Lagos State Task Force has served removal notices to squatters and illegal occupants dwelling across various canal setbacks within Gbagada and its environs as part of efforts to curb incessant flooding occurrences experienced during heavy downpours in the metropolis.
In a statement on Thursday, Director of Press & Public Affairs, Lagos State Task Force, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, said the notices which were served to settlers by the Chairman of the agency, CSP Adetayo Akerele, were carried out at strategic locations where it had been observed that squatters had built shanties and makeshift structures too close to the drainage system, which contravenes laid-down physical planning laws of at least 15 feet from the canal setback.
Akerele described the activities of the squatters as a ticking time bomb due to unpredictable climate change experienced across various parts of the world.
“Flooding incidents have been recorded in various parts of the world and it usually does not turn out pleasant in the end. That’s why we are here to make sure that the canals, collectors, and drainage channels are all cleared up to ensure quick and free flow of water, especially during heavy downpours.”
Akerele further disclosed that shanties across various canals at Soluyi Gbagada, Gbagada Bus Stop (Beside Atunrase Estate), Charlie Boy Bus Stop, and Bajulaiye canal were all visited by the agency to notify the occupants of the intention of the state government to clear out those areas.
Akerele stated that reports had also been received from residents and artisans around the 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 such as Lagos due to their lack of environmental decorum, habitation of criminal elements, and defacing the look of any area where they have been erected. In this instance, it is clear that they dump their refuse in the drainage system, thereby contributing to flooding in Lagos. It is high time we put a stop to it.”
The chairman promised to carry out demolition exercises in the aforementioned areas and further spread his tentacles across other parts of the state that are prone to experiencing flooding.
He assured Lagosians that no element would be allowed to clog up the drainage channel created for the passage of water during the rainy season.
He urged residents across the state to take advantage of the agency’s media campaign “See Something, Say Something” to report any suspicious activity in their vicinity to the agency to ensure safety and habitability in the metropolis are not undermined by anyone or group of persons.
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