Sanwo-Olu talks tough, vows large scale demolition of illegal structures in Lagos

By Paul Dada

The Lagos State Government says  that a large-scale demolition of illegal structures and the removal of unauthorised occupants along the median of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway will commence next week.

The State Government warned  affected persons to vacate the area immediately.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu who issued the directive on Saturday, did so while  monitoring the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise at Itire Road in Surulere Local Government Area.

He said the operation will cover the stretch of the expressway from Orile-Iganmu to Okokomaiko, where the government says traders and other occupants have unlawfully taken over the highway median.

He described the encroachment as a misuse of public infrastructure that undermines ongoing investments on the transport corridor.

“This is the final notice to everyone occupying the Lagos-Badagry Expressway median.

“From next week, government will clear the entire median and restore it to its intended purpose.

“All illegal structures and encroachments will be removed because the median is not meant for trading or habitation,” he said.

The Lagos helmsman said the state would deploy the required personnel and equipment to ensure that the clearance exercise is effectively carried out and that the reclaimed areas remain free from fresh encroachment.

Beyond the planned enforcement, the governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improving environmental sanitation across Lagos through expanded waste management initiatives.

He disclosed that the government had approved the purchase of 150 additional compactor trucks to improve refuse collection across the state, even as he said that the first batch is expected within the next three months.

He also revealed that, in collaboration with local government councils, smaller compactor trucks were being acquired to serve inner roads and residential estates. Some of the vehicles, he noted, would be assembled within Nigeria to support both waste management efforts and local manufacturing.

Sanwo-Olu further announced plans to establish a modern material recovery and recycling facility capable of processing about 4,250 metric tonnes of waste every day into reusable materials. The project, he said, is expected to become operational next year and will help reduce dependence on existing landfill sites.

While acknowledging that some Private Sector Participation operators were facing financial and operational difficulties, the governor assured residents that the state government was taking steps to strengthen their capacity.

He also appealed to residents to pay their waste disposal bills promptly, stressing that sustainable sanitation depends on the cooperation of government, service providers, businesses and the public.

The governor encouraged parents to involve their children in environmental sanitation activities, saying the responsibility of building a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable Lagos belongs to everyone.

Sanwo-Olu was accompanied during the inspection by his wife, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs Oluremi Hamzat, and the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab.