President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to draft an Executive Order banning all forms of dredging and sand mining activities around bridges in Lagos State.
The directive, which was issued during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, is part of efforts by the Federal Government to preserve the structural integrity of critical infrastructure across the country, starting with Lagos.
Briefing State House Correspondents after the meeting, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, explained that the Executive Order would give legal backing to an earlier FEC decision prohibiting dredging or sand mining within a 10-kilometre radius of federal bridges.
“There is also approval by FEC that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Honourable Minister of Justice will come up with an Executive Order specifically for the Lagos area relating to the dredging of sand,” Idris said.
“Recall that last year, FEC had already approved that within a 10-kilometre radius, those mining sand or dredging close to bridges must tread with caution to avoid compromising the integrity of our bridges and federal assets.”
While the directive currently applies only to Lagos, the Minister noted that similar measures may be introduced in other parts of the country pending further review.In another major decision, President Tinubu ordered the relocation of the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation from the Federal Ministry of Works to the Presidency.
According to Idris, the move is intended to streamline geospatial data management, enhance national land administration, and allow for more direct executive oversight of mapping and survey-related matters.
“This shift is to ensure that the office plays a more central role in supporting the administration’s development goals through accurate geospatial data and coordinated national planning,” the Minister added.
The decisions mark a strategic effort by the Tinubu administration to protect national infrastructure, assert regulatory control over land and mineral resources, and boost effective governance through institutional restructuring.
Reporting by Abdullah Bello