The Lagos State Government has ordered the immediate suspension of all land reclamation projects across the state.
Tokunbo Wahab, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, announced the decision in a statement on Thursday, citing growing concerns over indiscriminate reclamation activities on wetlands, floodplains, and lagoons.
According to him, several projects in areas such as Parkview, Banana Island, Osborne, Victoria Island Extension, Lekki, Ajah, Oworonshoki, Ikorodu, Ojo, Badagry, and parts of the mainland are being executed without mandatory environmental impact assessment (EIA) approvals and drainage clearance from the ministry.
“While reclamation may provide space for housing and infrastructure development, it also poses significant environmental and social risks, including increased flooding, coastal erosion, disruption of livelihoods (especially fishing), loss of wetlands and biodiversity, constriction of the lagoons, and impairment of water quality,” Wahab stated.
He directed that all approved projects be submitted for documentation and monitoring, while ongoing and new ones must undergo the EIA process with proper clearance.
The commissioner warned that developers who fail to comply with the suspension order within seven days risk arrest and prosecution. He also disclosed that the government may decommission reclaimed sites by excavating sand-filled areas and reopening blocked water channels.
“With the low-lying topography of the state and its fragile ecosystem, the state government cannot afford to allow this indiscriminate reclamation of the lagoons, wetlands, and floodplains to continue unabated,” Wahab said.