Victor EzejaLekki Estates Residents & Stakeholders Association (LERSA), has called on the Lagos State Government to urgently intervene and stop ongoing allocation of lands along the Lekki/Epe Coastal Road in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of the state to private property developers.
LERSA President, Olorogun James Emadoye who made the call on Friday at a press conference, appealed to the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene in the matter.
According to him, Sanwo-Olu had while campaigning to be elected as governor, promised to construct the coastal road to ease the difficulties residents face to reach their homes on daily bais, adding that it was due to reluctance of the Lagos State Government to develop the road that led to private individuals mounting illegal structures along the road.
He pointed out that residents of the area undergo difficulties as a result of building construction projects currently being carried out by property developers on the coastal road.
Emadoye said the residents had in the past met with some agencies of the state and demanded that they issue ‘stop work order’ on the building projects but their efforts proved abortive as nothing has been done in that regard.
His words, “What is happening in this area is sad. During Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s campaign to become governor, he promised to ensure the development of the coastal road to ease the challenge residents face to reach their homes.
” Two years down the line, nothing is happening on the road. Just last year, we began to notice building projects on the road. When we approached the state government, we were told that it was just a temporary approval. Since then more building projects are springing up every day and nothing is being done about it.
“We are worried because we find it difficult to now access our homes. We believe that this is also an indication that government is not ready to develop the road despite the huge revenue the state generates from Lekki.
“We are ready to support the government in developing the coastal road but the government must stop this improper allocation to developers who are not concerned about the hardship residents pass through but are only after money. What is happening here will further create a problem for the government in paying compensation when it eventually decides to develop the road.”
Secretary of LERSA, Gbemi Adelekan stated that the residents have written to the Lagos State House of Assembly over the issue and are hopeful that the legislators will respond accordingly to ensure that things does not get worse.
“We have written to several authorities of the state government including the state House of Assembly and we are hopeful that the building projects which are already obstructing residents will be stopped before it is too late.
“We will continue to engage the state government to fulfil its promise of creating access roads for us on the coastal axis. As peace-loving residents, we will not take laws into our hands to enforce our rights but we would certainly explore all options available to us to ensure that government does the right thing,” Adelekan stated.
The State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso had while on a visit to the site on Thursday, said the government was not allocating land for permanent structures on the road, claiming that it only allowed temporary structures on the land pending when construction will begin on the Coastal Road to prevent people from turning the land into shanties that constitute security threats.
“It is not true that government is allocating the land to people permanently; what they are doing here is temporary and it is going to be temporary until it is time to build the Coastal Road and everything there will be removed,” Omotoso.
READ ALSO: No Allocation For Permanent Structure On Coastal Road Site – LASG
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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