Breaking: Lagos-Badagry Expressway: Sanwo-Olu Orders 72-Hour Notice for Shanties Demolition

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, along with his wife, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, spearheaded the monthly environmental sanitation drive across communities in Surulere Local Government Area on Saturday. During the event, Governor Sanwo-Olu announced a 72-hour deadline for all occupants of makeshift structures and shanties situated on the median of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway to vacate the area.

Speaking to reporters following the exercise, Governor Sanwo-Olu confirmed that the state's enforcement unit would commence operations next week to dismantle these illegal dwellings. He further elaborated that the demolition initiative would span the entire corridor from Orile-Iganmu up to Okokomaiko, emphasizing that any unauthorized constructions along this stretch would be cleared.

He stated, “This is the final notice to everyone occupying the median of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway. From next week, we are coming to clear the entire median. Everything there will go. Every illegal structure will be removed. It is not meant to be a market. It is not meant to be a place where people erect structures. It is a highway median, and we must preserve it, especially considering the huge public investment on that corridor. It’s a 10-lane highway that was built with the resources of our taxpayers. I will not fold my arms and allow them to turn that international gateway into a slum. This is a notice that I am giving officially to everybody on that corridor. We are starting next week, and we are going to deploy thousands of men there.”

Addressing his government's initiatives in waste management, Governor Sanwo-Olu disclosed plans to augment the state's waste collection fleet with 150 new compactors. He also mentioned that waste tricycles would be introduced in inner communities to enhance refuse collection efficiency. Furthermore, the governor highlighted ongoing investments in sustainable waste processing infrastructure, including a state-of-the-art material recovery and recycling plant designed to handle approximately 4,250 metric tonnes of waste daily.

He appealed to Lagos residents to actively back the government's endeavours by ensuring proper waste disposal and timely payment of their waste collection charges. He stated, “Waste management is not the responsibility of government alone. It is a collective responsibility. Residents must also play their part by paying for waste collection services. That is what enables the PSP operators to continue providing efficient services.”

In closing, the governor encouraged parents to engage their children in sanitation activities, fostering environmental responsibility from a young age. He described cleanliness as fundamental to establishing a healthier and more sustainable Lagos.

Separately, during a post-exercise visit to the Olusosun Landfill, Tokunbo Wahab, the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, declared that the traditional linear waste management approach was no longer viable. He announced the initiation of a material recovery facility at the dumpsite, explaining that this project aims to transform collected waste into valuable resources.

Wahab elaborated, saying, “This place will be one of the transfer loading stations that will transfer about 2,500 metric tonnes of waste a day to the material recovery facility that will be located in Ikorodu. The target is for it to commence operations before the end of the year, so we just have to come and see what they are doing. We can’t sustain the linear waste management system that we have practised for over four decades, which simply means we have been used to collect and dump. Collect and dump cannot be sustainable. Even if we leave climate issues aside, we simply do not have the land for it. So let us make waste a resource—for wealth, for energy, and for many other purposes. That is the transition we are going through now.”

He implored Lagos residents to be patient with the government as it proceeds with the ongoing reforms in waste management.