Anayo Okolie looks at the first quarterly town hall meeting for 2017 organised by the Lagos State government
When in 2016 Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State announced plans by his administration to construct 114 roads in the 57 local government areas and local council development areas of the state in six months, many applauded the vision behind the plan but expressed reservation over its successful implementation.
The reservation, to a large extent, could be justified based because the plan was not only unprecedented in the history of the country, but many lofty programmes and policies have ended up as conspicuous failed projects.
But Ambode proved pundits wrong, when he delivered the roads in 2016. The roads brought considerable relief to residents, as they helped to ease vehicular movement and improve business activities within the state.
Ambode had also promised that the 114 roads would be a yearly project in all the councils in the state to ensure that the dividends of democracy are extended to the communities.
Increment
But in a bid to consolidate the government’s infrastructural drive, Ambode again on January 19 announced the upping of the number of roads from 114 to 181. The process for the award of the contracts has already commenced.
Under the “Operation 114 Roads” the state government, through the local government councils, LCDAs, and Community Development Associations, selected two roads in each of the 57 councils for simultaneous rehabilitation. According to the latest plan, some of the councils will now have more than two roads; especially in areas where there is need to fix adjourning roads to a major road to improve on the road network.
Speaking at the first Quarterly Town Hall Meeting for 2017, the sixth in the series, held at the Ajelogo Housing Scheme, Ajelogo Market Road, Akanimodo, Mile 12, the governor explained the rationale behind the decision to scale up the road improvement effort. He said he had received many requests from residents on road construction and rehabilitation.
Even during the interactive session at the town hall meeting, many of the requests were on roads, a development which made the governor decide that the roads captured for 2017 were key roads that would have great economic impact on the people.
Ambode stated at the meeting, “I want to pronounce here that you should watch out next week in the newspapers, we are advertising 181 roads which would be done in all our local governments.
“What we have found out is that if we decided to continue with two, some of those roads are not linking each other to the main road. If we are supposed to do some roads in some local governments, it would only make economic sense if there is a linkage. So you would see in the advert that some local governments would have like three, some would have four roads, but the average is 181 and if you divide that by 57, that would be a minimum of three roads from each local government.”
The governor said the choice of the roads to be constructed had been made by the local governments in conjunction with the engineers, assuring that before the end of the year when the roads would be delivered, the people would be better for it.
Stewardship
Giving his account of stewardship in the last quarter, Ambode said the choice of Akanimodo, Mile 12 as venue for the meeting was to show that the axis was not left behind in the developmental progress of the state. He said he had come to listen to the needs of the people to see where they needed government intervention.
The governor said in the last quarter, his administration kicked off its “Rent-To-Own and Rental Housing Policy” aimed at providing affordable units across the three senatorial districts, disclosing that there are 4,355 housing units available with over 500 applicants prequalified so far, while allocation would commence within one week.
On the agricultural sector, the governor said his administration was already looking to build on the first fruits of its partnership with Kebbi State Government with the launch of Lake Rice in December 2016. He said in the current quarter, the government would embark on the rehabilitation of the Oko-Oba Abattoir and Lairage Complex, Agege, in line with the promise to increase meat production output, develop the red meat value chain and restructure the complex for improved operations.
On road transportation, Ambode said several initiatives aimed at improving transportation within the metropolis, including Marwa/Depot Road, Ijegun-Egba in Amuwo Odofin, 500metres-long Imeke-Ajido Bridge in Badagry, Adisa Ajibulu in Oshodi, Adisa Balogun-Igboho Street, Alapere in Kosofe local government as well as the signalisation and junction improvement along the Lekki-Epe Expressway.
Ambode also said the Neighbourhood Safety Corps would become operational in the current quarter with the recruitment of 5,700 personnel, while 100 would be deployed to each of the local governments to complement the efforts of other security agencies in policing the state.
He expressed optimism that 2017 held great expectations for Lagos, especially as the state gets set to mark its Golden Jubilee on May 27. Ambode said his administration would continue with its urban regeneration initiatives by building new infrastructure and maintaining existing ones.
He listed some of the key projects to be done to include Agric-Isawo-Arepo Road in Ikorodu, Ajelogo–Akanimodo road rehabilitation, Oshodi to Murtala Mohammed Airport Road, Ketu-Alapere inner roads phase II, Oke Oso–Araga–Poka in Epe, Topo Garage to VIP Chalet in Badagry, Ladipo Market Road and Multilayer Car Park, Mushin and establishment of bus terminals and depots in Yaba, Ikeja, Oyingbo, Anthony, Ketu and Toll Gate. He said more beneficiaries would receive funding from the N25 billion Employment Trust Fund in January.
