18th September, 2023
A Special Intervention Team set up by the Lagos State Government to clear shanties and encroachment along Lagos-Badagry Expressway on Sunday began the clearing, removal of make-shift shops and evacuation of squatters along the corridor.
The Special Intervention Team comprises officials of the Lagos Ministries of Works and Infrastructure, Transportation, as well as the Police, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority ( LASTMA) and other relevant agencies.
The Area Commander in charge of Area F, Ikeja, ACP Bayo Sulaiman, led the team who started the clearing of nuisance along the Badagry expressway corridor from the Iganmu end of the road in the early hours of Sunday.
Commenting on the activities of the Special Intervention Team, the Director of Operations, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Olasunkanmi Ojo-Owuro, said that the exercise was in line with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s vision toward enhancing safety and urban development.
Ojo-Owuro said the State government cannot fold its hands and allow the huge investment in the transportation sector by his administration which include the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the Blue Rail lines be vandalised by a lawless individuals.
Speaking on the sustainability of the removal of the shanties along the corridor, the Director explained that the mandate of the Special Intervention Team was in two different phases of removal and clearance or shanties as well as Monitoring of the entire areas cleared by the Team.
The Director said “the exercise will be sustained. As a matter of fact, the affected persons along the corridor ignored several notices served by state officials thinking that it will be business as usual. We intend to clear all the illegal structures on the Blue Rail and Badagry Expressway from Apap-Iganmu to Igbo Elerin.”
According to him “ the current situation of the entire Badagry Expressway has put this corridor in a very deplorable state. Mr Governor not being happy about it, constituted a special intervention team to restore sanity, clear all the shanties, remove all the miscreants and make the infrastructure work.”
He appealed to residents to believe in government’s ongoing transportation and infrastructure drive for sustainability of the city and to also make the transportation infrastructure functions effectively and efficiently.
It should be noted that ACP Bayo Sulaiman, renowned for his vibrancy, and dedication to enforcing law and order, was made the coordinator of the Special Intervention Team due to his outstanding track records and giant stride during his tenure as a one-time Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force.