Anglican Diocese hails Sanwo-Olu’s giant strides in infrastructure, education, health, others

…as gov assures to do more for Lagos residents

The Diocese of Lagos, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), has commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his administration’s giant strides in road infrastructure, education, health, urban development, housing, environment, job and skill acquisition.

The Bishop of Lagos Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Ifedola Senasu Okupevi, gave this commendation on Monday, while delivering a presidential address at the First Session of the 36th Synod of the Diocese, held at Our Saviour’s Church, Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos.

Okupevi said Lagos State continues to experience significant growth and development across various sectors, particularly under the Sanwo-Olu administration, observing that infrastructure initiatives in the state reflected a commitment to modernising the city’s transportation networks and cultural landmarks, even as he noted more still needed to be done in ensuring these developments benefit all residents equitably.

“We commend the Lagos State Government in the area of roads and infrastructure. In the last 12 months, we observed that infrastructure initiatives in the state reflect a commitment to modernising the city’s transportation networks and cultural landmarks. Yet more still needs to be done in ensuring these developments benefit all residents equitably.

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“We observe Blue Line Rail Development, Red Line, John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, road and bridge projects as significant infrastructural projects aimed at enhancing transportation, urban development and cultural preservation. 

“The education sector in Lagos State in the last 12 months shows a pattern of strategic planning, increased investment and collaborative efforts. The Church affirms that Lagos State has demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing its education sector with appreciable progress in the academic calendar and compliance, budgetary allocations, literacy rates and education challenges, quality assurance, and monitoring.

“The state’s healthcare system has seen notable developments in spite of significant challenges plaguing the sector. 

“We applaud the ILERA EKO Health Insurance Scheme managed by the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, enhance service accessibility, and expand healthcare access to the underserved,” the Diocesan said.

Speaking during the synod, Governor Sanwo-Olu, who was received with fanfare by the Synod delegates, expressed his administration’s commitment to delivering the dividends of democracy to Lagos residents in all sectors. 

Governor Sanwo-Olu said the state’s intervention on the issue of electricity was based on the recent decentralisation of the power sector, noting that such move would bring a lot of relief to the residents as it would unlock additional investments into the energy space for a new life in power generation and power distribution.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, while stressing the need for a healthy environment, advised people against dumping refuse on the road and blocking the drainage system. 

On education, Sanwo-Olu disclosed that his administration had increased the number of state-owned universities from one to three, saying that there was a plan to establish another university for medical sciences. 

Governor Sanwo-Olu said his government was currently building many hospitals in different parts of the state, among which is the Massey Children Hospital, projected to be the largest paediatric hospital in West Africa once it’s completed. 

Besides, he also disclosed that his administration was currently building a psychiatric and mental rehabilitation hospital with about 1,000 beds in the Ikosi-Ejinrin area of the state.

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