Lagos must improve infrastructure urgently – Sanwo-Olu
Maureen Ihua-Maduenyi
The Lagos State All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, says there is an urgent need to improve on the provision of infrastructure in the state due to population growth.
According to him, one of the reasons pressure mounts on Lagos infrastructure is the continuous influx of people into the state daily, adding that the challenges are surmountable with innovative approaches and collaboration with residents especially the professional groups and business communities.
“Our plan is to expand and improve on existing infrastructure project. Government is a continuum and we will continue with existing projects to the benefit of Lagos. Our focus remains ‘Towards a greater Lagos: A collective effort’,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu spoke at the annual end of the year dinner and award night, organised by the Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers, Lagos chapter, where he was represented by his running mate, Dr Obafemi Hamzat
He spoke on the theme, ‘Bridging the infrastructure gap: The Lagos we know’, saying that he would massively invest to boost the already existing facilities as well as initiate new ones across the state.
He said, “Lagos’ population currently is over 20 million, with a projected figure of close to 30 million in the next decade. This is despite its being the smallest State in Nigeria with a land area of 3,577 square Kilometres, which means 0.4 per cent of total land area of Nigeria’s 923,768 square kilometres.
“The National Bureau of Statistics had reported that about 260,000 people come into Lagos daily, and that only about 20 to 25 per cent goes back to their original places. Hence, this huge migration influx to the city is overstretching the existing infrastructure and facilities. Therefore, there is an urgent need to be innovative in providing infrastructure in the state.”
Sanwo-Olu stated that he would also work on waste management, transportation and water resources among others.
He added, “Our plan will be to build an inter-modal transport system by integrating road, rail and water transportation in Lagos to solve the problem of commuting within the metropolis.
“Therefore, we will move very fast to complete the ongoing blue line rail pr oject from Okokomaiko to Marina and in the process aggressively pursue the rehabilitation of Lagos -Badagry Expressway and explore the realisation of the red line from Agbado to Marina. In preparing for rehabilitating various inner roads, the three Asphalt plants will be turned around and made ready to put people to work in order to make our roads motorable throughout the year.”
He said the government would consolidate on the waste management system by getting the Lagos State Waste Management Authority to function better on its mandate as the regulator, while the Private Sector Participants would be made to respond better in waste collection.
“We have plans to turn waste to sustainable wealth. This we will do by incentivising waste sorting by our people,” he said