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Nigeria: We Are Rebuilding Lagos - Fashola
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Vanguard (Lagos)
3 July 2008
Posted to the web 3 July 2008
Olasunkanmi Akoni and Adeyemi Ogundele
Lagos
GOVERNOR Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State says that his administration is working out a project to take care of over 40 million people in the state over the next 25 years just as he disclosed ongoing moves on the formulation of a new policy aimed at regulating physical planning and urban development in the state.
Fashola made the disclosure yesterday at an interactive session with private sector, held at Alausa, Ikeja to mark the 400 days in office of his administration.
His words: "This is an accounting period for us and not a time to celebrate yet, what we are planning to do in Lagos is to ensure nobody builds on a place that is unauthorised such as building on the canal way. In the interim we are still approving plans in conformity with the existing laws in the state. We will not compromise on this.
"We want to enforce law and order in the state. That is the only way we can protect you, and your businesses. We can not have law and order in a place if by the time you want to build you think you can build your houses on canals, drainages and roads. We will pull them down by the time we get there. Collect the necessary approval from the appropriate ministry if you must build."
On the vision to transform Lagos into a mega city comparable with its status, Fashola continued: "Lagos has grown so exponentially in the last few years that the whole state has practically become one huge metropolis. In other words, in 25 years time there will be virtually no villages or even towns in the state any more. So we have started to plan ahead."
"The influx of people into Lagos is already projected to happen, it was being estimated that by the year 2015 will would be about 25 million people and we are planning ahead. As we are here, we are planning Lagos State for 40 million people ahead for the next 25 years so that we can live and work and play in an orderly manner in this beautify state and cities.
"We are the one clamouring for private partnership, we are the one shouting international investment, we are the one saying we want to be among the international cities of the world, we would not get there without law and order.
"What we have done is to prepare a policy to regulate physical planning and urban development in Lagos and building control. Last Friday to Sunday we were in a retreat with all of the surveyors, engineers, civil and structural the town planners, insurance companies, controller general of prisons and all stakeholders in the building industry, architect and they are reviewing that documents and we are developing this for all, because when its done we will hand it over to private sector."he said.
In this regards am proud to report to you that we have taken one of the most audacious steps toward developing the future of Lagos in-term of urban planning and building control and when the document is finished we will bring it before the state assembly for consideration and subsequent ratification," he added.
Responding to the state of bridges in the state, the governor said the bridges which are distressed today were built before he was born; "we plan gradually to remove and replace them accordingly," he promised.
Fashola also disclosed that his administration has concluded plans to employ about 500 personnel to boost the existing number of Lagos State Transport Management Authorities (LASTMA), noting that it could not come at abetter time as the "Ember' months are fast approaching, that is; September to December period.
Fashola dismissed the claims of multiple taxation in the State as alleged by some corporate organizations, saying that there was no such practice in the State.
Earlier in one of the presentations made by some of the state Executive members, the state Commissioner for Establishment Jide Sanwolu disclosed that about 10,000 Close Circuit Camera (CCTV) would soon arrive the state.
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The cameras, he said, would be mounted in strategic areas in the state which had been identified as black spots, adding that streetlights would also be erected to be powered by solar energy.
In fact I thank God for this opportunity for me to comement on what has been paining me for several years, about one or two weeks ogo I red in one of the news paper on internet that the Lagos State Government want to expand Lagos by building more LOw cost houses in about 8 to 9 new areas in Lagos State so that interesting people will have his own house, I am one of the Nigerians that have been living in Germany for almost 25years without a house/appartment of my own (it is not that am a lazy Man... [Read Full Text]
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