Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has issued a final warning to illegal occupants and traders operating on the median of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, announcing that a comprehensive demolition and clearance exercise will begin next week.

The governor made the announcement on Saturday while monitoring the state’s monthly environmental sanitation exercise at Itire Road in Surulere Local Government Area.

Describing the illegal occupation as an abuse of public infrastructure and a threat to ongoing investments along the Lagos-Badagry corridor, Sanwo-Olu said the enforcement exercise would cover the stretch from Orile-Iganmu to Okokomaiko.

“This is the final notice to everyone occupying the Lagos-Badagry Expressway median. From next week, government will clear the entire median and restore it to its intended purpose. All illegal structures and encroachments will be removed because the median is not meant for trading or habitation,” the governor said.

On waste management, Sanwo-Olu announced that the state government had approved the procurement of 150 additional compactor trucks to boost refuse collection across Lagos. He said the first batch of the trucks would arrive within the next three months.

The governor also disclosed that the state, in collaboration with local government councils, was procuring smaller compactor trucks for use on inner roads and residential estates, with some of the vehicles to be assembled locally to promote local industry.

As part of efforts to improve waste management, Sanwo-Olu revealed plans to establish a modern material recovery and recycling facility capable of processing about 4,250 metric tonnes of waste daily into reusable materials. The facility is expected to commence operations next year, helping to reduce pressure on existing landfill sites.

He urged Lagos residents to pay their waste disposal bills promptly, describing effective waste management as a shared responsibility between government, service providers, businesses and residents.

Sanwo-Olu also encouraged parents to involve their children in sanitation activities to instill environmental responsibility, stressing that building a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable Lagos requires collective effort.

The governor was accompanied on the inspection by his wife, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs Oluremi Hamzat; and the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab.