Lagos State Government has urged property developers to always obtain drainage clearance and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources before reclamation/dredging and sandfilling to avert any form of disaster in the state.

Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, while speaking with journalists at Orange Island during an inspection tour to some areas in Lekki, Eti-Osa Local Council, said the government would not condone further illegal dredging/reclamation across the state.

He said the EIA/drainage clearance would ensure that the reclamation does not extend beyond the drainage alignment and the discharge of storm water does not affect the ecosystem.

Wahab said the team had to visit the Orange Island following several complaints from residents, directing that the ongoing illegal dredging and reclamation must stop immediately because there are a lot of outlets that discharge into the Orange Island lagoon.

“The on-going reclamation at the Orange Island must stop because the developers doing it have sandfilled and pushed beyond the limits into the Right of Way of Orange Island Lagoon,” he said.

According to him, we have various water bodies that discharge into this Orange Island Lagoon and I will explain: On one side is the water body where the Kushenla system that we are working on to control flooding in the area and it discharges into this Lagoon.

“Itedo system too discharges into this Lagoon as well as other several water bodies. So, you cannot come and say you want to dredge and cover up this space or else it is a recipe for flooding issues in this axis and environs. That’s why we are here to stop them from doing anything here,” he added.

Wahab said the developers claimed they have approvals from some agencies but any approval given without obtaining drainage clearance and EIA certificate from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources remains invalid, thereby invalidating the dredging.

The commissioner and his team also visited Oral Estate for re-evaluation and assessment on the removal of the contravention on the Ikota River to have a win-win solution with the residents on how to proffer lasting solutions to flooding issues in the area. He said it is necessary to remove the contravention on the Right of Way of the Ikota River because the river is the only channel that supports the Atlantic in the axis.

“The truth is that the Right of Way of Ikota River had been badly encroached upon by a lot of developments. God forbid anything happens on the other side of the Atlantic, the only way the government can save the whole of the Island is through the Ikota River and that is why the Right of Way of Ikota River needs to be re-established as soon as possible,” he said.

He said that there are some buildings constructed on the bank of the Ikota River, saying that some major channels, such System 156, 157, 44 and 44A and 46, all discharged into the Ikota River and the re-establishment of the Right of Way for the Ikota River is not optional.

He reiterated that most parts of the Island and Lekki were reclaimed sites which are major contributors to flooding and as such, government cannot afford further reclamation of storm water paths.

He said the government had made it mandatory for the developers to instal sheet piles as this installation would push back further encroachment and ensure that development does not go beyond the Right of Way in the future.

Wahab stressed that the developers would bear the cost of the installation of the sheet piles as a way of sanctioning them, saying that the installation would also mitigate the impact of flooding on the ROW of the Ikota River, most especially that it would reduce the number of buildings initially marked to be pulled down.

“I would like to reiterate that the installation of sheet piles is compulsory and non-negotiable; I expect that by Monday, the developers should show commitment that they are ready to instal them and that will not take them more than seven days. Once we do not see these commitments, we would commence enforcement,” he said.

The team, also visited the Purple Mall located at Freedom Way, Lekki Phase 1, Lekki, where the commissioner announced the reopening of the mall for business activities.

He said immediately after the unfortunate incident happened, it was brought to the government’s attention and the state government called for an investigation and all supporting documents from Purple Mall.

“We called for all supporting documents and investigation after the incident. And in fairness, at the end of the day, we found out that due diligence was observed and that they have the necessary paperwork,” Wahab said.

“The Mall cannot be sealed indefinitely while investigation is still on-going. We were satisfied with our own administrative end of the investigation. What we can’t control is the investigation which the police are conducting. That’s an investigation about someone’s life,” he explained.

He described the fatal incident at the Purple Mall as very unfortunate where a young man lost his life after his vehicle allegedly came down from the top floor of the parking lot, leading to his death.

He added that the state government was called out on social media after the incident as not doing the due diligence before giving approval to build the mall in the process, naming agencies like Lagos Safety Commission, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) and Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority as culprits.

Wahab recalled that the facility was earlier shut by the state government to give room for specialised investigation to determine the cause of the incident, assess compliance with building safety regulations, and identify any environmental or structural violations.