Lagos decries illegal land reclamation, gives stop work order

Lagos State government has decried illegal land reclamation on the Ikoyi-Lekki shoreline, citing Osborne Foreshore I and II, Park View, Banana Island, Kings Smart City, Lekki Foreshore, and Lekki Phase I as places most impacted.

Land reclamation activities have been upbeat in these areas and the government says it will stop all developments that breach the government’s setback policy. Already, it is the end of the road for developers involved in these illegal activities as the state government has given a stop work order on all illegal land reclamation and dredging on Lagos Island.

Ekundayo Alebiosu, the state’s Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, disclosed these at the weekend. The commissioner who led a familiarisation and inspection tour of project sites, lamented the illegal land reclamation happening on some government-approved Islands, especially the Gracefield and Pocket Islands at Chevron, Lekki.

Read also: ‘Our reclamation level guarantees investors a 75-year flood-free city’

“We are on Gracefield Island, managed by Gravitas Investment. And we have also been to Pocket Island nearby, and now this bridge point, and there are lots of illegal land reclamation happening here,” the commissioner noted.

“These are separate Islands, they are not extensions, but there has to be a setback of a minimum of 200 metres that will serve as drainage to take water from the Island to the Lagoon, but they have disregarded the setback plan and that is unacceptable,” he added.

Gracefield Island, for instance, is a purpose-built island sitting on about 100 hectares of land space in its early phase, with the prospect of expanding to a bigger size within its designated zone on the Lekki master plan of the state government.

Read also: Lagos stops land extension into Banana Island, Osborne Foreshore Lagoon

The island city is 2.3 kilometres into the lagoon from the shoreline of Chevron. Its 2.3-kilometre land bridge, constructed by the developer, gives it the distinct identity of a true island and creates a positive welcome effect on residents and visitors.

The commissioner observed that the drainage which should drain water into the lagoon had been completely blocked because some developers were reclaiming next to it, adding that there was no setback, no drainage, and even the bridge had been completely blocked.

“I have directed that they be served a ‘stop work order’, otherwise we’ll have serious issues here; we reiterate our stand on zero tolerance for illegal land reclamation and dredging. We will also continue to ensure defaulters are sanctioned until we make our waterfront free from all illegalities,” he assured.