GOVERNOR SANWO-OLU VOWS TO REGENERATE WATERLOGGED LAGOS ISLAND NEIGHBORHOODS

ANWO-OLU VOWS TO REGENERATE WATERLOGGED LAGOS ISLAND NEIGHBORHOODS

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Clogged drainage, waterlogged roads, muddy streets are an eyesore that has made Idumagbo Avenue and adjoining areas in Lagos Island an urban nightmare. But the ugly sight is about to give way for a major regeneration by the Lagos State Government.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday, took a tour of the area for a firsthand assessment of the environmental degradation threatening lives and livelihoods in the entire neighbourhood.

The Governor, in a pair of rain boots, trekked through the waterlogged streets, taking stock of risks posed by the polluted environment and stagnant water.

Disturbed by high-level pollution and facility decay in the entire area, Sanwo-Olu disclosed that the urban renewal project would commence early next year. The regeneration, he said, will be done by Julius Berger – the construction giant which first developed the area.

The Governor, in the interim, directed the Ministry of Environment to immediately start comprehensive cleanup operation to clear unapproved structures built on water channels.

Princess Street, which leads to the popular Jankara Market, had become the opposite of what it used to be. Concrete shops built on drainage channels have left the area prone to perennial flooding.

Jankara Market had become impassable and permanently flooded due to indiscriminate trading and pollution.

Sanwo-Olu took a walk through the waterlogged Ojo-Giwa, Oroyiyin, and Binuyo streets where drainage channels had been completely blocked by concrete structures, making it difficult for stagnant water to evacuate into the secondary drainage.

While on assessment of the environmental situation in Bombata, Jankara and Pelewura markets, the Governor gave traders eviction notice to pave the way for regeneration.