The Lagos government has warned against indiscriminate excavation of Magodo wetlands.
Excavating the wetlands portend danger to lives and property, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by Mukaila Sanusi, spokesman for the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
Mr Sanusi said the commissioner in the ministry, Idris Salako, gave the warning when he visited the area on Monday.
Mr Salako said the action was “unwarranted, provocative and contrary to the civic gesture of the state government, which had displayed trust in the rule of law in the Magodo land saga.”
He said while the government was making efforts to resettle the Onikosi family in Magodo Scheme III, being created between Scheme I and II and Omole Estate, the excavation was damaging the environment.
The commissioner added that the excavation was traumatising innocent citizens because the foundations of some buildings in Magodo GRA were caving in and risked collapse.
“It is unimaginable that any family in Lagos state, noted for an unrivalled sense of accommodation and conviviality, will go to this length to inflict pain on others, despite reassurances by the government,” stated Mr Salako.
The commissioner appealed to the community “to henceforth desist from any untoward acts such as the current ill-advised excavation in the estate or face stiff sanctions from the Lagos state government.”
Meanwhile, Mr Salako also visited Bolaji Omotoso, a resident of Magodo Scheme II, to see the extent of damage to his property, caused by the excavation.
He sympathised with the residents and advised them to evacuate the building while proper engineering tests would be carried out to ascertain the level of damage.
Mr Salako also mentioned that it was no longer safe to continue occupying the building as it could cave in a downpour. The commissioner explained that the area being excavated had been sealed off to arrest the situation.
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