The Lagos State Government has announced plans to demolish makeshift structures and shanties erected under high-tension power lines in the Makoko community, Yaba.
Permanent Secretary of the Office of Urban Development, Mr. Gbolahan Oki, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, stressing that the safety of residents remains the government’s top priority.
“We have held several meetings with people living in Makoko because many of the shanties are built under high-tension cables. We have told them to move, but they have refused,” Oki said. “They are even extending to the middle of the Third Mainland Bridge, and we have warned them several times.”
The decision follows earlier demolitions carried out at the Oworonshoki axis of the Third Mainland Bridge in Kosofe Local Government, where structurally unsafe buildings and shanties were cleared.
Oki noted that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration is committed to preventing looming disasters.
“If any of those cables fall and anything happens to the people, the blame will be on the government. The lives of the people are more important,” he explained.
He added that some of the illegal structures have also been linked to criminal activities on the Third Mainland Bridge.
“Investigations revealed that many of the traffic robberies on the bridge are carried out by residents who run back to the shanties after the act,” Oki said.
On why residents resisted the earlier demolition in Oworonshoki, the Permanent Secretary clarified that the government had given ample time for compliance.
“For three years we engaged stakeholders and even granted an amnesty period to regularise their building approvals, but only two people complied,” he revealed.
He emphasized that enforcement will continue across Lagos.
“As a government, we don’t just start removing buildings. We are working with community leaders to clear illegal structures under high power lines. What is bad is bad. Some people are making money hiding under these bad attitudes, but we must change,” Oki stated.
The Lagos government maintained that the move is not only about urban planning but also about safeguarding lives and property across the state.