By Juliet Umeh

Lagos State government has issued a seven-day contravention notice to owners of buildings lying within the seven metre setback on Orchid Road, Agungi, Ajiran, Conservation Rd, Osapa, all along Ikota river, In Lekki area of the state.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, issued the contravention notice while on an inspection tour of the area weekend.

Wahab made the declaration, alongside Special Adviser, Environment, Mr Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, after an extensive inspection tour which lasted till dusk to System 156 and 157 Channel along Ikota River.

The inspection tour was to ascertain the level of compliance by property owners whose buildings and fences fell within the approved seven meters setback on both sides of the channel and had been given the option of voluntary compliance.

Wahab charged Lagosians to respect the state’s drainage masterplan to avoid properties’ demolition, asserting that there was no going back on the decision of the state to enforce the law and reclaim drainage setbacks, following the expiration of the notices.

He disclosed that the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, NCF, had earlier written a petition complaning about several distortions on the roads.

The distortion affected the natural habitat of animals in the foundation as well as on Orchid road where a lot of damage had been done to the drainage channel designed to take storm water from the communities into the Lagoon.

He said state had been humane in its approach to reclaim the drainage right of way hence the review of the setback alignment from the original seven metres to six metres after a meeting with property owners in order to reduce the number of structures to be affected.

“We cannot keep lampooning government for flooding when developers, builders and residents themselves are the main cause of flooding; we shall continue to enforce because that is why laws are made. Without law and order, there cannot be development, this level of bad behaviour must stop,’’ he said.

The commissioner and his team also visited Oral Estate II along system 156 Igbo Efon where the Primary Channel was found to have been totally blocked by illegal structures without drainage aprovals.

He also visited Agungi, Ajiran and Osapa where notices had earlier been served, adding that final decisions would be undertaken, having seen the level of encroachment regarding the setbacks of primary channel and secondary collectors in the areas.

He explained that the System 156 Ikota river channel was originally 46 metres, while property owners and residents on the corridor had reduced the size.

The commissioner  added that all those who contravened the law and whose properties fell within the original meters of the channel setback on both sides had the next seven days to remove them as enforcement would commence immediately after expiration of the notices.

In the course of the tour, the commissioner visited Chevron Drive, where he issued a stop work order to Gravitas company, owners of Grace Ville Island and Pocket Island, due to the fact that the construction company had sand-filled part of Ikota River, thus reducing the size of the lagoon from the original 250 meters designed to accommodate free flow of water.