Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has issued a stern warning to individuals and organisations involved in illegal dredging, unregulated sand mining, and reckless land reclamation, declaring that such activities will no longer be tolerated in the state.
Speaking at the 1st Lagos State Waterfront Summit held on Thursday at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, the governor described the offenders as “engineering their own downfall” through actions that endanger both the ecological and economic future of Lagos.
“Let me be perfectly clear: those who profit from illegal dredging, reckless land reclamation, and environmental destruction are jeopardising the future for generations to come — and Lagos will no longer tolerate it,” Sanwo-Olu declared.
The summit, themed “Pressure on the Lagoon: The Lagos Experience”, brought together key stakeholders from government, academia, the private sector, and waterfront communities.
Sanwo-Olu lamented the rapid degradation of Lagos’ coastal and marine assets, pointing to illegal activities and climate change as the driving forces behind erosion, flooding, and displacement of communities. He referenced recent visits to Ibeshe, Ilashe, and Inagbe, where residents are already experiencing devastating impacts.
Painting a grim picture of Idotun Village, once thriving but now nearly consumed by the Atlantic Ocean, he said:
“This is the human face of coastal erosion — a wake-up call that we must act urgently and decisively.”
The governor disclosed plans to strengthen the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development, empower local communities, and enforce stricter regulations, warning that offenders would face the full weight of the law.
Guest speaker at the summit, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Muiz Banire, also called for urgent collective action to safeguard the Lagos Lagoon, describing its preservation as “a shared responsibility that transcends government alone.”
Banire accused the Federal Government of misrepresenting the Supreme Court’s verdict in the case between Lagos State and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), insisting that the ruling did not confer ownership of waterfront property on the Federal Government.
“Nowhere in that decision was the issue of ownership of land on the waterfront or Island considered or pronounced upon. The misrepresentation being circulated today is simply inaccurate,” Banire stressed.
Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Dayo Bush-Alebiosu, in his welcome address, described the lagoon as more than water, but a source of life, economy, and culture for millions of Lagosians. He warned of multiple threats, including pollution, unchecked urbanisation, illegal dredging, and climate change, all of which he said are already eroding fish stocks and undermining food security.
“If nothing is done, more communities, livelihoods, and opportunities will be lost. We risk losing not only a vital ecosystem but also an irreplaceable economic asset,” Bush-Alebiosu cautioned.