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By Lukman Olabiyi
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has issued a final warning to all illegal occupants and traders operating on the median of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, declaring that a massive demolition and clearance exercise will commence next week to reclaim the corridor.
The governor said no illegal structure on the stretch between Orile-Iganmu and Okokomaiko would be spared, insisting that the occupation of the highway median had become a major abuse of public infrastructure and a threat to the ongoing reconstruction of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.
Speaking with journalists during the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise held on Saturday at Itire Road in Surulere, Sanwo-Olu said the government had exhausted every avenue of persuasion and would now enforce compliance.
“This is the final notice to everyone occupying the median of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway. From next week, we are coming to clear the entire median. Everything there will go. Every illegal structure will be removed,” the governor declared.
He stressed that the road median was designed as part of the highway infrastructure and not for commercial activities, residential purposes or the erection of makeshift structures.
“It is not meant to be a market. It is not meant to be a place where people erect structures. It is a highway median, and we must preserve it, especially considering the huge public investment on that corridor,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu disclosed that thousands of enforcement personnel would be deployed for the operation, warning that there would be no exemption for anyone violating environmental and physical planning regulations.
“We are coming with all the necessary manpower and equipment. We will remain there until the job is completed. No one should expect any exemption,” he warned.
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening waste management across Lagos through increased investment in sanitation infrastructure.
According to him, the state government has ordered 150 additional waste compactors to boost refuse evacuation, with the first batch expected to arrive within the next three months.
He added that the government, in partnership with local councils, was also procuring smaller compactor trucks capable of accessing inner roads and residential estates where larger trucks could not operate effectively.
Sanwo-Olu further disclosed that the state was investing in a modern Material Recovery and Recycling Facility capable of processing about 4,250 metric tonnes of waste daily.
The facility, expected to commence operations next year, will convert waste into reusable materials while significantly reducing pressure on landfill sites.
The governor acknowledged operational challenges confronting some Private Sector Participation (PSP) waste operators due to rising operating costs and inadequate equipment but assured residents that government interventions were underway to improve service delivery.
He appealed to residents to complement government efforts by paying their waste disposal bills promptly, stressing that sustainable waste management requires collective responsibility.
“Waste management is not the responsibility of government alone. It is a collective responsibility. Residents must also play their part by paying for waste collection services. That is what enables the PSP operators to continue providing efficient services,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu also urged parents to inculcate the culture of cleanliness in their children, describing environmental sanitation as essential to building a healthier and more sustainable Lagos.
Meanwhile, the Head of Service, Mr. Olabode Agoro, said the monthly environmental sanitation exercise had become a permanent programme aimed at restoring environmental discipline across the state.
Agoro urged residents to embrace proper waste disposal habits and desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse, noting that government alone could not keep Lagos clean.
During the sanitation exercise, officials sealed two residential buildings on Olorunfunmi Street in Oworonshoki over filthy surroundings and inspected a distressed one-storey building on Akewusola Salami Street for possible structural defects.
The enforcement team also inspected several streets in Kosofe Local Government Area, where residents were sensitised on environmental compliance, while owners of structures obstructing drainage channels were directed to remove them.
