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Tag: Lagos State

  • Lagos alerts on more floods

    Lagos alerts on more floods

    •Praises flood control measures

    The Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr Tunji Bello, has expressed satisfaction with the efforts  to combat flooding in the state.

    The Commissioner noted that it is gratifying that while several states  were submerged by flood in the last few years, Lagos, through the relentless efforts of its engineers, has received several commendations for its proactive measures at containing flooding.

    Bello said the state has equally benefitted from its strategic planning on flood control measures, which according to him, were effective enough to contain attendant storm water. This has earned the state commendations from the Nigeria Meteorological service as the only state that has a deliberate and concerted deflooding programme.

    The commissioner however cautioned residents to be prepared for heavy downpour this year. His warning is based on the 2015 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) for the state, which indicated that there will be 260 days of rainfall in the state this year.

    “It has been predicted that Lagos State will experience a rainy season of between 245 and 260 days, with the maximum annual rainfall predicted to be around 1,824mm. The maximum rainfall will be experienced around the Marina area of Lagos Island. In general, this year’s rainfall has been predicted to have a delay onset of about two to 13 days, with Lagos, Ondo, Ogun and some other states expected to have more pronounced delay by eight to 13 days,” Bello said.

    The prediction, which was corroborated by NIMET, also said an early cessation of rainfall is predicted for most part of the country. However, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ondo, Akure, among others, will have later than normal cessation as they will experience more growing season.

    Bello said with high temperature and humidity being favourable conditions for the growth of pest, vectors and spreading of diseases, coupled with the fact that the higher the temperature and humidity, the more rapid the life cycles of mosquitoes and frequencies in mosquito bites, the state will be affected by mosquitoes. “Lagos State is expected to be moderately affected by mosquitoes. It is of utmost importance that Lagosians keep their environment clean to minimise the effects of mosquitoes,” he warned, adding that Lagosians should avoid indiscriminate dumping of refuse, and blockage of drainage.

    Bello also warned that due to climate change, while other states in the federation will enjoy a short break in rainfall between July 15 and August 31 this year, Lagos is not likely to have this break as it will rain throughout the year unlike other years.

    “It is going to rain throughout the year; there is no “August break” for Lagos State. There will be days without rain, but there won’t be any long interval of break,” he warned.

    The commissioner also warned of strong wind that may accompany rains, which he said will herald the onset and cessation of rains in the state. Therefore, he advised farmers to plant drought resistant crops; dams managers in areas with prospect of above normal rainfall such as Ogun-Oshun River Basin, should prepare for high water inflow due to run-off.  He also warned pilots to take extra care during landing and take-off to avoid weather hazards caused by wind shear, slippery runways and reduced visibility expected at different periods in the year. Also to be affected are communication firms. This is due to the expected warmer than normal temperature and the expected intense rainstorms and strong winds which are expected to affect communication signals.

    Bello assured that within the available resources to government, the Ministry of Environment proactively shall continue to undertake measures to ensure that it  copes with the rains.

  • Ambode Urges Lagosians to vote for continuity

    Ambode Urges Lagosians to vote for continuity

    Akinwunmi Ambode, the All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Lagos state has congratulated and thanked the people of Lagos for voting out the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Presidential election.

    He said that he is particularly grateful that the people of Lagos, against all odds, heeded his plea for them to vote out the PDP for non-performance and cluelessness displayed in the management of the affairs of the nation for the past 16 years which grew worse in the last 6 years.

    He went further to explain that the concept of change was midwife in Lagos and has been birthed in the nation with the unprecedented success of the APC in the Presidential election, first of its kind in Nigeria, where an incumbent had been roundly defeated and peacefully displaced from power.

    Ambode noted that the APC deserves to continue in Lagos to consolidate on the excellent performance in spite of the hostile federal might faced for the past 16 years.

    It is salivating to contemplate what the party would achieve with the support from the party at the Federal level. ‘The sky would even be too low to be the limit’.

    “This rare feat achieved by the people of Nigeria is a fulfillment of the prediction of the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo that a day would come when the best of the progressives and the conservatives would come together to provide an excellent future for Nigeria.

    “This has been made possible by the resilience of the people of Nigeria and our dear people of Lagos,” Ambode said.

    The APC gubernatorial candidate in Lagos further urged Lagosians not to relent but to come out en mass on April 11 to vote for APC in Lagos in order to complete the cycle of excellence.

    “Lagos must be the first partaker of the massive support of the APC Federal government that she has been denied by the PDP.

    “The people of Lagos would recall the way the PDP federal government ‘punished’ Lagos for creating the 37 Local Council Development Areas by withholding the allocation due to the State.

