Messrs Lekki Concession Company, the concessionaire handling the 49.5 kilometres Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway expansion, has decried the public protest staged last week by residents of Jakande Estate over the flooding of the neighbourhood. A statement signed by Ms Veronica Jacobs of LCC’s Corporate Affair Unit regretted that some workers employed by its contractor, Hitech Construction Company, Hitech, were physically assaulted by angry mobs involved in the protest.

The protest was about flooding experienced by residents of Jakande Estate since the heavy rains began, which flooding the residents claimed was caused by the construction works involved in the ongoing rehabilitation and upgrade of the Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway.

The LCC image maker noted that although the company is responsible for the rehabilitation and update of the Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway, it is responsible for only the works falling within the approved right-of-way.

“While LCC is indeed very sorry to learn about the deplorable situation affecting parts of the Eti-Osa communities of Orile Ilasan Jakande, and Ikate, and that we have much empathy for the plight of the affected people and communities at this time, LCC wishes to emphasise that the ongoing construction works along the axis have absolutely nothing to do with the flooding that has occurred. The flooding at Jakande Estate is mainly owing to a blockage of the new drainage channel constructed by the Lagos State Government to serve the area.  Furthermore, an existing drain at Ikate (third roundabout), which is also blocked, has led to severe flooding in that area,” she explained.

Continuing, she stated that “both these drains, and the points where they have been blocked, fall outside the right-of-way covered by LCC’s concession mandate from Lagos State Government,” she said adding that the relevant authorities and agencies of government have been informed about the situation.