CITIZENS COMPASS –Lagos State Government has clarified demolition of some buildings in Mende, Maryland area of the State over the weekend.
Tokunbo Wahab, the Lagos State Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, clarified that developers of the properties had been served contravention notices since 2021.
He said the most recent one was served in November 2023.
The Commission gave the clarification on Sunday, May 5, 2024, in an interview on Arise TV’s Morning Show.
Tokunbo was reacting to some trending videos by a Mende Villa property developer, claiming that the government issued two hours notice to residents before demolishing the buildings..
A female voice at the background of one of the trending videos was heard shedding tears and lamenting the situation saying, ”
Happening right now at Mende Villa 1, two hours to park out.and that is what the Lagos State Government gave and they are here demolishing.
“Mende Villa is in Maryland, that is what they gave us to park out o.
“This is the Nigeria we are in o, where do they want us to put our property? Where do we want to take all these things to? Look, this our property, not only us, there are vehicles everywhere parking.
“Two hours, two good hours, Nigeria my country. People are japaing, they say they should not japa.
Two hours Lagos State, God go bless una o.”
According to the Commissioner, his predecessor, Mr. Tunji Bello, served contravention notices in 2021 to properties encroaching on the setback of the System 1 drainage channel in Mende Villa, Maryland while he(Tokunbo Waha) issued another in November 2023.
He said, “In 2021, my predecessor in office, Mr Tunde Bello served them (developers of properties in Mende Villa encroaching the System 1 setback) contravention notices and they had engagements that ran into months, and years.
““In November 2023, we called a stakeholder meeting, we served them notices.
““But before then, we had even marked buildings on the right of way,” Wahab explained.
The Commissioner revealed that during a November 2023 stakeholder meeting with Mende Villa property owners, the developers admitted to receiving demolition notices after being shown a video of their prior engagements with his predecessor, Tunji Bello.
They, along with Sanni Ganiyu Okanlanwo, a Lagos State House of Assembly member, requested a reduction of the setback. “Following discussions, Governor Sanwo-Olu approved reducing the System 1 drainage channel’s Right of Way from 140 meters to 100 meters, allocated on a 60/40 basis between Mende and Ogudu.”