    “It was the ingenuity of the crack team of experts, of which I was a privileged member, set up by the then governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, that led to the development of the template on which Lagos not only survived but expanded the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

    “The IGR has since grown from a paltry 4 million naira to over 20 Billion naira today!

    “The task of governance is not for wishful thinkers and verbose speakers but for thinkers, strategist and tacticians.

    “I want to plead with the people of Lagos not gamble with our future. This is not the time for trial and error. The people of Lagos must continue on the part of excellence, which the APC represents.

    “Lagosians must vote for continuity on April 11. By the grace of God, I believe that if the people of Lagos give me this opportunity I shall serve with sincerity, integrity and with all the talents the almighty has endowed me,” he summed.

  • Massive turnout, irregularities and protests rock Alimosho

    There was a large turnout of voters yesterday in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.

    Soldiers were stationed at strategic points including Iyana Ipaja roundabout, Alagutan Junction and Moshalashi area of the council area.

    The soldiers mounted barricades and frisked motorists including journalists and observers who were monitoring the election.

    Anxious voters waited for many hours for the arrival of electoral officers in parts of the council area.

    As at 9 am officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were nowhere to be found in places like Iyana Ipaja; Akowonjo; Orelope and Egbeda.

    INEC officials arrived Polling Unit 059, Ward E, Egbeda in front of the family house of Lagos Deputy Governor, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire at about 10.15 am, while accreditation of voters was marred by poor performance of the card readers.

    Mrs. Orelope-Adefulire was accredited at 2.10pm while she cast her vote at 3.02 pm.

    Lagos West Senatorial District candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon Solomon Olamilekan Adeola was accredited at about 10.15 am alongside his wife, Temitope, at Polling Unit A30, Ward C, Idimu.

    Adeola later returned to the polling centre with his wife and they cast their votes at 2.44 pm and 2.50 pm respectively.

    Protests however trailed the exercise in some parts of Alimosho, as angry voters condemned their disenfranchisement by INEC officials and the police.

    There accreditation exercise was abruptly terminated at Polling Units 039; 040; 045 and 046 in Mosan Okunola Local Development Area of Alimosho when policemen moved INEC officials away for undisclosed reasons.

    The development triggered a protest which lasted for hours as frustrated voters condemned the conduct of the minions of law.

    There was a mild drama as one of the voters at Unit 040, Mrs Oroja Giwa embarked on a “one-man” protest in the neighbourhood calling on policemen on patrol to either allow her to vote or be ready for a showdown.

    She said: “We have been at the polling unit since 6 am waiting for the arrival of electoral officers but they did not show up until 11 am. We were berating them (INEC officials) for their late arrival and breakdown of card readers when some policemen arrived and took the electoral officers away without any explanation. It is absolutely clear that the motive behind the stoppage of the exercise is to prevent us from voting for a candidate of our choice.”

    It was the same scenario at a polling centre in Igando where INEC officials were said to have been evacuated by policemen after voters allegedly confronted them for their late arrival.

    Akinyemi, an APC agent at the Igando unit described the development as worrisome.

    “The INEC officials came by 12 noon and started accreditation by 1pm. By 3pm, they said they wanted to end accreditation. They said the card reader was programmed to terminate

    by that time. As I am talking to you, not more than 300 voters were accredited out of over 6,000. We are in the dark about what is really happening. Neither the police nor INEC officials addressed us,” he said.

    Voters also protested the absence of electoral officers at a polling centre on Isiba Oluwo Crescent in Orelope. No INEC official was there as at 2pm when our correspondent visited the centre.

    In parts of Agbado/Oke Odo Local Council Development Area of Alimosho, voting was still ongoing as at 6pm.

    Some party agents were making efforts to get a generator to provide light as voting entered nightfall in Unit 001 near National Dog Centre of Nigeria Army in Ipaja, as soldiers erected a barricade to ensure law and order during the exercise.

    An APC chieftain at the unit, Princess Uzamat Akinbile explained that electoral officers did not turn up at the centre until about 11 am. She added that accreditation at the centre was slow because the card readers were not working well.

    At Polling Unit 052, Baba Egbe area of Meiran, voting was still on at 5.40 pm. Electoral officials were said to have arrived at the centre at about 11. 20 am while voting commenced at 4.15 pm.

    A community leader in the area, Chief Lekan Olaniran, who was still waiting to cast his vote as at 5.30 pm blamed the situation on shoddy arrangement by INEC.

    There was a confrontation between voters and electoral officers at Units 042 and 043, Ward 11, Meiran following shortage of ballot papers.

    Voting was stopped at the two centres for about one hour until a senior police officer intervened before the exercise was continued.

