Lagos State Orders Illegal Occupants to Leave Under Bridges in Four Days

The Lagos State Government has issued a four-day ultimatum to illegal occupants of Obalende Bridge, Apongbon Bridge, Ijora Bridge, National Stadium and unauthorized motor parks. They have been ordered to vacate the areas by Thursday afternoon or face eviction on Friday morning.

The ultimatum was announced in a joint statement by the state Commissioner for Transportation, Seun Osiyemi; the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa; and Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Olakunle Rotimi. They said the government was determined to restore the beauty and order of Obalende and other parts of the state.

The statement also warned that all commercial vehicle operators who are plying the main roads in Obalende must move to the designated parks for them. It said the government would not tolerate the defacement of the aesthetics of Obalende by the operators.

The government officials said they had inspected the ongoing clean up of Apongbon Under-Bridge, Ebute Ero and other areas to ensure compliance with the governor’s directive that there should be no trading or habitation under the bridges and their surroundings.

They added that the state government was committed to maintaining a clean and safe environment and that the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency, LASPARK, would soon embark on the beautification and landscaping of Obalende under bridge, Apongbon Underbridge, Ebute Ero underbridge, and other places.

They also said that the Ilubirin project, a strategic initiative of the state government to regenerate Isale Eko, required the clearing of the waterway through the Ilubirin channel.

They further directed that the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps should arrest and prosecute anyone who crosses the highways across the state, as it is prohibited by the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Protection Law 2017.