Lagos seals Lekki homes over illegal sewage discharge

The Lagos State Government has sealed several facilities, including residential apartments in Lekki, for discharging untreated sewage into public drains in violation of the state environmental laws.

The enforcement exercise, carried out by the Lagos State Wastewater Management Office on Friday, targeted properties and public facilities found culpable of polluting the environment and endangering public health.

In a statement released on Saturday by the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, the government confirmed that six public toilet facilities in Idi-Araba were shut down after investigations revealed they habitually channelled raw sewage directly into public drainage systems.

“These perpetrators have been found to be in the habit of committing this illegality instead of engaging accredited sewage desludgers to evacuate their septic tanks,” Wahab said.

The commissioner added that the Patience Diekola Court, located on Olugborogo Street, Lekki, Eti-Osa, and Brickle Apartment 4 on Fatai Arobieke Street, Lekki, were also sealed.

According to him, the facilities were sanctioned for the deliberate discharge of untreated wastewater into public drains.

In the case of Brickle Apartment 4, Wahab disclosed that the management violated the law by obstructing government officials and denying them access during routine inspections.

Both actions, he stressed, were clear contraventions of the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law, 2017.

The commissioner warned that environmental pollution of any form posed grave risks to public health and would not be tolerated by the government.

He assured that anyone caught flouting environmental laws would face strict sanctions.

“Every form of environmental pollution endangers public health, and perpetrators will be appropriately sanctioned in line with the provisions of the law,” Wahab stated.

He urged residents of the state to adopt proper wastewater management practices and desist from actions that compromise hygiene and public safety.

The commissioner also appealed to the people of the state to engage only accredited sewage desludgers for the evacuation of septic tanks, stressing that environmental sustainability remains a shared responsibility.

“Lagosians are therefore enjoined to embrace proper wastewater management and hygiene practices to safeguard public health and ensure environmental sustainability,” Wahab added.