Lagos Moves to Enforce Removal of Illegal Buildings Under High-Tension Lines

The Lagos State Government has warned that buildings and structures erected beneath high-tension power lines and other restricted zones face imminent removal due to the severe safety risks they pose to the public.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Electronic Geographic Information System (EGIS) and Urban Development, Olajide Babatunde, issued the warning during an assessment tour of the Third Mainland Bridge corridor alongside senior officials from relevant agencies.

The inspection, which covered Oworonshoki, Adekunle and the Makoko axis of Ebute-Metta, revealed shanties and illegal structures encroaching on bridge setbacks and violating the 50-metre right-of-way prescribed by law.

Babatunde said the state would no longer tolerate habitation or commercial activities beneath high-tension power lines, stressing that enforcement would be intensified to safeguard infrastructure and enhance public safety.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Gbolahan Oki, noted that residents had been engaged repeatedly and warned of the dangers associated with erecting buildings under transmission cables and close to the Third Mainland Bridge.

“As far back as February this year, we gave them 14 days to vacate the area, but they refused. They are even extending towards the middle of the Third Mainland Bridge,” Oki said.

“If any of those cables fall and anything happens, the blame will be on the government. The lives of the people are more important,” he added, referencing similar enforcement recently carried out in Oworonshoki.

He reiterated Governor Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to enforcing urban development laws, noting that despite a three-year amnesty period in some areas, only two households complied, leaving the government with no option but to act in the interest of public safety.