LASG shuts Mikano property over illegal reclamation

The Lagos State Government has sealed a property belonging to the energy giant, Mikano, after ignoring the stop work order earlier issued on them.

The eight-floor property located on Queens’ Drive, in Ikoyi, undergoing construction, was sealed during a joint inspection exercise conducted by the Commissioners for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Hon Ekundayo Alebiosu; and Physical Planning & Urban Development, Dr Olumide Olayinka.

The duo expressed their displeasure at the total disregard for the directive earlier issued to them to stop construction until they come up with their papers. They also corrected the notion that the government has been ignoring those flouting the laws because of those involved.

Alebiosu said the “government cannot ignore and still ask us to go and do what we are doing, it is a process. We have received several petitions and complaints, and that is why I am here with HC Physical Planning, to test the veracity of those claims.

“Although serious enforcement will start soon, we issued these people a stop work order two weeks ago, but they disobeyed, we are here today and we saw them still working, so we had to stop them again, and you can see that they have obeyed that order. We are expecting them to give us their documentation.

“These people also need to go to the Ministry of Environment for their drainage application, their EIA, TIA from Transport, their surveys and some other things to get approvals, they cannot just jump on site and start construction. These are some of the infractions our ministry and physical planning have discovered from those applying for approvals.”

On his part, Olayinka said his office would come heavily on defaulters, saying that quit notices would be served and demolition would follow.

He said, “As you can see, we’ve gone around today, the laws of Lagos Physical Planning state that all developments need to be approved before you commence construction and not only that, you need our control in terms of certifying stages.

“Most of the structures you see along the waterway do not have approval, that is why we are marking them. Those of them that we have identified to have extended beyond the approval given, we shall compel them to comply.

“However, there’s going to be a joint exercise among the relevant ministries, physical planning and waterfront, especially. We’re going to come out very heavily on this corridor and I mean it, very heavily. We’re going to compel them to abide by the law.

“So I’m using this opportunity to warn those in this habit to stop, they should just go and do the right thing. Again, we’re going to come out very heavily. quit notices will be served and demolition will follow.”