By Sodiq Adelakun
The Lagos State Government has issued a decisive order to demolish illegal market structures and shanties at the Cele under-bridge area along the Lagos-Apapa Oshodi Expressway.
This move, announced by the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, follows a thorough inspection of the area that highlighted widespread environmental hazards, criminal activities, and significant safety risks.
Addressing the issue during the inspection, Wahab described the illegal settlements as a societal menace, stressing that both the unauthorised construction of shanties and the operation of illegal markets had exacerbated the region’s drainage problems.
“Criminal activities are ongoing. Therefore, we had to deploy our enforcement team to assess the situation, and the feedback was heart-wrenching for the ministry,” Wahab said.
The Commissioner further reiterated the environmental degradation caused by the dumping of waste into Canal System 6C, a key drainage channel in the area.
He emphasised that the persistent blockage of the drainage system posed severe risks to public health and safety.
“Even if we clean it up every day and they still go in, dump their waste, and behave badly every day, it’s just so bad,” he lamented.
According to Wahab, the state government has already served notices to affected traders, and efforts are underway to ensure compliance.
“They served a notice last week, so they will engage with them in the next few hours, and hopefully by the weekend, they should be able to move,” he said.
While acknowledging the need for markets in the area, Wahab made it clear that such activities must take place in designated locations, not in violation of environmental regulations.
“Nobody is saying you can’t have your markets. Your markets are for designated places and areas. When you have your market, shanties, or stores built on the drainage or parts of a channel like system 6C, you leave us with no other option but to instruct you to remove everything,” he stated.