The Lagos State Government has vowed that it will henceforth sanction violators of its greening laws across the State, saying that it will no longer condone any act that threatens its environmental sustainability.
Disclosing this at the weekend during an enforcement operation and sensitization exercise in Ikoyi, the General Manager of the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK), Mrs Adetoun Popoola stated that the State Government would spare no effort to enforce the law against perpetrators of environmental abuse.
Speaking with newsmen during the exercise, the General Manager maintained that the action became expedient to establish the need for property owners, businesses and residents of Lagos State to comply with the greening provisions of the Lagos State Government.
“We received information that the management of Osborne Foreshore 2 Estate Ikoyi gave a directive for trees in the buffer zone of the estate to be cut down without the required assessment and permit from the Agency. Some of the vegetals were also burnt. This act contravenes the provisions of the Lagos Environmental Laws and as such, attracts punitive measures and even legal action” Popoola affirmed.
Bemoaning the unruly practice, Popoola confirmed that some residents and business owners have formed the habit of cutting down trees and burning them in some parts of the State, revealing that such act did not only contravene the law but also posed a great danger to the State’s ecosystem.
The buffer zone zone where the management of Osborne Foreshore 2 Estate, Ikoyi cut trees
“In the face of continuous sensitization by the Lagos State Government through LASPARK and other Agencies and Departments of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, defaulters will not be spared,” she declared.
She pointed out that government was committing a lot of resources for the maintenance, rehabilitation and sustenance of its green assets and resources across the state and encouraged individuals and organizations to support the cause and not to act contrarily, to the point of sabotaging efforts.
The LASPARK boss thanked the Agency’s partners, NGOs and environmental enthusiasts who have so far contributed positively to the development of the State’s green infrastructure.
According to her, the Agency was simply being responsive to all acts that undermined its efforts towards promoting environmental sustainability and economic prosperity.
“The benefits of trees are enormous and Lagosians should avail themselves this opportunity, by religiously protecting these trees and imbibing the culture of planting, nurturing and preserving them to protect mankind and mitigate other harmful effects associated with climate change”, she averted.
