Lagos halts land extension into Banana Island, Osborne Foreshore lagoon

By Dada Jackson

The Lagos State Government has issued a suspension order on all approvals in respect of land extensions into the lagoon at Banana Island and Osborne Foreshore, Ikoyi.

The government at the weekend, in a statement jointly signed by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Idris Salako, and his counterpart in the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Kabiru Ahmed Abdullahi, stated that it had noticed the increasing and continuing degradation of the Lagos shoreline as a result of indiscriminate illegal dredging, reclamation and land extensions into the Lagos Lagoon.

It said, “Of particular concern to the state government are the extensions being illegally carried out at Banana Island and Osborne Foreshore, Ikoyi”, while it added that such land reclamation and extension activities had resulted in gross violations of the physical planning laws of the state and impinged on the ecosystem of the entire area.

The commissioners stated further that the indiscriminate illegal proliferation of dredging and reclamation practices had brought about serious distortion in the aesthetics of the shoreline with high potential for causing environmental degradation, which is capable of producing dire consequences if unchecked.

The statement said, “Government hereby suspends all existing, pending and subsequent approvals in respect of all Land Extensions into the Lagoon at Banana Island and Osborne Foreshore, Ikoyi.”

The Lagos State Government also ordered the immediate cessation of all ongoing work, constructions, reclamations and other similar activities on account of extension approvals granted or being processed at Banana Island and Osborne Foreshore, Ikoyi.

In addition, it urged members of the public to comply forthwith with the stop work/ suspension orders or risk facing criminal charges and the confiscation of their dredging equipment by the Lagos State Government.