Lukman Olabiyi
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday declared that from September 28, different projects would commenced in 377 wards acros the state.
The projects which includes road, drainage constructions, electrification and others were recommended by the councilors in
377 wards acros the state based on their communities needs.
The intervention, which was said to be first of its kind in the state, was initiated at the instance of the Governor. It will bring about the construction of over 250 roads and installation of 23 power projects across the State.
Speaking at the official launch of the State wide Ward Projects on Friday, Sanwo-Olu, said the intervention was initiated in response to the series of requests by the various communities across the state to address specific challenges. He said the execution of the projects would change the narrative about what grassroots development and Government’s responsibilities are all about.
Sanwo-Olu charged all elected and appointed officials in public offices to be responsible in dealing with people, noting that governance would be meaningless without the input of the people on whose mandate public officers derived their powers.
Chairman of the Projects’ Implementation Committee and the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, said all contractors would mobilise to sites next Monday, noting that the intervention was in demonstration of the Governor’s campaign promise to run an inclusive Government.
He said the projects’ selection followed a meeting between the Governor and all 377 councillors across the State, during which Sanwo-Olu asked them to nominate specific projects that could be executed in their wards.
After identifying the projects, Hamzat said the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget and and professionals in public service evaluated the cost of the projects. This effort, the Deputy Governor said, was followed by a re-evaluation exercise by an independent consultant.
Giving the breakdown of the projects, Hamzat said the state government would be constructing 257 community roads and drainages across the State. He added that 86 public buildings would be rehabilitated, while two jetties, nine water projects and 23 power projects will be installed across the wards.
All the projects, the Deputy Governor said, are distributed across the three senatorial districts in the State, disclosing that wards across the Lagos Central will be having be having 94 projects, while wards in the Lagos East will have 99 and wards in Lagos West, 184 projects.
Hamzat said: “The projects will be implemented by contractors in collaboration with Government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, Directorate of Technical Service, Lagos State Electricity Board and Public Works Corporation. Supervision and monitoring of the projects will be done in collaboration with the ward councillors and party executives.”
The APC chairman, Hon Tunde Balogun described the projects as grassroots-focused, confirming that the Sanwo-Olu administration was the first to embark on such massive projects across wards in a single move.
By directly engaging the councillors in the execution of the projects, the party chairman said the Governor had established strong connection with the grassroots