The Lagos State Government on Sunday said the State is currently developing an Environmental Policy on Wetlands and Biodiversity to balance development with nature conservation.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, stated this in a release issued as part of the year 2025 World Wetland Day celebration.
He stated that the State Government
remains committed to protecting Wetlands and their Biodiversity, stressing that the policy will ensure that all future projects in or around wetlands undergo a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment, in line with International best practices.
In his words, “Wetlands are nature’s endowment to man due to the many benefits it provides, especially for sustenance. We must understand
that we do not exclusively own the right to wetlands as our children and their children deserve the right to these same resources”.
Speaking on the 2025 theme: “Protecting Westlands For Our Common Future”, he emphasised the need for sustainability concerning wetland usage and exploitation. Lagos State Government joins the rest of the world to commemorate the 2025 edition of World Wetlands Day to spread the message through different multimedia platforms by creating public enlightenment to address the increasing degradation, clearing and reclamation of Wetlands and their Biodiversity”.
The Commissioner explained that it is unfortunate that with human activities and migration into Lagos, wetlands have come under increased threats with a loss of over 100km2 between 2014 and 2022 owing to urban settlement.
He added that the government understands the need for development but strongly emphasised the need for Sustainable Development where wetlands are not just overexploited and encroached upon by the strength of one’s purchasing power.
Wahab said to conserve some of the pristine wetlands, the Government had preserved the Wetlands in Orugbo-Iddo, Epe and Iyafin, Badagry, with plans to develop these wetlands for tourism purposes.
He stressed that the government had also scaled up monitoring of wetlands by putting measures in place to ensure that violators of wetlands are severely punished and would no longer allow people to encroach upon wetlands without requisite approvals.
He said the government understands the place of partnership with sister MDAs, NGOs, Traditional Institutions and International Organizations in safeguarding wetlands. He added that continued collaboration with willing stakeholders in the environmental sector and beyond will always be prioritised to ensure sustainability because it requires all hands to be on deck to avert the total loss of wetlands across the state.
The Commissioner also charged residents in the communities around wetlands to desist from indiscriminately dumping waste in wetland areas and ensure that the construction of buildings is not blocking the runoff of water along all drainage channels.
