The Lagos State Government has issued contravention notices to property owners situated along the corridors of Shoreline Estate, Onikoyi Estate, Park View, and Banana Island, whose properties encroach upon channel setbacks.
The government has given a seven-day ultimatum to homeowners along the state’s corridor, instructing them to dismantle fences infringing on drainage channels.
Over the weekend, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, addressed the press after inspecting various locations in Ikoyi, including the State House and Dodan Barracks.
He highlighted that many structures in these areas did not adhere to the legally mandated three-meter setback for secondary collector drains.
“On investigation, we found out that the first property situated along Onikoyi/ Banana island collector situated inside Onikoyi Estate left 2.5metre for the drainage setback and for us to have a balanced situation we will magnanimously adopt 2.5metre which is smaller than the 3metre required by law,” he said, according to a statement by a spokesperson for the ministry, Kunle Adeshina.
The commissioner further stated that property owners and residents along the mentioned collector drain have a grace period of the next seven days to adjust their fences on both sides of the channel, ensuring compliance with the 2.5-meter drainage setback. He emphasized that enforcement actions would begin promptly after the expiration of the mandatory notice.
Additionally, the commissioner urged property owners and residents to proactively relocate their fences before the commencement of enforcement. Failure to do so and necessitating government intervention, funded by taxpayers, would result in property owners being billed for the incurred expenses.