Lagos Assembly sets up 9-man committee to investigate Ikoyi land reclamation

The Lagos State House of Assembly has set up an adhoc committee on issue of imminent flooding and traffic congestion around the Park View Estate, Ikoyi, brought about by an on-going land reclamation exercise.

Hon. Gbolahon Yishawu is to chair the committee while Hon. Kehinde Joseph, Hon. Temitope Adewale, Hon. Nureni Akinsanya, Hon. Ladi Ajomale, Hon. Sylvester Ogunkelu, Hon. Sanni Okanlawan, Hon. Jubril Abdulkareem and Hon. Olukayode Ogundipe are members.

The committee was set up following an issue raised by Yishawu under Matters of Urgent Public Importance.

Yishawu (Eti-Osa 2) explained the challenges facing the residents of the area, adding that massive land reclamation was on-going at the drainage outfalls of the estate into the Lagos Lagoon.

He added: “The complaint received is from residents on these roads in Park View Estate that massive land reclamation is on-going at drainage outfalls of the estate into the Lagos Lagoon.

“The implication of this is that storm water flowing all the way from Gerrard Road, through the estate, and water from 85% of the estate will be constricted on its way to the Lagos Lagoon, inevitably leading to massive flooding of their properties and a good portion of Park View Estate during already predicted rainfalls.

“That the land being reclamated is also the buffer zone for storm water coming from the estate. Park View Estate has experienced devastating flooding in the past. Some residents had to reconstruct their houses.”

He added that vehicular traffic into and out of Park View Estate on to Gerrard Road (which is currently the only exit) had become a major challenge and will “become chaotic with the introduction of additional dwellings that this massive land reclamation will bring into the estate.

“Mr. Speaker, I visited the estate and observed that another recent land reclamation has also occurred at the Banana Island Estate side of the Lagos Lagoon which has further narrowed the storm water buffer zone in the area and a building under construction collapsed around the reclamation a few months back.

“Also, an online search revealed that this on-going land reclamation in Park View Estate is already being advertised for sale to the general public,” the lawmaker said.

He, however, sought for the guidance of the Speaker and the House on how to handle the situation.

The House asked that the land reclamation activities in the area should stop pending the report of the committee.