Daily Independent Online.
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Wednesday, June 30, 2004.
Why demolition must go on, says Olaleye
By Stella Odueme
Reporter, Lagos.
In response to the Lagos state government’s
call to demolish illegal structures in the state to prevent incidents of
flooding and its attendant problems, Isolo Local Government has reiterated its
commitment to rid the local government of such structures.
Speaking with Daily Independent in Lagos, the Secretary to the
Local Government, Mr Shamsideen Olaleye said that people should build their
structures on approved grounds to avoid their being demolished.
Reacting to the demolition exercise which was carried
out in the local government by the state Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) last
weekend, he said that before now, the local government had informed the people
through council officials to desist from erecting illegal structures and
shanties on water ways as well as put away all unnecessary attachments in their
surroundings as a result of the menace they constituted at night.
But he regretted that many people did not heed the
directive, which forced the government to take the action, which he said was
inevitable if the state was to get rid of the unpleasant menace of flooding and
other developments that threatened the lives of the people.
Reiterating that the local government was committed
to ridding the area of illegal structures, which serve as hide outs for
criminals to carry out their heinous activities, he lamented the dangerous
dimension the situation was developing into. ”We have had cases in the
past where arms were found in some of shanties and illegal structures built
left and centre of the local government”, he said.
Olaleye, who stated that demolishing illegal
structures should not be a surprise to people in the local government after so
many notices and warnings had been issued, explained that the state Community
Development Associations (CDAs) had earlier written the council to discuss
solution to the problem of flood which was found to be connected with illegal
structures built on water ways.
He revealed that before the demolition exercise,
those likely to be affected were already sensitised. The demolition exercise,
which was carried out by the state, KAI in conjunction with local government
saw illegal structures including a mini market, Abule in Ajao estate brought
down.
Olaleye commended the state government for the
present efforts at ridding the state of illegal structures adding that there
was no sympathy for those affected, “what is illegal is illegal, there is
no two ways about it”, he said.
He urged residents in the local government to learn
lesions from the exercise and engage in developmental projects that would yield
positive fruits to society and not pains, drawing inference from the Victoria
Island experience where residents were cut off as a result of flood occasioned
by illegal structures.
Government, he said was in place to ensure
orderliness, which meant doing things the proper way they are supposed to be
done.