    Although the presiding officer at Unit 043 refused to speak with our correspondent, it was however gathered that only 200 ballot papers were allegedly brought to the centre as against registered voters numbering about 700.

    Mrs. Orelope-Adefulire said the exercise was relatively encouraging with the large turnout of voters adding that INEC should address hitches recorded particularly the issue of malfunctioning card readers and late arrival of electoral officers among others.

    In his remarks, shortly after casting his vote, Hon Adeola said: “It will be too early for me to outrightly praise INEC for the conduct of the exercise. Although, it did not take me and my wife more than one minute to finish accreditation and a few minutes to cast our votes, but there have been hitches in some parts of Lagos and other places in the country. We have heard about how some people did not exercise their civic duty because the card readers did not work while electoral officials were absent in some centres.”

  • Lagos State bids for virtual teaching/learning centre

    Lagos State bids for virtual teaching/learning centre

    In line with its plans to host the Cambridge-Hitachi Centre, a virtual teaching and learning facility, the Lagos State government has acquired 2,000 multimedia interactive solution equipment for tertiary and secondary schools in the state.

    A statement by the Director, Local Organising Committee, Cambridge-Hitachi Virtual Teaching/Learning, Princess Adebukola Oluderu, noted that Governor Babatunde Fashola has assured that the state would exceed the provision of interactive multimedia solution from the target of 1,500 to 2,000 classrooms.

    She said Governor Fashola had also promised that he would ensure that all tertiary institutions and secondary schools in the state, about 10,000, would have the multimedia interactive solutions in each classroom to replace the traditional chalk boards.

    Praising the government, Princess Oluderu said the facility would revolutionalise education in Lagos State.

    She said: “The establishment of Virtual Teaching and Learning Centre in Lagos would turn around the educational sector. It is, therefore, worthy to commend Fashola for taking this bold step in providing all the necessary infrastructure, enabling environment and conducive atmosphere for the hosting of the Cambridge-Hitachi International Virtual Teaching and Learning Centre. This centre is specially conceived to give Lagos State due to their outstanding performances in improving the educational sector of the state.”

    She said Ekiti and Osun states have also expressed interest in the centres.

    “As soon as Ekiti or Osun State meets up with the remaining criteria set by Cambridge-Hitachi, one of the states would be given the approval to host the centre in Southwest. The centre for each region would be built and equipped with the world-class educational technology equipment and materials that would assist teaching/learning and also jump-start the ailing educational sector,” she said.

  • Lagos and the defining moments of 2014

    Lagos and the defining moments of 2014

    Though 2014 has come and gone, its memories continue to linger on. To some, it was a year full of sweet memories while to others it was a year to be forgotten in a hurry. In Lagos state, the year was, undoubtedly, a crucial one with daunting challenges. It was a year that the state had to engage in a fierce battle to contain the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease, EVD. Containing EVD was a tough task for the state government in many perspectives. For one, containing such a frightful disease was not something that was planned or budgeted for. Second, the disease was berthing in the country for the first time. Thus, Lagos had on its hand a volatile situation that needed to be tackled with utmost care, especially considering the havoc the disease was already causing in neighbouring Wet African countries. But, in its characteristic methodical style of handling such knotty issues, the state government carefully and systematically went to work to confront the dreaded disease. That Nigeria was eventually certified Ebola free by the World Health Organisation, WHO, is an affirmation of the untiring efforts of the state government in providing the needed leadership that became a rallying point in the onslaught against EVD. In order to ensure that those that survived EVD do not in any way become victims of stigmatization, the state Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, publicly met and fraternized with them.

    The trail blazing trend of the state government in the health sector was equally sustained in 2014 as the seventh Maternal and Child Healthcare Centre, MCC, and a School of Nursing Complex at the Alimosho General Hospital in Igando were handed over for public use. The Alimosho MCC, seventh in the series of ten such was delivered less than a month after the Amuwo-Odofin MCC was commissioned. Other MCCs already handed over include the ones at Ikorodu, Isolo, Ifako-Ijaiye, Gbaja in Surulere, Ajegunle and Amuwo Odofin which was the sixth. The eighth one in Lekki is being equipped while the ninth and tenth ones are to be located in Epe and Badagry respectively.

    The state government was equally able to stabilize the state’s economy in 2014. In a year when the national economy was threatened by global slump in oil prices, it is remarkable that the Lagos’ economy fared better. While some states groans under financial difficulties due to the continuing fall in oil prices resulting in salary arrears being owed workers, it is noteworthy that the state economy remains robust and capable of discharging its responsibilities to contractors, workers and the people at large.

