The Lagos State Government has ordered the immediate suspension of all reclamation projects across the state, with or without Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval or drainage clearance. It warned that failure to comply within seven days would attract arrest and prosecution of anyone involved or found on site.
The directive was issued on Thursday by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, in a statement.
Wahab said the indiscriminate reclamation activities were being carried out without the requisite approvals from the Ministry, posing significant environmental and social risks such as increased flooding, coastal erosion, disruption of livelihoods — especially fishing — loss of wetlands and biodiversity, constriction of lagoons, and impairment of water quality.
“The Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has observed with grave concern the proliferation of reclamation activities on wetlands, floodplains and lagoons across the state — particularly around Parkview, Banana Island, Osborne and other parts of Ikoyi, Victoria Island Extension, Lekki, Ajah, Oworonshoki, Lagos Mainland, Ikorodu, Ojo and Badagry axis — without due consideration of their adverse impacts on the environment, wellbeing and safety of residents,” Wahab said.
While acknowledging that reclamation can create space for housing and infrastructure development, the commissioner stressed that Lagos, with its low-lying topography and fragile ecosystem, cannot afford to allow unregulated activities to continue.
Consequently, the Ministry directed that all reclamation projects across the state, whether or not they have EIA approval and drainage clearance, must be suspended immediately, all approved projects must be submitted to the Ministry for proper documentation and monitoring and all ongoing and proposed projects must undergo the full EIA process and obtain an approval letter and drainage clearance from the Ministry.
Wahab warned that failure to comply within seven days of the directive would leave the government no option but to decommission illegal reclaimed sites, including excavation and removal of fill materials, reconnecting blocked water channels, and arresting and prosecuting anyone involved.
