The Lagos State Government on Sunday sealed three buildings on Adeniji Adele Road, Lagos Island, for dumping building materials on drainage channels.
The affected properties are located at Numbers 65, 68, and 124.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, issued the order during an inspection tour of the area.
Wahab warned developers and residents against dumping building materials on roads and drainage channels, which causes serious blockages and disrupts the natural flow of water.
He urged everyone to desist from such acts to prevent flooding and environmental degradation.
He stated that the inspection was part of preparations for the commencement of urban regeneration activities on Lagos Island.
According to the Commissioner, urban renewal in Lagos Island has become necessary to address the persistent flooding that poses a serious threat to lives and properties.
Wahab recalled that a previous contract was awarded to Julius Berger to construct infrastructure on the Island. However, human activities and negligence over time have clogged the drainage systems. This prompted the Governor to re-award the road and drainage infrastructure project in the area.
“This tour became necessary as the Governor has re-awarded the regeneration of the total infrastructure of Lagos Island; we need to ensure the contractors are ready to commence and see if the contract period can be abridged and thus reduce the delivery time to 18 months or less instead of the initial 24 months projects delivery,” a statement by Kunle Adeshina, Director(Public Affairs), Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, quoted him as saying.
“We will ramp up provision of resilient infrastructure and encourage people to take ownership while the Government also takes ownership of the responsibility imposed by the statutes; our people must remember that taxpayers funds are deployed to build these infrastructure,” he added.
The Commissioner reiterated that there would be no going back on the total ban on single-use plastics, which takes effect in January.
He noted a significant reduction in littering, especially with styrofoam, compared to when the enforcement of the ban initially began.
During a visit to Ilubirin, Wahab expressed satisfaction with the progress of the pumping station project.
He revealed that the station would be energized within the next ten days for test runs.
He emphasized that the massive Ilubirin water pump project is a critical component of the regeneration process aimed at deflooding Lagos Island and its environs.
He explained that all drainage systems on Lagos Island would discharge into the Lagoon through the pumps, which are expected to permanently curb flooding in the area.
The Ilubirin project, Wahab explained, includes three major pumps, two 500KVA generators, and three control panels, with a pumping capacity of 3 million liters of water per hour. He stressed that the project would significantly benefit the entire community.
According to him, all the equipment is now in place, stressing that in ten days or less, once the connection is completed, “we would open the outlet for test running and this will also complement the urban regeneration efforts to deflood Lagos Island.”