Lagos begins demolition of buildings in Eti-Osa to prevent flooding

The Lagos government has begun demolishing buildings in the Eti-Osa LGA of the state to address perennial flooding.

Tokunbo Wahab, commissioner for environment and water resources in Lagos, announced the development in a post on his X page on Saturday.

“Following the expiration of served notices, operatives from Drainage Enforcement and Compliance Department of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources on Friday commenced the removal of contravening structures within Megamond Estate and Oral Estate along Ikota River alignment, Eti-osa, to prevent perennial flooding in the area,” he wrote.

The demolition followed an extended quit notice issued by the government on Thursday, urging residents and property owners along the Ikota River setback to remove their valuables ahead of the removal of their structures.

Officials also began poking the fences of the affected buildings as a signal of readiness to begin clearance operations.

During an inspection tour of the area, which includes Oral, Westend and parts of Megamond Estates in the Lekki axis, Wahab said the government had received several complaints from residents about flooding.

He said while the state had engaged developers to find a win-win solution, some of them went ahead to sand-fill and encroach further into the right of way (RoW) of the Ikota river.

“We have decided to give some more time to home owners to relocate their families and their valuables, hence the shift in the date for commencement of the restoration process,” he said.

“We will allow them move their things out; family men and women with children reside here. So whilst that is ongoing, we poked the walls as signal of our readiness to restore the Right of Way.”

The commissioner added that the government had developed a digital footprint to trace the original width and alignment of the river and found the current level of encroachment alarming.

At Lekki County, Wahab said government officials observed ongoing reclamation works beyond approved boundaries.

“What some developers are doing is reclamation and government needs to put them in check. If you are doing a reclamation, the first thing you have to obtain is Environmental Impacts Assessment (EIA) and Drainage Clearance documents and most of them do not have it,” he said.

He said the EIA process would ensure that stormwater discharge does not disrupt the surrounding ecosystem or extend beyond drainage limits.

The commissioner said about 18 units were affected in Oral Estate, 13 in Lekki County, and eight in Westend Estate. He added that only buildings within the river’s alignment would be removed.