By AISHA COLE

The Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development (MWID) has carried out a monitoring and enforcement exercise across the Lekki axis to curb illegal reclamation and dredging along the shores of the Lagos Lagoon.

The Commissioner for MWID, Mr Dayo Alebiosu, disclosed this in a statement issued through the ministry’s Director of Public Affairs, Mrs Morenikeji Akodu, on Sunday in Lagos.

Alebiosu said the monitoring and enforcement exercise was conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, and the Lands Bureau.

During the exercise, the Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development led the team to seal a building at Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, for engaging in illegal reclamation works across the lagoon.

He said the property owner had also carried out an unauthorised extension of the building’s fence without approval from the relevant state agencies.

Alebiosu condemned the actions of the perpetrators, describing them as an act of “legendary audacity” carried out with blatant disregard for the law.

“This particular building has been sealed on several occasions by all the relevant ministries since last year, yet the owners have continued with construction and social activities without any regard.

“We are back today with the Ministry of Physical Planning and the Ministry of the Environment and Drainage Services,” he said.

He added that the state government would prosecute the offenders, a process which could lead to the forfeiture of the illegally reclaimed land, while the sand recovered would be diverted for other productive uses.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning, Dr Olumide Oluyinka, said his ministry had visited the property in 2024 when the owner presented a layout of 1,200 sqm, but had now expanded it illegally to about 8,000 sqm.

“The site is again sealed today. We will revoke all authorities they have on this land.

“The construction is not fully completed, yet people are still partying there, which puts lives at risk. That is why we are sealing off this place,” he said.

Oluyinka explained that the joint enforcement was aimed at stopping illegal reclamation and development across the area.

The Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainage Services, Mr Mahmood Adegbite, said his office had stopped the illegal reclamation two months earlier.

He added that three water channels into the lagoon had been blocked by illegal operators, stressing that the state would not allow such activities to continue.

Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, Ministry of Environment, Mr Mobolaji Gaji, said the ministry had earlier issued a stop-work order in the area.

Gaji explained that the illegal operations had blocked a primary channel that carries water into the lagoon, with potential negative impact on the ecosystem.

“We have sealed the place and are waiting for them to provide their papers. We must monitor every reclamation.

“There is too much illegal reclamation going on, and we intend to enforce the law,” he said.

Alebiosu said the enforcement team also visited the Lekki Foreshore, where several illegal dredging and reclamation sites were discovered and sealed for environmental infractions.

He noted that five suspects were apprehended, while others fled upon sighting government officials.

The commissioner lamented the scale of illegal sand-dealing operations across the lagoon, pointing out that such activities were being carried out without the required Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) from the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.

“We have no records of applications for reclamation works along this axis.

“These operations are illegal.

Some of the dredging stretches as far as 7km into the lagoon, with no record of the sand extracted, which is then used for illegal reclamation works,” he said.

He also decried the proliferation of shanties along the lagoon, which he said often serve as hideouts for criminal elements, adding that one vessel fled the scene during the operation.

Alebiosu assured Lagos residents that the monitoring and enforcement exercise was an offshoot of the recently concluded Waterfront Summit.

He recalled that Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu had pledged at the summit to intensify the crackdown on illegal dredging and reclamation to protect lives and property in line with the administration’s T.H.E.M.E.S+ Development Agenda.

He reiterated that the Lagos State Government would continue to protect its waterfronts and lagoons against abuse, warning that offenders would face the full weight of the law.

The team also visited the Ilubirin housing project to assess activities at the waterfront.

Other MDAs that joined the enforcement included the Executive Secretary, Lands Bureau, Mrs Lolade Ajetumobi, and the General Manager, Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), Retired Maj. Olaniyi Cole, among others. (NAN)

•PHOTO: The Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development (MWID), Mr Dayo Alebiosu, and other commissioners in Lagos during an exercise to monitor illegal dredging and reclamation in Lekki, Lagos on Sunday