- Lagos Vows to Demolish All Buildings Under High-Tension Power Lines
- Cites Major Safety Risks
- Residents Ignore Evacuation Orders
The Lagos State Government has restated its resolve to demolish all buildings and structures constructed beneath high-tension power lines, warning that such illegal developments pose grave safety threats to residents.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the warning was issued on Monday by the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Electronic Geographic Information System (EGIS) and Urban Development, Olajide Babatunde, during an inspection of the Third Mainland Bridge corridor.
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Babatunde was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Gbolahan Oki; the General Manager of the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency (LASURA), Oladimeji Animashaun; and other senior officials.
The assessment covered areas from Oworonshoki to Adekunle and the Makoko axis of Ebute-Metta, where officials identified several shanties, makeshift structures and illegal settlements encroaching on the bridge setbacks and violating the mandated 50-metre right-of-way.
Babatunde stressed that the government would no longer tolerate habitation or commercial activity beneath high-tension cables, noting that strict enforcement would be intensified to safeguard lives and critical infrastructure.
Permanent Secretary Oki said residents around Makoko and other affected areas had received repeated notices warning them about the dangers of living under transmission lines and too close to the Third Mainland Bridge.
“As far back as February, we gave them 14 days to vacate, but they refused. The next step is to take the bull by the horn,” Oki said, adding that public safety would take precedence over resistance or sentiment.
He recalled earlier enforcement efforts in Oworonshoki, where residents were granted a three-year amnesty to regularise their structures, yet only two households complied.
Oki reaffirmed Governor Sanwo-Olu’s determination to uphold urban development laws and maintain orderly growth across Lagos, despite opposition from some quarters.
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