IKEJA: The Lagos State Government on Thursday commenced the demolition of unsafe and illegal buildings at the Trade Fair Complex in Ojo, as part of efforts to restore order and enforce physical planning laws.
The exercise was jointly carried out by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, and the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority, with the support of security agencies.
Confirming the operation in a post on X, Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Jubril Gawat, said the government targeted illegal developments, structures without statutory approvals, defective buildings, and properties erected on road setbacks and drainage channels.
Also in attendance were officials from the Office of Infrastructure and members of the Lagos State House of Assembly, who monitored the exercise.
This development follows last week’s suspension of all land reclamation projects across the state over environmental concerns.
Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, explained that the government was alarmed by the proliferation of reclamation activities on wetlands, floodplains, and lagoons without proper Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) or drainage approvals.
He identified affected areas as Parkview, Banana Island, Osborne, Ikoyi, Victoria Island Extension, Lekki, Ajah, Oworonshoki, and parts of Ikorodu.
While acknowledging the benefits of reclamation for housing and infrastructure, Wahab warned that Lagos’s fragile, low-lying ecosystem could not withstand uncontrolled activities without dire consequences such as flooding, erosion, and ecosystem disruption.
“The state government cannot fold its arms while indiscriminate reclamation endangers lives, property, and the environment, he said.
