LASG SEALS, ISSUES STOP WORK ORDER ON RECLAMATION ACTIVITIES OFF ORCHID ROAD LEKKI
…. Removes Over 17 Houses For Encroachment On Right Of Way At Oral Estate II
The Lagos State Government over the weekend issued an immediate seal and stop work order for illegal reclamation activities to narrow and reduce the size of the Ikota River around Partibons Homes Estate/Bee – Forth EstateĀ Phase II off Orchid Road in the Lekki area of the State.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab gave this directive while speaking with the media after an inspection tour of the area, saying the illegal activities ongoing in the area is heart-wrenching because some individuals have deliberately chosen to destroy the ecosystem provided by nature.
Wahab said the Ministry recently received an SOS message that some people were aggressively reclaiming some parts of Ikota river and erecting illegal structures with the aim of selling the illegal properties to unsuspecting / innocent citizens.
He stressed that there’s no way flash flooding can be stopped in a coastal state, especially one like Lagos that is bordered by the Atlantic, Lagoons and rivers, adding that flooding can only be mitigated by putting resilient infrastructure in place alongside various sustainable approaches.
Wahab added that some unscrupulous individuals, whoĀ believe they are above the law, are pushing back nature and blocking system 156/157 forgetting that these channels are on a coastal alignmentĀ which must discharge into the IkotaĀ to further discharge into the Lagoon.
He said discharging of storm water had been designed by nature itself, but human activities have distorted it, saying that the government will not fold its hands and allow the implication to affect the majority.
The Commissioner also visited the ongoing restoration of Right of Way along the Ikota River alignment in Oral Estate II, noting that a total of 17 units have been removed so far.
The HC, who was in the company of his counterpart for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, also inspected the environmental infraction along the Lekki/Epe expressway in preparation for the forthcoming Green Rail Line along the Corridor.
He explained that on the 26th of September 2025, abatement notices were served, in sync with the Ministry of Transportation, to automobile dealers on the Lekki/Epe Expressway who had totally encroached further on wetlands and under the High Tension wires than the temporary approved site allocated to them, adding that this negates the original masterplan for the Green Line by the Ministry of Transportation.
He said the temporary approvals issued to the automobile dealers stated that they are not to erect permanent structures because the site is under the power line, stressing that some of these dealers had pushed beyond the approved site while encroaching into the wetlands.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to preserve the wetlands across the state as wetlands are part of ways to proffer lasting solutions to flooding.
The Commissioner stressed that the State officials were there to check the infraction levels and how both Ministries can work together toĀ salvage the Wetlands and restore the masterplan to accommodate the green line, directing that enforcement of the law against theĀ infractions begin immediately.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Seun Osiyemi remarked that the government had done a lot of stakeholders’ engagements as well as a lot of feasibility studies along the Lekki-Epe Expressway Corridor because the Green Line project will commence in December.
He explained that the Green Line project would take about two to three years and would begin from Marina all the way to Epe, saying the projects would come in phases-withĀ the first phase from Lekki First Tollgate to Epe and the second Phase from Marina would be on the water.