Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, took an unscheduled five-hour working tour of key towns along Lagos State’s coastal areas, taking on-the-spot assessment of chaotic developments sprawling across the riverine communities.
The Governor’s visit to the coastline came on the heels of proliferating physical developments along the coastal corridor, most of which encroached on approved setbacks and were done in violation of the State’s physical planning regulations.
Sanwo-Olu, accompanied by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, and members of the State’s Executive Council, took a survey of unapproved structures erected along Ibeshe, Kare and Inagbe, which share boundaries with Ilashe.
Besides, the Governor used the opportunity to assess key infrastructure in the coastal areas, including the 30 megavolt-ampere power station built by the State Government to connect the communities in the riverine neighbourhood to the national grid.
The coastal corridor in Lagos is a major tourist destination; the State Government aims to sanitise the corridor and fully integrate tourist business operators into the adopted physical planning model.
Sanwo-Olu, visibly dissatisfied with the untidy physical developments dotting the coastline, sent a strong note of caution to violators encroaching into unauthorised areas to expand their businesses.
The Governor said: “We are also bringing a lot of order, sanity and repossession to redefine livelihood in these communities. There are a lot of disjointed buildings going on along the corridor. There has been a lot of abuse of physical planning approvals and complete abuse of the approved setbacks and lines from the ocean banks. People have taken their development beyond these lines in flagrant violation of safety regulations and the physical planning approvals.
“These have been our observations and we will be coming back to this corridor for full enumeration of violations. Both the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, and Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) will come back to do full enumeration which will enable us to take the final decision on the development of the beach front.
“Our final decision would be inclusive of how we will regularise, give title and ensure that the locals are not at disadvantage. We will ensure that life is returned to this neighbourhood to boost the tourism potential along this whole stretch. Government will be a strong enabler for these opportunities to happen.”
Sanwo-Olu drove across the coastal communities to identify the challenges facing the dwellers, disclosing that the Government would be considering ways to improve security and expand access to health care services.
The Governor handed over the electricity station sited in Ilashe to EKO Disco, urging the power company to facilitate connection of houses in the area to the power grid.
The infrastructure, he said, would help the locals benefit from the booming tourism industry in the coastal areas.
Sanwo-Olu said: “We’ve moved across communities both on the lagoon and ocean sides. This whole stretch is a future we need to preserve. On this tour, we’ve met with the traditional rulers of these coastal communities to intimate them of our plans.
“We have work to do in the environment and we are committed to do the work. This is our note of caution for a lot of people who have done many things wrongly in this corridor, that the Government will come and correct it. We will come up with a win-win solution.”
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