Residents of Magodo GRA Phase 2 have sent a passionate “Save Our Soul” appeal to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, urging him to urgently halt a proposed construction project on a landlocked gorge within the estate.
They warned that the development posed grave risks to lives, properties, and the environment.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Mr. Niyi Odusi, the Magodo Residents Association (MRA) called on the governor to intervene in what it described as a “potentially hazardous” project.
According to the association, ongoing construction activities on the gorge, originally designated in the estate’s master plan as a natural stormwater collection point threaten to destabilize the community’s environmental balance.
“The wetland, among other ecological benefits, serves as a natural storm collector and flood control container for all stormwater and flash floods from Agidingbi, Ikeja, Ogba, Alausa, etc. It is also the singular floodplain that has shielded Magodo from soil erosion, flooding, and flood-related diseases and disasters over the decades,” the statement noted.
The residents alleged that the project, being pursued by a private developer and reportedly backed by officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning, could disrupt the estate’s ecosystem and compromise its infrastructure.
“Any attempt to distort this natural setting is not only ill-advised but could trigger catastrophic ecological consequences,” the association warned.
“Our concern is that developers, aided by top officials of Lagos State Physical Planning, have decided to build in the gorge and are bent on distorting the natural setting and peace of our environment at the expense of existing properly situated properties, infrastructural conveniences, and thereby cause ecological distortions in an otherwise natural and stable space. Our suspicion is that there may be individuals within these agencies in cahoots with this developer.”
The residents explained that they had repeatedly raised objections with relevant government agencies, including through a formal letter submitted in April, but were shocked to see demolition and excavation works begin on the site allegedly under armed security protection.
They said the activities have already damaged surrounding properties and destabilized vegetation planted to protect the gorge.
To avert what they described as an “avoidable disaster,” the MRA urged Governor Sanwo-Olu to issue an immediate stop-work order, review the original master plan, compel the restoration of the natural setting and provide adequate infrastructure if any development is to proceed.
While commending Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Tokunbo Wahab, for championing environmental preservation, and praising Governor Sanwo-Olu’s broader efforts to protect Lagos’ ecosystem, the residents emphasised that “urgent intervention is now necessary to safeguard the safety, security, and quality of life in Magodo GRA Phase 2.”