    In terms of budget performance, the state government was able to sustain the tradition of admirable budget implementation. It was able to achieve 106 percent performance in the second quarter implementation of its 2014 budget. The second quarter result added to the performances of the preceding 86 percent performances of the first quarters to give the state an aggregate of 106 budget implementation for 2014. Between April and June 2014, the state budget performed at 106 percent. If added to the 86 percent performance in the first quarter, the result will be a cumulative half year performance of 86 percent. The impact of the performance can be seen in some of the housing and the roads projects that were completed within the period.

    To affirm the stable financial position of the state government in 2014, global leader in credit ratings and research, Fitch Ratings, upgraded Lagos State’s national long-term rating to ‘AA+ (nga)’ from ‘AA (nga)’, thus giving the state a stable outlook . Fitch believes that Lagos management is becoming progressively more sophisticated. Fitch equally rates the state high on debt management, which has improved with longer bond tenures and more loans from development banks. The Fitch’s upgrade is a further testimony to the state’s continued firm operating performance, enhanced transparency and renewed efforts towards an increasingly urbane and transparent administration, which is favorable to increasing private sector investments. With a local GDP accounting for 20%-25% of the national GDP, Lagos is a critical driver of Nigeria’s economy. Domestic production is fuelled by its diversified economy as a commercial hub in the country, with service, construction, transport and industry making up 80% of the local economy. Fitch believes that Lagos’ socio-economic indicators will further improve as local GDP growth is expected to outperform the estimated national GDP growth of 7%-8% in 2014.

    Another essential moment for Lagos in 2014 was the handing over of the Transfer Loading Station at Agege which has been embedded with a medical waste treatment facility. The Station, the third of its kind by the Fashola administration, will provide hospitals and clinics that are close by with an efficient depository for treatment and disposal of medical waste in a safe and healthy manner. Unlike the first one at Simpson, which was simply about solid waste, the Agege Transfer Loading Station is set to do more as it will address the danger of medical waste, syringes and all of the end products of surgery which were often just dumped in the refuse where children can play around with them and result in possible epidemic.

    In order to sustain current pace of development in the state, the state held the 2014 Ehingbeti Summit with the theme: ‘Powering the Lagos Economy: Real Opportunities, Endless Possibilities’. The essence of the summit’s focus on power is for the private sector to draw the attention of the Government to places where its activities would enable the private sector achieve its potential in terms of delivering of service, provision of opportunities and growth of the economy. On its part, the state government has been working tirelessly in pursuit of a new power agenda for the state. Presently, government is working on a plan to set up a one-stop shop to fast-track the handling of all issues relating to right of way and power infrastructure development in the State. Similarly, apart from the three functional power plants in Akute, Lagos Island and Alausa, efforts are being made to install two other plants in strategic locations of the state.

    Other significant moments for Lagos in 2014 include presentation of Lagos State Development Plan (2012-2025), commissioning of 34 new fire trucks, reversal of the Lagos State University (LASU) fee from N350,000 to the old rate of N25,000, Horns free day, introduction of a 10 day paternity leave for male employees of the state government, extension of maternity leave for female government’s employees to 12 weeks, the listing of Governor Fashola among the 100 Top Global Thinkers for 2013 by a global personality assessment organization, Lo Spazio della Politica among others.

    With the continued support of Lagosians, the state government is poised to take the state to new heights in 2015.Fortunately; Governor Fashola has vowed to continue working for the people until the very last minute of his mandate. This is what the people wanted. This is what they deserve.

    •Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

  • Lagos to sanitise estate agency

    Lagos to sanitise estate agency

    The government of Lagos State has started moves to regulate the practice of estate agency to protect tenants and prospective tenants. But how far can this effort pay off? Muyiwa Lucas reports.

    They all defiled the downpour last Thursday. And by 11 a.m, the Adeyemi-Bero Auditorium at the Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja was filled, spilling over to where canopies had been provided outside. It was not a political rally but an event organised to seek and end to the unregulated and unprofessional state of affairs in the estate agency sub-sector.

    To the ordinary man on the street of Lagos, estate agents pose the biggest challenge to their ability to rent a decent accommodation. This is because of the outrageous agency fees they are charged for their services. A participant  told this reporter of his experience. “The apartment cost N500, 000, but the agent insisted on collecting N200, 000 as agency fee, which I find ridiculous,” he lamented.

    It is for this reason and more that the state government organised a  workshop with the theme: “Real Estate Agency Fees in Lagos State”  under the auspices of the Lagos State Real Estate Transaction Department (LASRETRAD), a unit in the Ministry of Housing. The functions of this body include sensitising the public about estate agency and attendant rules, risks and benefits; keeping a register of egistered qualified estate agency practitioners; protecting citizens from illegal operators; creating a forum for affected members of the society to lodge complaints against unscrupulous agents; monitoring compliance with the state tenancy law and other legislations on land transaction; and prosecuting agents who violated the laws.

