LAWMA, KAI LAUNCHES A COMPREHENSIVE ANTI-ENCROACHMENT AND SANITATION OPERATION ALONG THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED LAGOS–CALABAR COASTAL HIGHWAY, LEKKI

LAWMA, KAI LAUNCHES A COMPREHENSIVE ANTI-ENCROACHMENT AND SANITATION OPERATION ALONG THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED LAGOS–CALABAR COASTAL HIGHWAY, LEKKI

In a forceful reiteration of the Lagos State Government’s unwavering commitment to environmental rectitude and infrastructural protection, the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), acting through its Project WiSE (Waste Infrastructure and Sanitation Enforcement) East District, in strategic synergy with operatives of the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), on Friday, 30th January 2026, carried out a far-reaching routine enforcement operation along the newly constructed Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, Lekki, Lagos.

The meticulously coordinated operation was designed to expel obstinate traders, illegal settlers and other recalcitrant elements who had unlawfully appropriated sections of the highway corridor, thereby eroding the structural sanctity, visual elegance and operational safety of this critical transport infrastructure.

The enforcement action was undertaken in faithful execution of the explicit directive of the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, whose administration has consistently articulated and enforced a doctrine of zero tolerance for environmental infractions and the defilement of public assets.

During the operation, the joint task force uncovered and dismantled an illegally constructed public convenience erected within the statutory road setback, in addition to an unlawfully excavated soak-away pit along the same coastal stretch. These acts were adjudged to be egregious violations of environmental and sanitation regulations, posing grave threats to public health, ecological sustainability and infrastructural durability.

Dr. Gbadegesin asserted that a government that is both responsible and responsive cannot, under any circumstance, condone or ignore acts of environmental degradation particularly when they manifest around strategic, high-value infrastructure such as the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway.

“A government sincerely committed to sustainable development, public health preservation and urban orderliness cannot afford the luxury of indifference while flagrant environmental abuse persists whether along this critical coastal corridor or in any other part of Lagos State,” he stated.

The Managing Director further observed that, against the backdrop of the ongoing rehabilitation of the Lekki–Epe Expressway by the Lagos State Government, the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway has assumed heightened strategic significance as a vital alternative route for motorists. 

He cautioned that any form of encroachment, illegal trading activity, unauthorized refuse dumping or informal habitation along the corridor would not only obstruct traffic flow but also imperil lives and accelerate environmental decay.

Dr. Gbadegesin reaffirmed LAWMA’s steadfast resolve to sustain rigorous surveillance and periodic enforcement along major highways and public spaces across the state, emphasizing that offenders would invariably be subjected to the full sanctions prescribed by law.

Accordingly, LAWMA calls on residents, traders and informal operators to immediately desist from the unlawful occupation of road setbacks, drainage corridors and public infrastructure, 

and to conduct their activities in strict conformity with extant environmental statutes and regulations, in the collective quest for a cleaner, safer and more orderly Lagos.

He further appealed to residents and community leaders to remain vigilant within 

their respective jurisdictions and to promptly report any individual or group engaged in indiscriminate waste disposal or other environmentally deleterious practices capable of undermining public health and urban sustainability.

Mr. Jimmy Odukoya

Director, Project WiSE (LAWMA)