Lagos declares war on illegal dredging, land reclamation

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has declared total war on illegal dredging, unregulated sand mining, and reckless land reclamation across the state’s waterfronts, warning that perpetrators will face the full weight of the law.

Speaking at the First Lagos State Waterfront Summit, themed “Pressure on the Lagoon: The Lagos Experience”, Sanwo-Olu said the activities of illegal operators threaten both the ecological and economic future of the state.

“Those who profit from illegal dredging and environmental destruction are jeopardizing the future of generations to come. Lagos will no longer tolerate it,” the governor said, citing recent visits to communities like Ibeshe, Ilashe, Inagbe, and Idotun, where erosion and flooding have displaced residents.

He revealed plans to strengthen the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure Development, empower local communities, and enforce stricter regulations to safeguard the state’s coastline, which has already lost over 80 percent of its shorelines in 50 years.

Delivering a keynote, former Lagos Environment Commissioner, Dr. Muiz Banire, SAN, described the Lagos Lagoon as “the soul of Lagos,” calling for urgent action to protect it. He faulted the Federal Government’s interpretation of a Supreme Court ruling on waterfront ownership and insisted that true federalism, with resource control, was essential for Lagos’ survival.

Banire urged the establishment of a dedicated Lagos Lagoon Authority to unify fragmented mandates, harmonize enforcement, and ensure accountability, warning that overlapping federal and state agencies had turned the lagoon into a dumping ground.

Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, Dayo Bush-Alebiosu, added that unchecked urbanization, pollution, illegal dredging, and climate change were depleting fish stocks and threatening livelihoods. “If nothing is done, more communities and opportunities will be lost,” he cautioned.

The summit brought together government officials, academics, private sector players, and waterfront communities, all calling for decisive action to protect Lagos’ fragile coastal ecosystem.

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