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Mr. Tunji Odunlami, set the tone of the day when he said  public concerns on the outrageous commission being charged by estate agents had become worrisome. He blamed the situation on the shortage of housing units, which has created an opportunity that agents latch on to exploit would-be tenants.

    Similarly, the Special Adviser to the governor on Housing, Jimoh Ajao, noted that the government  realised that estate agents charged varying percentages as agency fees, some as ridiculous as 75 per cent of rent for low-end properties. This, he explained, influenced the decision to bring all stakeholders together to deliberate and agree on a fixed rate.

    He said LASRETRAD  would tackle quackery in the industry.

    In his paper titled: ‘Agency fees and its Related Issues’, the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Mr. Ade Ipaye, represented by the Senior Special Adviser to the governor on Justice, Mr. Olanrewaju Akinsola, noted that agency fee is a contractual agreement which is subject to negotiation.

    Drawing a comparison between Nigeria and other countries, he said Nigeria’s agency fees are the highest. For instance, in Ghana, agency fee is five per cent; in Kenya it is 1.25 per cent and in South Africa, it ranges from four to eight per cent. He said agency fees in these countries are either paid by property owners or shared by owner and buyer/tenant. but in Nigeria, estate agency fees range from 10 per cent to as high as 75 per cent.

    Though a communique is yet to be released on the forum, Ajao told The Nation that all the participants have agreed that they have set a standard for them to operate. Ubani Onyekachi, of Ubani and Co, property consultants, agreed that is “very good we regulate our fees and even the practice generally to eliminate the quacks and fraudsters in the industry”.

    He regretted that a lot of quacks have invaded the industry and given it a bad name. For him, there must be an industry standard which must be in black and white. He, however, said there must be a way for a tenant and the agent on how much to be paid as agency fee. This, he said, must be left open so that both parties can agree on what to take. However, he explained, in the absence of such an agreement, there must be an industry standard which must not be exceeded. This, he reckoned, makes for transparency, efficiency and regularity.

    “I think what the state government is doing is what the agents should have done internally, by organising themselves and have themselves recognised and give some measure of transparency in their transaction and then suggest fees chargeable, then come and liaise with the government. But since they were unable to do that, the government is calling them into a stakeholders’meeting for them to agree. Such action by the Lagos State government is highly commendable. At the end of it all, it will pay everyone – tenants, landlords, and practitioners in the industry that there is a proper documentation and transparency in the entire industry. If we don’t do this then we are not doing this industry any good,” Ubani said.

    The Chief Operating Officer, Property Communications, Boye Ajayi, said the sector had been in a chaotic situation in the sense that most citizens don’t even know what to pay as estate agents charge indiscriminately. He said for someone to rent a room apartment, such a person must be economically handicapped, asking: why would an estate agent charge such a person huge amount as agency fee?

    “It is unimaginable for an agent to charge agency fees of same amount as the rent. The government is only trying to sanitise the industry. By doing this, these nefarious activities will come to an end. There must be a regulated fee so that somebody who wants to buy or rent a house will know what he has to pay,” Ajayi said.

    Ajayi is right about estate agents nefarious activities. It would be recalled that last year, an estate agent, Michael Olabameji was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment by an Ikeja High Court for defrauding 100 accommodation seekers of N29.8 million.

    In the verdict, Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo observed that the convict inflicted untold hardships on the victims, depriving them of their money under the pretence of getting accommodation for them.

    The LASRETRAD initiative is coming on the heels of an earlier move by the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) to regulate the sub sector of the industry. At its 20th yearly John Ekpenyong Memorial Lecture in Lagos last March, with the theme: ‘Estate agency: Have we lost it? Mr. O. J. A. Idudu, a while presenting his paper, observed that the way quacks operate in the estate agency sub-sector of the industry called for serious concern.

    “They are proud; they are unfriendly, impolite, insulting because they believe we are in competition. They are not trained, not disciplined and some of them can be fraudulent, but the estate agent who is regulated by NIESV cannot do that,” Idudu said.

    Estate agency, Idudu continued, came into being through Decree 24 of 1975; and is an aspect of the profession under the supervision and regulation of NIESV. Therefore, he said, to practise as an estate agent, such a person is expected to register with the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON), or he is treated as a practitioner is portrayed as a quack. But that is at the federal level, since the body is being regulated by the Federal Ministry of Lands and Housing.

