The Lagos State Government has ordered the immediate suspension of all reclamation projects across the state, whether or not they have Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval and drainage clearance.
The directive was contained in a statement personally signed by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, on Thursday.
According to Wahab, all approved reclamation projects must be submitted for proper documentation and monitoring, while ongoing and proposed projects must be subjected to the EIA process and obtain approval and drainage clearance from the ministry.
“Failure to comply with this directive within the next 7 DAYS will leave the Ministry with no other option than to deploy appropriate machineries to decommission the reclaimed sites including excavation and removal of fill and reconnecting of already blocked water channels on the Lagoon amongst others,” he warned.
Wahab also stated that the state government would arrest and prosecute anyone found on such sites after the expiration of the seven-day warning.
He expressed grave concern about the proliferation of reclamation activities on wetlands, floodplains and the lagoons across the state.
He listed affected areas to include Parkview, Banana Island, Osborne, parts of Ikoyi, Victoria Island Extension, Lekki, Ajah, Ikorodu, Oworonshoki, Lagos Mainland, Ojo and Badagry, stressing that many projects were being carried out “without consideration of the adverse impacts on the environment and the wellbeing and safety of the good people of the State.”
Wahab added: “While reclamation may provide space for Housing and Infrastructure redevelopment, it also poses significant Environmental and Social risks including increased vulnerability to flooding, coastal erosion, disruption of livelihood (especially fishing), loss of wetlands and biodiversity, constriction of the Lagoons and their capacity, impairment of water quality amongst others.”
He maintained that, given the low-lying topography of Lagos State and its fragile ecosystem, “The State Government cannot afford to allow this indiscriminate reclamation of the Lagoons, Wetlands and floodplains to continue unabated.”
