Sanwo-Olu orders shanty demolition along Lagos-Badagry Expressway, gives 72-hour quit notice

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has issued a 72-hour ultimatum for the removal of shanties and makeshift structures lining the median of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway. The governor announced that the state government's enforcement team will begin clearing the entire stretch from Orile-Iganmu to Okokomaiko next week, warning that all illegal structures will be demolished.

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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.

Sanwo-Olu, who led the monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Surulere Local Government Area on Saturday, stressed that the highway median is not intended for markets or residential structures. "It is a highway median, and we must preserve it, especially considering the huge public investment on that corridor," he stated. He vowed not to allow the "international gateway" to degenerate into a slum.

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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 on that corridor.

The governor highlighted that the 10-lane highway was constructed with taxpayer resources. He announced plans to deploy thousands of personnel to ensure the clearance exercise is thorough. This action is part of a broader effort to improve the state's environmental aesthetics and infrastructure.

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It’s a 10-lane highway that was built with the resources of our taxpayers. I will not fold my hands 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.

In addition to the demolition order, Sanwo-Olu discussed the state's waste management initiatives. He revealed that Lagos will soon acquire 150 new compactors and deploy waste tricycles to inner communities to enhance collection services. The state is also investing in long-term waste processing infrastructure, including a new recycling facility. However, he urged residents to support these efforts by practicing responsible waste disposal and paying for collection services, emphasizing that waste management is a collective responsibility.

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