    Laudable as this initiative is, it still appears to be a long walk to actualisation considering the pockets of discontents expressed at the workshop. This is a challenge for LASRETRAD, an expert said.

  • Lagos to step up anti-flooding battle

    The Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Tunji Bello, has said  the state government will intensify and sustain its all-year de-flooding programme consisting of pre-rain, mid-rain and post-rain strategies, even as the state has continued to provide relief to residents as a result of severe rains recorded in the state within the last one month.

    Bello said this feat has been achieved through intensification of its mid-rain cleaning and maintenance programme, which has reduced the incidence of flooding unlike the incessant flooding been experienced in other states of the federation. He stated that that the state government had kept faith with its de-flooding programme which had been sustained by the Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration, and has continued to yield positive results across the state. He noted that while it had rained persistently in the last one month, the state has not recorded massive flooding and destruction of property that used to accompany past rainy seasons in the state.

    According to Bello, maintenance of primary channels, secondary and tertiary drains was carried out on 108 drains totalling 107,350.00m across the state. In Agege Local Government Area (LGA) for instance, seven drains of 4,438.00 metres were routinely maintained; three channels of 4,034 metres were maintained in Ajeromi / Ifelodun LGA, while channels making up a total of 8,671 metres were maintained in Alimosho LGA, among others.

    The Commissioner enjoined residents to cooperate with the state government by participating actively in cleaning of drainage channels in their immediate environment in order to allow for easy passage of rain water.  He said: “We call on the people of the state to complement the effort of the state government by cleaning tertiary drains / gutters in their frontages and neighbourhood regularly and not only on monthly environmental sanitation days, but on all days.”

  • Road to a mega city

    Road to a mega city

    Lagos State ranks among the top 30 leading cosmopolitan cities in the world. Since its designation as a mega city, the government has left nothing to chance in preparing the master plan for transforming the metropolis in 30 years. MUYIWA LUCAS writes.

    Plans have reached an advanced stage in getting Lagos State ready for its rightful position as a mega city.

    Last week, officials of the state government presented to the public its plans for the turnaround of the landscape of the littoral state, which  ranks 24 on the world’s top 30 cities under the mega city classification. A revised Ikoyi-Victoria Island model city plan (MCP) was unveiled. Other MCPs were presented earlier in the year.

    An initiative of the state government to be executed by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, the Ikoyi-Victoria Island Masterplan 2013-2033 seeks to reposition the area in anticipation of the surge in growth. The growth in population is said to be due to urban migration, commercialisation and globalisation, which led to an exponential increase in the land area of the state from 390 hectares in 1866 to 357,790 hectares last year, and is still expanding.

    Going by the plan, buildings in the Ikoyi and on Victoria Island would  have restrictions. Also, some areas will be designated as residential while others commercial. This initiative will address the situation whereby 70 per cent of buildings on Victoria Island are commercial, while 30 per cent are residential. In Ikoyi, 40 per cent is commercial, while 60 per cent is residential. Also, a height restriction is to be placed on buildings in certain areas. These would range from 15 metres to 50 metres, if approved. Also, a restriction on the number of buildings per hectare is to be put in place.

    For example, areas, such as Banana Island, Bourdillon, Gerrard, Alexandria, and Ikoyi Crescent, which will be designated as high density areas, would be allowed 100 housing units per hectare. Medium residential density zone would have 80 housing units per hectare while Oyinkan Abayomi, Osborne and other zones designated as low density would have 40 housing units per hectare. Also, the Saka Tinubu area will be designated as “telecoms district” because it is an emerging telecoms area.

    When this is done, it is the belief of the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olutoyin Ayinde, that a stronger “central business district”, would have been established in the state.

    Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Tunji Olubami, observed that since Lagos city is an ever- growing concern, it behoves the government and town planners to be responsive to the demands of development. Therefore, in line with this and to achieve the model city area dream of the administration, a three-concept combination – twin cities, compact cities, and growth management models – are to be merged.  The  government believes that such combination would give the best to the areas.

    Also, the MCP would also address the problem of parking in the areas, which has become a nightmare. Ayinde observed that the present situation is a major source of concern to the government.

    “The parking constraint should be a concern to town planners, hence, buildings should have basement parking. The government can no longer take the people for granted, hence, the continuous development being put in place,” Ayinde said.

    To ease the parking problem on the Island, it is the government’s plan that shuttle services would be provided in the hope that it would encourage people to leave their cars at home or in designated areas off the Island vicinity.

    But, much as these ideas seem lofty, stakeholders have their reservations. Prof Leke Oduwaye of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) is one of them. Though he praised the government for the effort, he, however, faulted the various projections. He warned that giving the cost of properties in the area, the height restrictions would be a great disservice to investors and their investments in terms of returns. “The projections in this presentations have underestimated the capacity of this city. The projections are too low and it will be unattractive to investors; we are underestimating the potential of this investment,” Oduwaye warned.

