Lagos: The Lagos State Government (LASG) states that it will demolish certain buildings in the Lekki area of the state due to encroachment on the Right of Way (ROA).
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, said this while speaking with journalists after an inspection tour on some projects around the Lekki environs on Thursday in Lagos.
Wahab also appealed to residents to always be patient during flash flooding during the rains.
The commissioner visited the Oral Estate and Purple Mall, among others, all in the Lekki axis.
“We were at Oral estate a few weeks ago, and then we asked those families to take time so we could review.
“So, we came back after the review and then to see what we have to do to remove those contraventions and have a win-win with the citizens staying there.
“We have to remove some contraventions on the ROA of the Ikota River because the river is the only channel that supports the Atlantic.
“God forbid, if anything happens on the other side of Lagos, the only way you can save the whole Island, including this place, is through the Ikota River,” he said.
Wahab, who said the ROA had been encroached upon by a lot of developments, added that they had to re-establish the ROA of the river.
“Their system 156, 157, 44 and 44A, even 46, they all discharged to the Ikota River.
“So now they have narrowed it down to those points, and you all saw it yourself. They were building on the bank of the Ikota River.
“So, we have to just re-establish the ROA for the Ikota River, and then they have to install the sheet piles.
“The sheet piles are to ensure that they won’t go beyond it in future,” he said.
Sheet piles are long, thin, interlocking structural sections driven into the ground to create a continuous wall for retaining soil or water.
They are used in both temporary and permanent structures for various applications, including retaining walls, cofferdams, and waterfront structures.
He added that the sheet piles were a way of pushing them back, sanctioning them, removing what needed to be removed, and then mitigating the impact on the ROA of the Ikota River.
“They have to install the sheet piles at their own cost.
“By Monday, we want to see their commitment to install the sheet piles, which should not take them more than seven days.
“Once those commitments are not there, we do what we have to do, but we have to remove them. It is obvious to even them,” he said.
Regarding the number of houses that would be removed, the commissioner stated that the figure would be determined in the coming week.
“We will know by next week, but houses have to be removed on the ROA of the Ikota River,” he said.
In response to flash floods in certain parts of the state, the commissioner urged residents to remain patient when experiencing these floods.
“When it rains heavily, I tell people every time there’s a lock-up, lock-up is telling you that storm water or rain water can’t discharge to the natural outlet, which is the lagoon or the Atlantic.
“So, when you have that for a few hours, the water level is high, and there will be flash flooding. The next morning, if you go to those areas, you won’t see the water anymore.
“It must have receded, and that’s what happened. So, it’s about nature and science,” Wahab said.
He appealed to residents to be patient, saying that the floods would disappear after one or two hours.
“The appeal is let us be patient. If you have no emergency, you can still stay where you are.
“After one or two hours, the water body will leave the road or the space for you,” he said.