Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has directed the demolition of all shanties and illegal structures built along the median of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, giving occupants 72 hours to vacate before a large-scale enforcement operation begins.
Sanwo-Olu announced the directive on Saturday after participating in the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise in Surulere Local Government Area alongside his wife, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu.
Addressing journalists after the exercise, the governor said the clearance operation would commence next week, covering the stretch from Orile-Iganmu to Okokomaiko.
“This is the final notice to everyone occupying the median of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway. From next week, we are coming to clear the entire median. Everything there will go. Every illegal structure will be removed,” he said.
The governor stressed that the highway median was never designated for commercial activities, informal settlements, or the construction of makeshift structures, adding that the state government would not tolerate the encroachment of public infrastructure.
“It is not meant to be a market. It is not meant to be a place where people erect structures. It is a highway median, and we must preserve it, especially considering the huge public investment on that corridor,” he stated.
Sanwo-Olu further noted that the 10-lane Lagos-Badagry Expressway, constructed with public funds, is a major gateway into the state and must be protected from illegal occupation.
“I will not fold my arms and allow them to turn that international gateway into a slum. This is an official notice to everyone on that corridor. We are starting next week, and we are going to deploy thousands of personnel there,” the governor said.
