Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has refuted allegations that his ministry demanded or received ₦1 billion or ₦700 million to suspend a demolition exercise at Oral Estate in the Ojota area of the state.
In a statement released via his verified X handle on Tuesday, Wahab described the claims as false, malicious, and a deliberate attempt to blackmail the government, insisting that neither he nor any ministry official solicited or accepted any money from affected property owners.
“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,” Wahab said.
“I must state categorically that these claims are entirely false and a deliberate attempt to blackmail the government.”
The commissioner stressed that the state government’s drainage clearance and demolition operations are strictly for public safety and not subject to negotiation or financial inducement.
“Neither I nor any official from the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has neither ever requested nor received any payment, whether N1 billion, N700 million, or a single kobo, from any property owner,” he stated.
“The operation to clear the Right of Way and Setbacks to different channels, and canals of illegal obstructions is a public safety imperative, and it has not been paused for any form of negotiation or payment. Our work continues.”
Wahab described the allegations as “dangerous propaganda”, warning that such disinformation only distracts from the government’s commitment to preventing flooding and safeguarding lives and property across Lagos.
“This propaganda is a dangerous distraction from our critical mission to prevent flooding and protect the majority of Lagosians,” he said.
The commissioner disclosed that legal steps were already being taken against those behind the allegations, vowing to ensure accountability through appropriate channels.
“We take these defamatory allegations with the utmost seriousness. We shall be pursuing this matter legally, and the individual behind these claims will be required to provide proof to the appropriate authorities,” Wahab said.
