Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has outlined a number of projects that Lagosians should expect from his administration in the next two years, even as he declared that the state had already been turned to a huge construction site, urging Lagosians to bear with his administration over some discomfort being experienced due to ongoing construction projects in the state.
The governor made this known, on Thursday, in his address at the State House, Alausa Ikeja, to mark his 731 days in office.
Speaking on the theme, “A Glimpse into the future,” Governor Sanwo-Olu, while urging Lagosians to stand by his administration over the ongoing construction projects all over the state, affirmed his readiness to address the perennial congestion on Lagos roads and across the state with the construction of long-awaited 37-km 4th Mainland Bridge, among others.
“Lagos is 0.4 per cent of Nigeria’s total landmass, with a population of 22 million, representing about 10 per cent of the country’s total population. Looking at the interaction between these figures, one will notice an obvious disproportion between population size and habitation space.
“This, amongst other reasons, explains the perennial congestion on Lagos roads and across the State. As a government, we have undertaken several innovative means of ensuring that citizens’ travel experiences are palatable.
“We, therefore, believe that the construction of the 37km 4th Mainland Bridge will significantly change the face of transportation and movement in Lagos State. The ground-breaking for the construction and building of the Bridge will happen before the end of this year. Our PPP concessionaires appear committed as they enter the final stage of the qualification process,” Sanwo-Olu said.
Besides, Governor Sanwo-Olu said his administration was certainly committed to connecting the state through an Integrated Mass Transit System in a way that will make a trip to the farthest part of the state reduced by half of the current travel time.
“From this day on, we are certainly heading in the direction that our city will become so connected by an Integrated Mass Transit System that a trip to the farthest part of the state will be reduced by half of the current travel time. We are focused on activating an intermodal transport system that gives Lagosians the options of commuting by Water, Road and Rail.
“We are completing our intermodal bus terminals at Ajah, Abule Egba, Iju, Ojota and Anthony Village.
“This administration has raised funding for the completion of Phase 1 of the 27km Blue Line Rail Project traversing Okokomaiko to Marina, with a daily passenger capacity of 500,000.
“We flagged off the construction of the 37.5km Rail Mass Transit Red Line from Agbado to Marina. The rail corridor will move 1 million passengers daily when operating at full capacity. The rail has 8 stations and 8 vehicle overpasses.
“We expect to see the first passenger movement on this rail transportation before the end of this administration,” the governor said.
“Since the beginning of this administration, we have consciously promoted water transportation as one of our intermodal commuting options available to our citizens. We are currently fifteen jetties, invested in passenger boats for the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) and built on-water satellite monitoring station for passengers’ safety in emergency situations,” he added.
Speaking on Imota Rice mill, the governor said the mill was scheduled for completion this year, adding that upon completion, its production capacity would be amongst the largest in the world and largest in Sub-Saharan Africa, producing 2.5million bags of 50kg rice annually.
“At full capacity, the Rice Mills will provide a steady supply of 2.4million bags of 50kg rice to Lagosians and create more than 250,000 jobs.
“Completing these projects within the next 24 months will bring absolute transformation to the livelihoods and the economy of our dear State. We have spent the last 729 days laying the foundation for all these to happen seamlessly,” he said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu assured that the totality of the administration’s efforts was geared towards ensuring a safe and secure society, where youth employment was guaranteed.
According to him, “With more than two-thirds of Lagos State population falling below age 30, it is undisputable that the future of our state is the empowerment of our youth and security of their future. Our administration is committed to working with the youth and providing a safe environment for all to thrive.
“Most of our programmes are focused on empowering the youth. In the creative industry where thousands of them are being trained to become masters of their arts. No fewer than 4000 youths have been placed in companies under the Internship programme, and many more will join. Our Volunteer Corps has more than 9,000 young people.
“The youth constitute the majority of the players in the tech-ecosystem and we have been supporting by funding for innovative start-ups. Today, we have funded over 20 start-ups in areas such as agriculture-tech, environmental tech, educational technology and small scale manufacturing.
“Last October, we provided over $10,000 to each of the start-ups. We have also funded over 70 research initiatives across 4 Universities and Colleges of Education,” Sanwo-Olu said.
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