Lagos Moves To Enforce Summit Resolutions With Crackdown On Illegal Reclamation, Waterfront Encroachment

The Lagos State Government has announced that it will begin full enforcement actions against individuals, developers, and corporate bodies involved in unauthorized land reclamation and waterfront encroachment, following the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued in September.

The enforcement, which takes effect from Wednesday, October 15, 2025, was disclosed in a statement issued by the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab.

The ultimatum, earlier published through public notices in The Punch and The Nation newspapers on September 18 and 19, granted violators a week to cease illegal reclamation activities or face government sanctions.

According to Wahab, the grace period expired on September 25, and the government is now set to implement measures to restore environmental order and safeguard public safety across the state.

“The Ministry shall commence immediate and full enforcement actions,” the statement read, citing the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law 2017 and other relevant regulations.

The commissioner outlined the enforcement measures to include the removal of all illegal reclamation structures and fillings that lack the mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Drainage Clearance Certificate, the seizure of reclamation equipment and materials found on prohibited sites, and the prosecution of offenders in accordance with environmental and urban development laws.

“These actions are necessary to protect the environment, prevent flooding, and ensure public safety within the state,” Wahab stressed, warning members of the public against buying land or patronizing operators engaged in illegal reclamation.

“Enough is enough,” he declared, reinforcing the government’s zero-tolerance stance under the #ZeroToleranceLagos campaign.

The renewed drive comes on the heels of the Lagos Waterfront Summit held on September 11, 2025, at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, where top government officials, environmental experts, and stakeholders resolved to take urgent steps to curb the degradation of the lagoon and preserve it for future generations.

The summit, themed “Pressure on the Lagoon – The Lagos Experience,” was the first of its kind organized by the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development. It was put together by Commissioner Dayo D’Bush Alebiosu, with the full support of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Tokunbo Wahab, one of the principal stakeholders at the event, had emphasized at the summit that unregulated reclamation and encroachment posed severe threats to the state’s waterways, drainage systems, and ecological balance.

The government’s latest enforcement announcement is therefore seen as a direct follow-up to the resolutions reached at the summit — a clear signal that Lagos is moving from dialogue to decisive action in its commitment to protect its coastline and restore the integrity of its natural waterfronts.