Adejare emphasized that Magodo was the entry point to Lagos State and should be kept wholesome and beautified.
“This is where you will first of all see when you come into Lagos, also this is a government scheme and residential area, we must not allow all this rubbish here. We have to make sure this place is free, government will take it over, we will landscape, beautify and make it a wholesome environment,” Adejare stated.