The Lagos State Taskforce has served removal notices to squatters and illegal occupants dwelling across various canal setbacks in the State in an effort to curb the incessant flooding occurrences experienced during heavy downpours in the Metropolis.
The Agency’s Chairman, CSP Adetayo Akerele, served notices to settlers on Thursday. The notices were delivered to settlers at specific locations where it has been observed that squatters have constructed shanties and makeshift buildings too close to the drainage system, in violation of the established physical planning laws that require a setback of at least 15 feet from the canal.
Akerele described the activities of the squatters as a ticking time bomb due to unpredictable climate change experienced across various parts of the world.
Numerous flooding incidents have been documented worldwide, and they typically have unfavorable outcomes. We are here to guarantee that the drainage channels, collectors, and canals are kept free of debris in order to facilitate the rapid and unobstructed flow of water, particularly during periods of intense rainfall.
CSP Akerele also said that the Agency visited shanties situated along several canals at Soluyi Gbaada, Gbagada Bus Stop (next to Atunrashe Estate), Charlie Boy Bus Stop, and Bajulaiye Canal to inform the residents of the State Government’s plan to remove them.
Akerele stated that reports had also been received by residents and artisans around Gbagada axis of the illegal activities of miscreants who also make use of the shanties as their hideout from which they set out to perpetrate crimes such as bag snatching and car vandalism around the area. He assured them that the clearing out of the canal setbacks would also serve a second purpose of reducing crime in the area.
“Shanties have no place in a megacity like Lagos since they degrade the appearance of any location where they are built, harbor criminal elements, and lack environmental etiquette. In this case, it is evident that they are contributing to Lagos’ floods by disposing of their trash in the drainage system. It’s time for us to quit doing that.
The Chairman promised to carry out demolition exercises in the aforementioned areas and further spread his tentacle across other parts of the State that are prone to experiencing flooding.
He assured Lagosians that no element will be allowed to clog up the drainage channel originally created for passage of water during the rainy season.
He urged residents across the State to take advantage of the Agency’s media campaign of See Something, Say Something, to report any suspicious activity in their vicinity to the Agency in order to ensure that the safety and habitability in the Metropolis is not undermined by any one or group of persons.
