*Will gov uphold his tenacious fight against illegal structures or allow corruption, lawlessness and impunity to prevail?

By Zik Zulu Okafor

A major disaster looms. Developments at Jalupon Close, in Surulere Local Government Area, LGA, of Lagos state threaten unprecedented catastrophic flooding in Lagos. This is real.
Yes, there is no question that Lagos State has long been at the forefront of the fight against illegal structures. Environmental degradation, too. Yet, the current development at Jalupon Close is creating a perfect storm that would most certainly undermine this well applauded progress as it threatens to unleash devastating flooding on a massive scale.
This is so because land speculators have recently laid a siege on Jalupon Close, ravaging the land adjacent to a critical drainage system that runs from Idi-Araba in Mushin LGA, through Surulere LGA and all the way to Tincan Island in Apapa.Their reckless plan is to demolish Jalupon’s protective wall fence to create an access road for the illegal structures they are erecting on the canal and its surroundings. So, the land in question does not even have a road leading to it. No access! This is not only a blatant disregard for urban planning but also a direct threat to the safety and well-being of not just Jalupon Close and Suru-Lere residents but Lagos in general.
The Chairman of Jalupon Close Residents Association, JALCRA, Olanrewaju Ayo-Idowu, a Lawyer by profession, captured the genesis of this pending disaster in a petition to the Governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu”. According to him, “about November 2024, we noticed an increase in the influx of strangers into our Close, coming to examine the wall fence at the canal end of the Close. Upon interrogation, they claimed that they were from the Drainage Services Department of Lagos State Government trying to inspect the big canal behind our wall which has been overgrown with weeds and so had caused serious flooding whenever there was a serious and sustained downpour “.
However, with the number of strange faces getting accentuated , the curious and worried residents decided to pry into this misadventure drama playing out. And what did they unravel?” The petition continues. “We found out that a layout had been created along the edge of the canal, and plots had been allocated to persons by the Ministry of Lands in Lagos State. The Allottees were, therefore, trying to determine where the road to access their plots will be, hence the frequent visits to Jalupon Close…”
This proposed encroachment is, without any iota of doubt, a ticking time bomb for unmitigated flooding. The drainage system serves as a vital conduit for rainwater and flood management, ensuring that areas like Mushin, Surulere, Aguda, Orile, Apapa and beyond do not experience devastating inundations. The destruction of this essential infrastructure would reverse years of careful urban planning, leading to preventable catastrophe that could displace thousands and cause untold damage to homes and businesses.
Equally alarming is the security threat that this move poses. The wall fence that these speculators seek to demolish serves as a crucial barrier, critical to protecting the residents of Jalupon Close from the scourge of criminality. The wall remains an impregnable fortress against the activities of criminals lurking around Aguda and other close areas even as the police and other security agencies are working hard to crush them . If this access is created, these criminal elements will have unrestricted entry, jeopardizing the lives and properties of law-abiding citizens.
Most shocking in all these, however, is the claim by some of these speculators that they are acting on behalf of ministries within the Lagos State Government, including those responsible for land, environment, and urban planning. If true, this is a direct contradiction of the very policies and initiatives championed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to rid Lagos of illegal buildings and protect its drainage infrastructure.
These despicable individuals masquerading as Lagos State officials are a blight on the much trumpeted mega-city aspiration of Lagos.Their savage mission, driven by sheer greed and blatant disregard for the law pose a significant threat to the safety, security, and wellbeing of innocent citizens. It is, therefore, a tragic irony that these corrupt and connected individuals have ties to unscrupulous, crooked, and venal government officials, law enforcement, and other influential persons who facilitate their illicit activities. They callously demonstrate abject disregard for the impact of their morbid actions on innocent people, prioritizing their selfish financial gains over the wellbeing of their fellow citizens. They seem to conveniently forget that their atrocious adventures could mortally endanger lives , leading to the destruction of homes, businesses, and communities in Mushin, Jalupon Close, Surulere, Aguda, and Apapa among others.
The alleged involvement of corrupt officials and law enforcement agencies in these horrendous activities sadly erodes trust in institutions and perpetuates a culture of corruption.
But, the people of Jalupon Close still believe in Governor Sanwo-Olu’s capacity to tackle this nauseating disregard for the law.
For them, this is a call for urgent intervention. The Sanwo-Olu administration has consistently warned against illegal construction along drainage channels. The governor must, therefore, take decisive action to halt this impending disaster.
But not only that. He needs to
immediately investigate the claims that officials from Lagos State Ministries are involved in this illegal land grab and hold any guilty parties accountable.
Governor Sanwo-Olu must appreciate the tragic effect of any attitude of passivity or mute indifference in moments like this. To avoid this imminent disaster, he has a solemn responsibility to mobilize relevant agencies to enforce the protection of Jalupon Close’s drainage system and prevent any demolition of the wall fence . The governor should demonstrate courage and carriage of his political conviction by punishing offenders to serve as a deterrent against future encroachments and lawlessness.
He needs to engage with community stakeholders to ensure that urban planning laws are respected and that public safety remains a top priority.
Indeed, the residents of Jalupon Close, despite their palpable anxiety, believe that Governor Sanwo-Olu would treat this issue with the urgency it demands. According to the Chairman, “We know the fight he’s put in to check the excesses of these land invaders. He will never let them have their way in Jalupon Close. Even we, as residents, are formidable enough to bring the force of the law to bear on those mindless speculators, ” he asserted .
He added, however, “we trust the governor’s leadership and commitment to a safe, flood-free Lagos. We implore him to act swiftly before irreversible damage is done.” Indeed, Jalupon residents believe that history waits for Governor Sanwo-Olu at this time. And it will remember him either as the governor who protected Lagos from reckless urban destruction or the one who stood by as illegal speculators put lives and livelihoods at peril. The choice is clear, they said.. The number one citizen of Lagos, they insist, will exercise the magistracy of his office by upholding the integrity of Lagos State’s urban planning policies.

*Okafor, Media Consultant , Creative Entrepreneur, and multiple award-winning journalist, wrote from Lagos.

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