The Lagos State Government has reiterated its commitment to removing all buildings and structures erected beneath high-tension power lines across the state, citing severe safety risks to residents.
The warning was issued on Monday by Olajide Babatunde, Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Electronic Geographic Information System (EGIS) and Urban Development, during an assessment of the Third Mainland Bridge corridor.
He was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Gbolahan Oki, the General Manager of the Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency (LASURA), Oladimeji Animashaun, and other officials.
The inspection covered areas from Oworonshoki to Adekunle and the Makoko axis of Ebute-Metta, where officials identified numerous shanties and illegal structures encroaching on bridge setbacks and violating the legally prescribed 50-metre right-of-way.
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Babatunde warned that habitation or commercial activity beneath high-tension lines would no longer be tolerated, stressing that enforcement would be strengthened to protect lives and infrastructure.
Oki noted that residents of Makoko and other affected areas had been repeatedly warned about the dangers of building under transmission cables and near the Third Mainland Bridge.
“As far back as February, we gave them 14 days to vacate, but they refused. The next step is to take the bull by the horn,” he said, adding that the government prioritises public safety over resistance.
He recalled similar enforcement in Oworonshoki, where residents were given a three-year amnesty to regularise buildings, but only two households complied. Oki reaffirmed Governor Sanwo-Olu’s determination to enforce urban development laws despite opposition from some quarters.