“As we continue the task of ensuring good governance in our dear state, I am confident that 2017 will bring succour and new opportunities that will foster prosperity for Lagos State and all its residents. Our party, the APC, remains focused on making Lagos the progressive sign post for all. I thank all our party leaders and members for their loyalty and support,” he said.
Question, Answer Time
At the questions and answers time, which was the main idea behind the town hall meeting, people had the opportunity to talk directly to the governor on issues that bothered them. One after the other, residents took turn to ask questions, focusing mainly on the need to provide more roads, health centres, schools, among others.
A resident, Chief R.O Ajayi, had fired the first set of questions bordering on infrastructural development requests for Agboyi community and environs, including construction of roads, link bridges, pedestrian bridge, rehabilitation and return of Ajegunle Junior High School.
Another resident, Olumide Folami, drew the attention of the governor to flooding in Princess Bola Kazeem area, as well as the need for government to construct schools and health centres in the area.
On his part, Dr. Pascal Edomime urged the governor to come to the aid of residents of Irawo who he said had built their road to about 70 per cent completion through communal effort. Yeye Dupe Ojo from Mile 12 talked about the need for government to fix Kujore Street, Quadri-Anibaba Road, as well as provide a secondary school for Agiliti and Maidan communities.
Alhaja Dalemo Olukoga, the Community Development Committee chairperson for Ikorodu West and Prince Ladega Ibrahim Olukoga also talked about the need to provide health centres and secondary schools for Ikorodu West, new market on available land space at Fola Ahmed Street, fixing of the Itoikin road and transformation of the Agboyi-Ketu community.
Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, in his remarks, urged the governor to give priority to the construction of Adeniji-Adele Road and ensure the construction of other roads that deserve utmost attention in Lagos Island. He also urged the governor to improve the standard of markets in the area, while urging total reconstruction of non-approved and unauthorised buildings already built within major markets in Lagos Island.
Akiolu further urged Lagosians to continue to cooperate with and support the present administration as well as desist from any form of clandestine meetings that may undermine the progress of the Ambode administration.
Response
Responding to questions that bordered on security, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, said with the continued support of the state government, the command had increased the number of personnel at Ketu-Epe Police Post from two to 70 to effectively combat kidnapping and other crimes in Agbowa, Itoikin and environs. He said the command had transformed the hitherto abandoned Iyun Police Post to an anti-kidnapping unit, while two gun boats were moved to Ejirin.
Owoseni urged traditional rulers and community elders to caution their subjects especially the youths on the need to be law abiding, shun all forms of criminal activities, and engage in lawful means of livelihood.
While responding to questions on provision of health centres, Special Adviser to the Governor on Primary Health Care, Dr. Femi Onanuga, said presently, the government had 288 primary health centres across the state. He said there were plans to construct another two starting from the next one week and renovate 35 PHCs.
Onanuga said government had also concluded plans to equip 35 PHCs with another two, while the total number of PHCs in the state would be increased to 290. He added that Ambode had approved that PHCs, henceforth, should offer 24 hours service, as against the former eight hours service.
He also disclosed that a public spirited Lagosian had donated a PHC worth N70 million to government along Agbelekale-Aboru axis.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Babatunde Adejare, said the Cleaner Lagos Initiative of the present administration would be implemented and a total of 40, 000 people would be employed from June 2017.
The governor gave instant answers to some questions, while he directed the affected ministries and agencies of government to intervene in areas requiring intervention.
Ambode directed that a stakeholder’s meeting should be convened on the issue of Ilaje Road in Bariga raised by one Elder Omoniyi owing to the fact that the road was narrow and some houses would have to give way for the construction.
On Irawo Road, Ambode ordered the Public Works Corporation to move to site within seven days and complete the project to appreciate the communal effort of the people, while promising to look into all the issues raised by residents.
Speaking on the side lines of the town hall meeting, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Kosofe II, Tunde Buraimoh, and Prince Rotimi Agunsoye, representing Kosofe Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, commended the idea behind the meeting. They said it was important for the government and the governed to meet and decide on issue of governance.
Agunsoye said, “Without any fear of correction and contradiction Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is God-sent to Lagos. He is fantastic; he is someone who is even a noiseless engine. He is not the type that will use N1, 000 to do a project and use N10, 000 on publicity.
“The governor is not cosmetics; he does not do propaganda but yet every corner, every locality in Lagos is now a construction site, from Oshodi to Alimosho to Epe to Kosofe. I say kudos to him.”
Many believe that the town hall meetings, which have been consistent under the watch of Ambode, have brought government nearer to the people and made government officials to be more accountable. And as the state prepares to mark its Golden Jubilee on May 27, there is optimism that a long list of achievements would be on display for the world to see.
