Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has dismissed reports alleging that officials of the ministry demanded payments from property owners to halt the demolition of houses at Oral Estate, Ikota.
The commissioner’s response follows a viral video in which a woman claimed that Wahab and other ministry officials had agreed to suspend the demolition exercise after purportedly requesting ₦1 billion — later reduced to ₦700 million.
In the video, the woman said:
“Thank God for today. We have peace of mind. We’re not hearing excavators tearing people’s houses down or people crying. The Commissioner, Ministry of Environment came, and we had an agreement that my estate is going to pay ₦1 billion for sheet piling. It ended in ₦700 million for sheet piling. My estate is trying to gather the money and give them this month.”
However, in a statement released via his official social media handles on Sunday, Wahab denied the allegation, describing it as false, malicious, and an attempt to blackmail the government.
He stated:
My attention has been drawn to a circulating video containing false and malicious allegations that the Ministry demanded money from property owners to pause the ongoing removal of structures on drainage setbacks at Oral Estate, Ikota.
I must state categorically that these claims are entirely false and a deliberate attempt to blackmail the government. Neither I nor any official from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has ever requested or received any payment — whether ₦1 billion, ₦700 million, or a single kobo — from any property owner.”
The commissioner explained that the ongoing operation to clear rights of way and drainage setbacks of illegal structures was a public safety measure, not subject to negotiation or financial settlement.
The operation to clear the right of way and setbacks to different channels and canals of illegal obstructions is a public safety imperative. It has not been paused for any form of negotiation or payment. Our work continues.
This propaganda is a dangerous distraction from our critical mission to prevent flooding and protect the majority of Lagosians.”
Wahab further stated that the ministry takes the defamatory allegations seriously and will pursue legal action against those behind the claims.
We shall be pursuing this matter legally, and the individual behind these claims will be required to provide proof to the appropriate authorities,” he added.
The commissioner’s denial comes amid ongoing enforcement actions in Ikota and surrounding estates, where government teams have been removing structures built within drainage corridors and river setbacks. According to Wahab, the demolitions are necessary to restore the natural flow of stormwater and curb seasonal flooding that has repeatedly affected parts of Lagos.
The Ministry of Environment and Water Resources also warned residents against dealing with intermediaries or making payments to forestall statutory enforcement, emphasizing that all legitimate operations by the ministry are conducted transparently and in accordance with environmental laws.