12th July, 2023
Operatives from the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Central Business Districts cleaned out illegal and makeshift shops erected under the Eko bridge by Ebute-Ero/Ejalonibu and its vicinity within Lagos Island Business District.
It was carried out in accordance with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s directions to guarantee that bridges in Lagos, particularly those on Lagos Island, are free of unlawful structures and activities that could pose an environmental nuisance to the area.
This will prevent a repeat of the fire that destroyed the Apongbon bridge last year.
Mrs Abidekun Balikis, Deputy Director and Head of Administration of CBD operations in Lagos Island, who led the removal and clean-up exercise, stated that the Agency is determined to enforce the Governor’s zero tolerance stance on street trading and illegal activities under bridges and roads within the state.
She stated that CBD is committed to the preservation of public infrastructure and facilities inside the Lagos Island Business District, as well as the complete restoration of the district’s attractiveness and master plan in accordance with the administration’s “THEMES” strategy.
Abidekun stated that the current administration, led by Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, will not be derailed by the operations of illicit traders, street hawkers, mechanics, and miscreants.
“These environmental abuses, especially under the bridges by traders and mechanics can no longer be tolerated. We are working with relevant agencies of government, trade unions and leadership of market associations to check these illegalities,” she said.
Meanwhile, Abidekun warned street vendors selling and displaying their wares along roadsides, walkways, and under bridges, as well as mechanics, religious bodies, and food vendors operating under bridges and around public buildings throughout the Lagos Island Business District, to stop their illegal activities or face prosecution.
In addition, she warned street urchins and miscreants posing as “omo onile” who are in the habit of allocating spaces to traders under bridges to desist.
The Director maintains that no amount of resistance or intimidation will cause the government to abandon its resolve to clean up under bridges throughout the entire Lagos Island Business District in accordance with the vision of achieving megacity status as envisaged in the current “Themes” Agenda.
However, she chastised the obstinate shopkeepers and squatters who had begun establishing makeshift shops and unlawful structures beneath the bridge. The governor restored the bridge to traffic a few days later.
She stated that the demolition and removal of illegal structures and shops built on roads, walkways, and under bridges within the Lagos Island Business District, which have negatively impacted the environment and traffic flow, will be a continuous exercise that will be sustained and monitored on a regular basis.
It will be remembered that unlawful actions of traders under the Eko bridge caused a fire that burnt a piece of the bridge in the Apongbon region, resulting in the closure of the bridge to traffic, which the Governor recently reopened.