Sanwo-Olu Warns Lagos Residents Against Building on Wetlands – THISDAYLIVE

Segun James

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has warned “residents and developers against building on wetlands and drainage channels,” saying their “destruction increases the state’s vulnerability to flooding and coastal erosion.”

Sanwo-Olu spoke yesterday on the Nigerian Conservation Foundation’s twentieth annual Walk for Nature at Makanjuola Hall, Lagos State University, Ojo, the place he outlined measures to deal with local weather change and environmental degradation.

The occasion, themed “Inspired for Climate Action,” featured a highway stroll from the LASU campus in Ojo to Iyana School Bus Stop alongside the LASU-Isheri Road.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office of Environmental Services, within the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Gaji Tajudeen, Sanwo-Olu stated Lagos’s coastal location, low-lying terrain and rising inhabitants made wetland safety important to public security.

“Our wetlands, mangroves and lagoons are our first line of defence against floods and coastal erosion. Where they are filled or built over, water has nowhere to go, and gravity exacts the price,” the governor stated.

Sanwo-Olu stated the state had banned styrofoam and different single-use plastics, including that enforcement had been ongoing since July 2025 as a part of its environmental sustainability efforts.

He stated the federal government was additionally working with innovators to develop sustainable alternate options and promote environmental schooling in faculties and communities.

On wetland safety, the governor disclosed that the federal government suspended reclamation actions affecting wetlands, floodplains and lagoon fronts in September 2025 the place the required environmental impression assessments and different approvals had not been obtained.

 “Our position is simple. Development in Lagos must pass the test of drainage and environmental approval, including the necessary environmental impact assessments and approvals,” he stated.

He added that the federal government was investing in drainage infrastructure, restoring mangroves, planting bushes and creating parks to strengthen the state’s pure defences towards flooding and rising temperatures.

Sanwo-Olu urged residents to maintain refuse out of drains, keep away from single-use plastics and chorus from constructing on wetlands and drainage channels.

He inspired younger individuals to separate their waste, plant bushes and promote environmental accountability of their hostels, on campus and in surrounding communities.

The governor recommended the NCF for sustaining its environmental advocacy over 20 years, saying the following 20 years ought to produce measurable outcomes.

 “Twenty years of working has built awareness; the next 20 must deliver results,” he stated.

Recall that earlier in October, Magodo Phase II Residents Association known as on Sanwo-Olu to halt what it described as an unauthorised try by builders to assemble hyperlink roads by the property to entry a protected wetland.

The affiliation stated a variety of articulated vehicles and heavy-duty gear had been stationed exterior the Shangisha Gate, elevating issues a few doable forceful entry into the property.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the NCF National Executive Council, Hon. Justice R.I.B. Adebiyi, stated Lagos was on the forefront of Nigeria’s local weather vulnerability, with rising sea ranges, flooding, excessive warmth and wetland loss threatening communities and livelihoods.

Adebiyi stated nature conservation was important to town’s survival and shouldn’t be handled as separate from city improvement.

“Our wetlands, our forests, our waterways, our green spaces—they are not luxuries; they are infrastructure that we need to keep Lagos liveable,” she stated.

She cited the Lekki Conservation Centre for instance of how a functioning pure ecosystem may very well be preserved inside a quickly rising metropolis.

“The lesson is simple: when we protect nature, we protect people. When we destroy nature, we weaken the very system that helps our communities withstand climate shocks,” she stated.

Adebiyi additionally urged governments to combine local weather motion into land-use planning, flood administration, city improvement and environmental governance.

“The climate crisis is a test of our responsibility, our creativity, our courage and our humanity,” she stated, warning that future generations would dwell with the results of choices made right now.

In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, Prof. Ayodeji Badejo, represented by a Senior Deputy Bursar, Jerry Jinadu, described the Walk for Nature as an initiative selling bodily health, social connections and environmental sustainability.

“Walk for Nature is more than a physical exercise. It is a movement that promotes fitness, strengthens social relationships, encourages environmental awareness, and reminds us of our collective responsibility to protect the nation’s natural environment,” he stated.