Lagos governor orders demolition of shanties along key expressway

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has issued a stern directive for the demolition of shanties and makeshift structures lining the Lagos-Badagry Expressway. Occupants have been given a 72-hour ultimatum to clear out before enforcement operations commence next week, covering the stretch from Orile-Iganmu to Okokomaiko.

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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.

The governor announced the decision on Saturday following the state's monthly environmental sanitation exercise. He condemned the illegal occupation of the highway median, stating it is incompatible with the purpose of the multi-billion-naira road corridor. "Everything there will go. Every illegal structure will be removed," Sanwo-Olu declared, emphasizing that the median is not intended to be a market or a place for erecting structures.

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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 in that corridor.

This action is part of a wider initiative by the Lagos State Government to reclaim public spaces and enforce environmental regulations. Similar clearance operations have targeted illegal structures across the state, addressing issues such as obstruction of public infrastructure, indiscriminate waste disposal, and security concerns. The governor stressed the strategic importance of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway as an international gateway and a vital transport corridor, warning against its degradation into a slum.

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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 in that corridor. We are starting next week, and we are going to deploy thousands of men there.

Beyond the clearance, Governor Sanwo-Olu also addressed waste management, announcing plans to add 150 compactors to the waste collection fleet and deploy tricycles to inner communities. The state is investing in long-term waste processing infrastructure, including a new facility capable of processing approximately 4,250 metric tonnes of waste daily. He urged residents to support these efforts through responsible waste disposal and timely payment for services, highlighting waste management as a collective responsibility.

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Waste management is not the responsibility of the government alone. It is a collective responsibility.