Lagos State Government has issued six days ultimatum to all transport unions and roadside traders on the entire stretch of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway and Oshodi-Abule Egba BRT corridors to vacate immediately or face the consequence.

According to government, both Market men and women, members of road transport unions and other road users are enjoined to desist from needless abuse of the road, right of way and road set-backs.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Doctor Taiwo Salaam, said it was disheartening to say the state of the two roads mentioned above was that of total lawlessness through the activities of traders who had converted BRT corridors into trading centres.

Salaam also metioned the Illegal activities of oil barons and gangs, especially at Eric Moore who were using the corridor as their base; indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the BRT corridors; traffic bottleneck due to activities of some transport unions domiciled on the corridors and total breakdown of the traffic laws of the state.

He said this at a news briefing alongside an ad-hoc committee from the Ministry of Works, Lagos Waste Management Authority, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Task force and others.

Salaam, who said the clean up and recovery of right of way in the axis would begin on Tuesday, said the exercise would be sustained and not a one-off.

He said thus, pursuant to the Executive Order, the public was hereby intimated of the plans of government to clean up roads and recover the Rights of Way in the areas, saying of equal importance was the environmental regeneration of the entire stretch of the road which had been taken over by shanties, refuse and vegetal nuisances.

Salaam said the plan to open the BRT corridors on the already completed segments of the roads would expectedly improve public transportation on the corridors, saying the plan to upgrade the road would provide a boost for trade and commerce, enhance tourism and generate more jobs for the people.

He also said social life of the people would improve while traffic induced crimes would reduce to the barest minimum, if not totally eliminated, saying also, stress provoked health challenges would equally scale down while value of properties along the corridor would attract commensurate value.

Managing Director, Lagos State Waste Management Authority, Ola Oresanya, described the clean-up exercise as “obligatory” for government, stressing that the two routes had been “heavily commercialised”.

Oresanya also said officials of the agency would be deployed along the routes during the clean-up activity to clear waste materials dumped illegally on the roads by traders, saying “Implementation of the Governor’s Executive Order was also to fast-track activities of the agency in clearing highways of illegally dumped refuse.

He said there had been improvements in waste management in the state in the last seven months which would be working with the ad-hoc committee to clean up the marked corridors.

On his part, Chairman of Lagos Taskforce, Yinka Egbeyemi, said he had deployed officers on advocacy and sensitisation campaign to meet with affected traders and groups ahead of the exercise next week.

Egbeyemi, a Chief Superintendent of Police, said after the advocacy, the agency would move in full force next week to carry out the Executive Order.

The ad-hoc Inter-Ministerial Committee comprises Ministries of Transportation, Environment, and Works and Infrastructure.

There are also agencies, including LAWMA, Lagos Taskforce on Environment and Miscellaneous Offences, Lagos State Parks and Garden Agency, and Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, working with the ministries to implement the Executive Order.