    Ladipo Lewis, chairman, Lagos chapter, Nigerian Institute of Archiotects (NIA), agrees. “The height restrictions should be reviewed. The 30-metre height on Ozumba Mbadiwe, for instance, is unrealistic. Lagos is a littoral state, so there should be vertical development,” he advised, adding that it is unrealistic to build high-rise car parks.

    Oduwaye challenged the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development to jack up its technical competence and rise to the challenge of modern construction.

    The development of the MCP, experts say, is phenomenal given that up to 1950, only about eight cities in the world had a population in excess of five million. The United Nations has projected that in 2015, Lagos State’s population will increase to about 25 million, thereby making it the largest city in sub-saharan Africa and the third largest in the world.

    To address the population explosion, the state government had in 1980 prepared a regional masterplan, which expired in 2000 and was revised in 2002. The  masterplan also identified 35 urban districts, including Surulere, Ikeja, Obalende, Ikorodu, Ipaja and Alimosho. However, these urban cities were not properly planned and implemented, leading to the administration of Bola Tinubu initiating policies aimed at rebuilding the mega city through re-planning and rebranding same as model cities

    The Ikoyi/Victoria Island MCP represents the first effort of the  government in 10 years to tackle anti-social behaviours and build the mega city, as well as to guide development planning documents, and to provide facilities and services that are either inadequate or unavailable.

    Besides, Ayinde noted that to address physical planning disparity in the approval order of the federal and state government- owned schemes, the area had to be reviewed.

    It is not, however, only the highbrow Ikoyi and Victoria Island that would benefit from the redevelopment plans. Last May, the Agege-Ifako-Ijaiye Model City Plan was presented to the public.

    It was the eighth of such plans after Ikoyi-Victoria Island, Alimosho, and Lagos Island, among others, that would be executed by the MPP&UD.

    The proposed Agege Ifako-Ijaiye runs from 2013 to 2033, with focus on transforming the transportation system, activities centre and infrastructure provision. Included in the plan is a proposed outer ring road, pedestrian bridges to be constructed at places, such as Kola area in Agbado Oke Odo, Abule Egba, Ile-Epo and Iyana Ipaja, Dopemu, and Cement.

    Like that of the Ikoyi-Victoria Island, it is also categorised into high, medium, and upper medium residential densitiess.

    Others are commercial areas, industrial areas, areas for institutions, mix use areas, open space/recreational areas, gorge/canal and rail, cemetery and special projects known as airport projects. Road construction would include the proposed and the existing arterial roads’ expansion and upgrade of existing ones where necessary.

    One important feature in the scheme for this area is the consideration for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), which incorporated BRT routes in eight areas — Iju-Oshodi, Iyana-Ipaja-Ayobo, Iyana-Ipaja-Moshalashi, Iyana-Ipaja-Oshodi, Maryland-Iyana Ipaja and Ota – Maryland.

    Ayinde sees the presentation of the final draft of the plan as another “milestone  and commitment to ensure a better planned livable, healthy business and human environment through innovative and sustainable physical planning and balanced urban development in Lagos State”.

    “The frightening demography arising the rapid urbanisation has made Lagos wear a mega city status with a population of 22 million at eight per cent growth rate translating to emerging challenges of congestion in housing, overstressed infrastructure, security/crime control, transportation system, and urban management to mention a few,” he noted, adding that the implementation of the key proposals of the plans will facilitate improved housing, transportation, employment, commerce and recreation in addition to infrastructure upgrade.

  • Lagos contributes N51b to pension scheme

    Lagos contributes N51b to pension scheme

    Lagos State’s Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) has hit over N51.6 billion, thus making the state a major contributor to the country’s N4.3 trillion pension assets, Director-General, Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC), Rotimi Hussain, said yesterday.

    The contribution represents the monthly deduction of 7.5 per cent from the salary of every employee and the counterpart 7.5 per cent contribution of the state government into the Retirement Savings Account (RSA) of every employee with their Pension Fund Administration (PFAs).

    Hussain, who spoke at the 11th Retirement Bond Certificate Presentation Ceremony to 354 retirees of the State Public Service held in Lagos, said the retirees who represent the second tranche of the 11th batch of the bond certificates, are paid N1.78 billion being accrued benefits to the beneficiaries.

    He said the money has already been remitted into their RSA with their respective PFAs. He said in the first tranche, 437 retirees mainly from the Local Government Areas and State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) were paid  N1.72 billion.

