- Embarks on sustenance operations on Lekki coastal road
The Lagos Taskforce has carried out a follow-up operation along the Lekki Coastal Road/Maroko axis of the commercial city where skirmishes of shanties were noticed to have been erected in selected corners in the area.
The exercise which took place today was led by the chairman of the agency, CSP Shola Jejeloye who disclosed that the exercise was just to serve as a deterrent to hoodlums nursing the idea of returning to those areas to rebuild the already destroyed shanties.
Jejeloye stated that the promise made by the state government to completely clear makeshift buildings and shanties that have defaced the area for years would not be allowed to spring up again as mechanisms such as this operation would always be there to checkmate them.
“We have cleared out the large expanse of land more than twice but we made it clear the last time that it would no longer be business as usual for squatters. No shanty or makeshift buildings would be allowed to be erected here anymore. They do not just pose an environmental risk but are also a security risk and are not part of the Lagos State Mega City Master plan of the state government”.
The chairman assured Lagosians that the fire outbreak which sprung up from the shanties and affected buildings in the axis is now a thing of the past. He promised to monitor the coastal road round the clock till the Road network is completed.
In a related development, the Lagos State Taskforce carried out an enforcement exercise against Okada operators who ply the highways and restricted routes around Ikota and its environs in Lekki.
Jejeloye who also led the operation stated that the determination of the agency to stamp out transport infractions by unruly okada operators is unshaken. He vowed to continue carrying out enforcement for compliance operations on the state highways to completely rid the roads of their menace.
“Today, in just a matter of minutes we have confiscated 55 bikes that were operating illegally on the highways contrary to the laid down rules and regulations of the state government. We will be carrying out more operations not just here but in other parts of the City where reports have been heard of their illegal operations.”
Meanwhile, today the chairman of the agency carried out intense patrols along the Yaba, Oyingbo and Agege rail tracks where traders have been known to display their goods on the tracks. He monitored and detailed officials to ensure that compliance with the state government’s directive to vacate the rail tracks was strictly adhered to.
CSP Jejeloye appealed to commuters to shun the patronage of Okada operators as they pose a danger on our roads and risk the safety of both the rider and passenger. He reminded intending passengers that they were also as guilty as the rider once caught in the act. “Any passenger caught on a bike will be charged together with the rider and the same punishment meted down to them by a court of competent jurisdiction,” he concluded.
