Work to resume on Apapa regeneration, beautification

  Months after it stopped work on the regeneration of Apapa, Lagos State government says it is set to return to the area and resume the suspended rehabilitation/beautification work.

Governor Babatunde Fashola, who dropped the hint, said the work would resume this March with the Apapa GRA receiving attention. The  exercise was suspended due to the failure of the Federal Government to collaborate with the state government in totally cleaning up and restoring the lost glory of Apapa.

In May 2012, Lagos, with the support of the Federal Government, mobilised the police and its taskforce on environmental and other special offences, to clear Apapa. The exercise had seen to the towing of over 80 trucks and demolition of illegal shanties under the bridges in Apapa 

  The Federal Government had after the exercise promised continued collaboration with the state to fully rescue Apapa, but the fulfillment of this promise had dragged on.

Tunji Bello, Lagos State commissioner for the environment, had accused the Federal Government of doing nothing in the effort to bring back the lost glory of Apapa.

“Only Lagos State has been involved in the sustainability of Apapa since we completed the removal of the shanties.

We cannot bear the burden alone because the ports in Apapa belong to the Federal Government. The gridlock along Wharf Road was created by the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority”.

Bello said, “We will be landscaping the space we reclaimed at Marine Beach, create a recreation centre for residents of Ijora and Ajegunle. Some of the facilities that will be available at the recreation centre are basket ball court and football pitch, among others”.