Lagos halts land reclamation projects over flooding, ecosystem risks

The Lagos State Government has ordered the immediate suspension of all land reclamation projects across the state, citing mounting environmental and social risks.

Tokunbo Wahab, commissioner for environment and water resources, announced the directive in a statement on Thursday, warning that uncontrolled reclamation on wetlands, floodplains, and lagoons was worsening the state’s vulnerability to flooding.

Wahab said reclamation activities were proliferating in areas such as Parkview, Banana Island, Osborne, Victoria Island Extension, Lekki, Ajah, Oworonshoki, Ikorodu, Ojo, Badagry, and parts of the mainland, many of them without mandatory environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval or drainage clearance.

“While reclamation may provide space for housing and infrastructure, it poses significant environmental and social risks, including increased flooding, coastal erosion, disruption of livelihoods—especially fishing—loss of wetlands and biodiversity, constriction of lagoons, and impairment of water quality,” Wahab said.

He added that all previously approved projects must now be submitted for documentation and monitoring, while ongoing and new projects will only proceed after undergoing the EIA process with clearance from the ministry.

The commissioner warned that developers who ignore the suspension order within seven days risk arrest and prosecution.

He said the government would also begin decommissioning reclaimed sites by excavating sand-filled areas and reopening blocked water channels.

“With the low-lying topography of the state and its fragile ecosystem, Lagos cannot afford to allow indiscriminate reclamation to continue unabated,” Wahab said.