•At town hall meeting, Ambode pledges new dawn for historic Lagos town
By Kehinde Aderemi
On Tuesday, July 12, Badagry, one of the oldest communities in Lagos, was in an animated mood.
Thousands of residents from within and outside Badagry stormed the Muslim Community Praying Ground in the town. The occasion was the town hall meeting between the governor and residents of Badagry.
At the meeting, many of the residents engaged the governor on his administration’s plans for Badagry and its environs, just as Ambode and some of his officials narrated what they had in stock for the people.
Many issues were raised by the people at the meeting, which afforded community leaders, artisans, youths, disabled people, market men and women and others the opportunity to ask the governor direct questions and receive immediate responses.
In his opening speech, Governor Ambode said he would meet with the different groups in four different sessions, so as to allow for more time to interact with as many groups as possible. He noted that the arrangement would afford him the opportunity to hear directly from residents.
During the question and answer session, a community leader, Chief Amos Adeola, expressed concern over the state of roads in Badagry. While admitting that the administration had been doing a yeoman’s job in the area of road construction and rehabilitation, he pleaded with the government to intensify efforts at fixing some of the roads in the Badagry area that had become dilapidated.
In his response, the governor noted that his administration was committed to making the roads in the state quite na vigable. He recalled that he was particularly interested in opening up many parts of the state, chief among which, he informed, was Badagry. He told the crowd that already, work had resumed on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway the Ajara/Agelasho/Poka/Erekiti road and the Aradagun-Iworo Ajido Phase I Bridge in Badagry.
Another resident, Prince Adebisi Adewale, expressed concern over some potential security situation in Badagry. He noted that many drinking joints had sprung up in the community and its environs, with idle youths purposelessly congregating at such joints, drinking and smoking from early in the morning every day. He asserted that such assemblies of jobless young men loafing about the area might eventually result in untoward security situations.
The governor, in his response, assured that the commissioner of police would promptly spring into action and arrest the situation.
Another resident, Rev Okoli, said the state government needed to work harder in the area of refuse collection. He said many of the drains in the Badagry area were being filled up with refuse by residents and appealed to the government to urgently tackle the menace.
While responding, Ambode noted that the waste generated in Lagos daily was over 13, 000 tonnes as against about 10, 000 tonnes generated in the state of New York in the United States. He said Lagos had just over 200 compactors to deal with the waste. He noted that his administration was bringing a process of seamless waste collection in the state which would ensure clean environment by encouraging more public-private partnership. He assured that the project, which had already commenced, would generate employment for the youths.
Another resident urged the state government to look into the plight of disabled persons. But the governor said his administration was already tackling the issue. He noted that in line with the provisions of Section 12 of the Special People’s Law, his administration launched the Lagos State Persons Living with Disability Fund with N500million. He said the fund would be for the advancement of the cause of persons living with disabilities.
But beyond the disability fund, Ambode assured that his administration would soon decentralise the Lagos State Office of Disability (LASODA). He promised that the government would absolve 200 physically challenged persons to manage the affairs of the disabled in all the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas (LCDA) in the state.
A resident also sought to know if government had plans to help artisans in the state. The governor responded in the affirmative, assuring that the state Employment Trust Fund would soon commence disbursement of funds to various artisans, entrepreneurs and unemployed youths across the state.
And on the issues concerning senior citizens, the governor said the government was committed to building three elderly care centres across the three Senatorial zones state.
“We will sponsor bills to the House of Assembly which will make specific provisions for the elderly in our society and create a framework for care for the aged,” he added.
Earlier, the governor had recalled the activities of his administration in the past months. He said his government donated additional equipment to security and law enforcement agencies in the last quarter. Among the beneficiaries, he noted, were the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Customs, Immigration Services, Nigerian Army, Air Force, Navy, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Lagos State Task Force and the Nigeria Prison Services.
He said the government also commissioned the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA) Rescue Unit, just as a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of the 38-kilometre Fourth Mainland Bridge to link Ikorodu and Ajah was signed. He said the Iyana-Oworo Bus Park project was nearing completion while work was ongoing on the Ultra-Modern Oshodi Interchange. Ambode said flyovers were being constructed at Ajah roundabout and Abule Egba junction. Pedestrian bridges, he noted, were under construction at Ojodu Berger, Anthony and in other locations. He also informed that 108 units located in Oko-Oba were completed, even as the Ibereko Housing project had commenced in Badagry.
The governor promised that the tourism potential of Badagry would be fully harnessed with the rehabilitation of all heritage sites, the construction of a major resort, establishment of a university of hospitality and the building of a stadium in 2017. He said a technical and vocation school would be established in Badagry in September. He informed that his administration’s plan was to make Badagry a major hub for tourism within the African continent.
On health, Ambode noted: “We have commenced a comprehensive action to rehabilitate and upgrade the facilities in all our hospitals. Modern equipment will be procured to facilitate treatment and we will invest in capacity building of our medical staff. We intend to spend over N10 billion on our hospitals across the state before December this year. We will recruit and train medical professionals in areas of rare specialization and special needs.”
He also informed that his administration had earlier recruited 1,300 primary school teachers and was already recruiting 1,000 more for secondary schools in the state.
He noted: “I implore you to take ownership of all government property located in your area and pay your taxes. On our part, we will continue to execute projects that will outlive us and affirm our position as the Centre of Excellence.”
At the event were several dignitaries, including Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule; Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Olukunle Ojo and the Senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District, Solomon Adeola Olamilekan. Traditional rulers were led to the event by the Akran of Badagry, Aholu Menu Toyi and Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotebi.