Ensure Even Devt Across Lagos, Lawmaker Charges Ambode

 

Femi Durojaiye

A lawmaker, Hon. Abiodun Tobun has urged Governor Akinwunmi Ambode never to relent in his efforts at bringing development to both urban and rural areas of Lagos state.
Tobun made the appeal at a recent weekly media chat with the State Assembly’s correspondents in Ikeja, the state capital.

The lawmaker commended Ambode for all his strides towards sustaining infrastructure in the metropolis and taking development to the hinterlands of the state.

He said, “The approach of leaving the rural areas to develop urban areas has led to migration of people to the city. The idea of developing the metropolis is the mind set of people at the helms of affairs; some governments develop the centre and leave the rural areas.

“This approach usually leads to rural-urban migration and makes the centre to be congested while some governments believe in developing the rural areas to decongest the city to make more people comfortable living in the rural areas.

“The best approach is to develop both the rural and urban centres simultaneously. The government should not allow the infrastructure at the urban centre decay while at the same time take development to the rural.
“This is the approach the present government is adopting. There is no rural area that is not touched. We are encouraging the governor not to relent his plans to develop the state”, he added.

He commended the governor for picking two roads from each of the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to prevent the influx of people into the urban area.

He also urged the governor to sustain his determination to light up all communities and construction of more roads to improve socio-economic activities in all areas.

According to him, before the present administration, Epe and Ikorodu did not have master plans, but the government has awarded the work to a consultant to come up with master plans for the two suburb communities.

The lawmaker said such would bring about overall development to the areas. He said the state government was also planning to develop the Fourth Mainland Bridge through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) approach.

On the Local Government Administration Amendment bill the House passed on Thursday, the lawmaker said that the bill would encourage good governance and checkmate excesses at the local level.
According to him, the cordial relationship between the executive and the legislature in Lagos State has occasioned different developmental projects across the state.

To make fuel products, especially petroleum, more affordable for the masses, Tobun urged the Federal Government to look inward by resuscitating local refineries for production of fuel. He also urged the President to sustain his determination to stop eventual importation of fuel.

The lawmaker further assured concerned stakeholders that he would not betray the confidence reposed on him by the people.

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