Lagos orders quit notice to squatters under blue line bridge
The Lagos State Government, on Sunday, January 28, gave a five-day quit notice to different squatters under the Ijora Causeway bridge and Lagos Blue Rail Line overhead bridge in Ijora to remove all their shanties for constituting a danger to the Lagos Blue Line corridor or risk demolition and removal.
The quit notice was given by the HC MOE&WR Tokunbo Wahab when he led a high-powered team that included the Chairman, Special Squad on Restoration of the Lagos Badagry Rail Corridor, ACP Bayo Sulaiman and SA Environment, Kunle ROTIMI-Akodu on an inspection of the Ijora under bridge.
Wahab who lamented the security risk that the occupation underneath the Blue Rail Line bridge by minibuses, block moulders, fuel sellers and miscreants posed to the safe operation of the Blue Rail Line service, said the government will not allow this to continue.
The Commissioner stated that the State Task Force on Special Offences would take full possession of the whole expanse of land under the Ijora Causeway Bridge and would be sustained by the State Government.
He also gave a 24-hour quit notice to all those selling petroleum products under the Ijora Causeway Bridge to move all their trucks and containers or risk confiscation, adding that they posed enormous dangers to the infrastructure and human presence in the area.
He reiterated that no form of enforcement must be carried against distributors and sellers of styrofoam products until the expiration of the three-week moratorium granted them.
He maintained that the three-week window will allow all producers and distributors to mop up all the stock they have before the enforcement of the ban takes effect.
The Environment team was also at the Park View Estate in Ikoyi where a secondary collector has been infringed upon from the upstream by building across and fencing it off.
He directed the Drainage Enforcement and Compliance Department to serve proper notices to all the property owners asking them to give unfettered access to the state to monitor its secondary collectors and remove any impediments if any.
Wahab said monitoring and enforcement of the laws on the environment will be an everyday affair and this explains why the ministry has picked up from where it stopped last year.
The delegation also included the PS, Office of Drainage Services, Engr. Lekan Shodeinde and Environmental Services, Gaji Omobolaji, MD, LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, GM LASEPA, Dr Tunde Ajayi.
Others include the GM LASPARK, Mrs Toun Popoola, Managing Director LASAA, Prince Fatiu Akiolu, Corps Marshal KAI, Mrs Gbemi Akinpelu and other directors in the ministry.