    He added that with the payment of the second and concludoing tranche of the bond presentation, Lagos State has paid N3.51 to 791 retirees.

    He also restated the commitment of the state at ensuring that no employee in the  public service retires into penury. It has thus  paid a total accrued right of N26.2 billion to 4, 990 retirees who retired since the inception of the CPS.

    The LASPEC boss said the achievement has further brought to fore, the benefit and advantages inherent in the CPS as against what was obtainable under the old Pay-As-You-Go Scheme.

    The implementation of the CPS in has proved to  doubting Thomases that the scheme really works. It has been found to be safe, funded, portable, transparent, convenient and ensures the payment of instant lump sum. He said it also guarantees payment of retirement benefits to the next-of-kin even when the main beneficiary has passed on.

  • Conference: Lagos opposes regionalism

    Lagos State has said the idea of making geo-political zones systems of administration should be discarded.

    In a position document to the National Conference, the state demanded that while Nigeria remains one indivisible political entity, constitutional federalism should remain as the nation’s system of government.

    In the document that was made public shortly after the Southwest’s position was unveiled on Monday, the state demanded special status in addition to the extraction of local governments from the constitution.

    The document reads: “On regionalism and geo-political zones, the governing regions in the late colonial and post-colonial constitutions (1960 & 1963) represent the height of our national development.

    “Where devolved powers, regional constitutions and revenue derivation ensured competition and self-determination. This era has long ended with the creation of states.

    “We do not support, nor do we think it feasible – to return to creation of regions as governing sub-national units in Nigeria. We also do not recommend the creation of new states at this time or in the foreseeable future, viability and cost are two of the immediate reasons that militate against the creation of states.

    “There are said to be six Geo – political zones in the country – this nomenclature is unknown to the Constitution and yet it continues to feature in national discourse.

    “We do not recommend that the said zones as a feasible structure for government for Nigeria. It is folly to believe that the coincidence of geography dictates anything but convenience; we recommend that Nigeria should adhere to constitutional federalism which to date only prescribes states and desist from the use of zones for planning or execution of constitutional authority.

    “Local Government: Constitutionally, there ought to be only two orders of government, the Federal Government and the State Governments. Local Government administrative divisions should be left as the exclusive preserve of the States.

    “All references to Local Government should be expunged from the Constitution. Local Government creation, structure, tenure, boundary adjustments, functions and funding should remain a residual function of the states”.

    The State also demanded that equity should return to the revenue allocation formula prescribed for the country.

    “Its constituent states are the raison d’e^tre for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Without the component states, the corporate entity “Nigeria” would cease to exist. This should be reflected in a new prioritization in the revenue accruals to the nation – a prioritization in favour of the States.

    “There shall be two express Legislative Lists in the Constitution: the Exclusive Legislative List and the Concurrent Legislative List for both the Federal Government and the State Governments.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, all matters or powers not contained in the Exclusive Legislative List are residual, and only the House of Assembly of a State shall have power to make laws in respect of such residual matters in terms of section 4(7)(a) of the 1999 Constitution.

    While demanding for Special status, Lagos State said it was  for the purposes of allocation of revenue and other resources, adding, “The equity of this demand is located in the national uniqueness and socio-economic significance of the State to the entire nation.

    “Lagos has historically been and has continued to be the economic and commercial capital of Nigeria. With this has come an increasing rise in the population of the State.

    “With a current population of over 18 million, Lagos is one of the 10 megacities of the world. The uniqueness of Lagos is now publicly and indeed internationally acknowledged.

    “The economic significance of Lagos is a constant attraction to a growing number of “newcomers” not only from around the country but also from other countries in the West-African sub-region.

    “The infrastructure in the State therefore seems never to be in a position to meet the demands of the residents of the State. The enormity of the pressure on the infrastructure and other critical factors of governance including education, health and security are now a major threat to the sustainability of the State.

    “Federal Government in order to sustain its infrastructure. It is on this basis that a case is hereby made for Lagos – Nigeria’s only former capital to be assigned a “Special Status”.

    “This Special Status should essentially reflect in a special budgetary allocation of the resources (including revenue) required to meet the uncommon demands for the proper governance of the State”.

    The State also proposed that the justice sector and judicial restructuring should reflect on the appointment procedure for judges of the High Courts of the States.

    The State’s position was that Justice and judiciary matters should be the exclusive preserve of the respective States. “The Federal Government through the National Judicial Council should no longer participate in the appointment procedure.

    “Also, “Prisons” as a legislative item should be moved from the Exclusive Legislative list to the Concurrent Legislative List.

    “This will allow States to run their prisons. States should also be allowed to maintain their own police”.