By Onyewuchi Ojinnaka
The issues raised by participants at the monthly Citizens Accountability and Rights Forum interactive roundtable session organised by the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) in collaboration with Centre for Anti-corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) at Rights House Ikeja Lagos on Thursday were expressly dissected by Dr Abiodun Afolabi, Special Adviser to the governor, Office of Political, Legislative and Civil Engagement.
The issues/ complaints raised by the participants in the interactive session include but not limited to bad roads, exorbitant medical bills at the state general hospitals, payment of illegal levies at primary and secondary schools, extortion of Okada riders by the Police on state roads, and other plights encountered by citizens of Lagos.
Addressing the complaints/issues raised, Dr Abiodun Afolabi stated that the governor is aware of the plight of the citizens and is determined to provide succour to the citizenry.
Speaking on roads, Afolabi said that Governor Sanwo-Olu will be commissioning more than 60 roads constructed within the state.
“We actualise, we develop and hand over to the citizenry,” Afolabi said.
According to him, some of the roads to be commissioned include Old Ono road, Shibiri road, park of Badagry express road. Lekki and Ikoyi roads in Lagos Island and some other newly constructed roads..
He however expressed concern over the maintenance of the roads and appealed to the citizenry to help in the maintenance of the roads.
“If the governor builds the roads, it is left for us citizens to help maintain the roads ” he stressed.
Speaking on health care facilities, the Special Adviser disclosed that Lagos State government is planning to have 600 medical students in the School of Nursing. He advised that people should register with LASHMA to avail themselves of free medical treatment at the State general hospitals.
“With your registered card of LASHMA, you will get free treatment in any of the general hospitals in the state.
“Where you are asked to pay for the bill whereby you are registered with LASHMA, please don’t hesitate to call me or lodge the complaint in my office,” Afolabi stressed.
He said that a programme “Sanwo-Olu Hears, Sanwo-Olu listens” was initiated to deal with people with health challenges, indigent people, adding that he always welcome people in his office.
On wealth creation, Afolabi said that the government is there for everyone who wants to set up a lucrative business. He emphasized the need for people to move to zones or areas where they can get help even If the area is uncomfortable instead of converging in the city.
“We have a poverty alleviation programme in which the government provides equipment for small scale enterprises such as hair dressing, fashion design, pure water and others.
“We support people who come for such assistance ” Our doors are open to everyone”
The special adviser frowned at the way and manner drainages are blocked by pure water sachets, hot drinks sachets plastic bottles etc . He appealed to Lagos citizens to desist from blocking the high and drainages with non decayable substances.
“Please allow water to flow freely into the canal.
“Nobody will deprived you of your right from the government if you do the right thing.”
He advised that before anyone starts house construction, the person should first go to the Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory for soil tests which will determine the type of house that can be erected there.
“Soil tested for one storey building cannot be used for two or more storey buildings”.
Speaking on the abolition of colleges of education which has given rise to unqualified teachers in schools, Dr Afolabi said that though the scrapping of colleges of education was not done by the present administration but he felt the reason for the scrapping was that too many holders of National Certificate of Education (NCE) are turned out yearly without corresponding schools to absorb them as teachers. Besides since they are below level 8, they cannot be employed in the civil service.
He advised parents to send their children to public schools when trained and qualified teachers are employed.
Earlier in his welcome remark, Debo Adeniran, President, Committee For The Defence Of Human Rights, CDHR, Chairman, Centre For Anti-Corruption And Open Leadership (CACOL) at the Citizens Accountability And Rights Forum (CARF) with the theme “Relevance and Roles of the Citizens in Infrastructural Development in Lagos State.” welcomes everyone to the event.
He said that the event is a bold step in CDHR and CACOL’s commitment to contribute to creating a peaceful atmosphere between the people on the demand side of governance in Lagos State and those on the supply side.
“This platform was organized to create an avenue where the implementers and the beneficiaries of various government policies would come together to explain, elucidate and expatiate on areas of concern for the citizenry with a view to harmonizing different opinions on policies that are being implemented in the State.
“It provides a forum for healthy exchanges of ideas so that the areas of friction between the government and the governed would be drastically reduced if not totally eliminated because the people would have sense of belonging and the government would have the opportunity of listening to the people and explaining their positions on diverse policy issues that may crop up at a particular time.
“We are convinced that this will definitely bring about harmonious relationship between the government and the governed. Today, we want to beam our searchlight on the Infrastructural Development in Lagos State. With the theme, Relevance and Roles of the Citizens in Infrastructural Development in Lagos State. Infrastructure projects have been established to be key drivers of growth in the industrial sector, and real estate as a whole. Industrial nodes are important for multiple reasons as they provide job opportunities and encourage local production.
“The economic impact of the industrial sector is not isolated as it also translates into the establishment of office and residential developments in surrounding areas. We would like to brainstorm on the efforts of the government at bringing the dividends of democracy in the area of infrastructure development to the people and how the citizens can play their parts in the development process.
Infrastructural development in Lagos State, is a dynamic and evolving process, largely due to Lagos’s status as a fast-growing megacity and economic powerhouse in Africa. With over 20 million residents, Lagos faces immense pressure to develop infrastructure that can keep up with population growth, economic activities, and urbanization.
The Lagos State government has initiated several major projects over recent years to address these needs across transportation, housing, water, sanitation and even ICT.
However, challenges like population pressure, funding constraints, and environmental concerns require that development is both accelerated and diversified to meet the city’s future demands. Continued investment, urban planning, and strong public-private partnerships will be critical to ensuring that Lagos evolves into a sustainable megacity capable of supporting its population and economic ambitions.
We believe that citizens have a major role to play in infrastructure development of the state such as:
Advocacy and Awareness: Citizens can advocate for necessary infrastructure projects, raising awareness about issues such as road safety, public transportation needs, and environmental concerns.
Feedback and Input: Citizens can provide valuable feedback on existing infrastructure, identifying areas for improvement and suggesting new projects based on their experiences.
Participation in Planning: Involving citizens in the planning process through public consultations or forums helps ensure that infrastructure projects meet community needs and priorities.The idea of focusing on the state government’s policies and activities and gathering people to discuss it, is anchored on our determination to ensure that the common man on the street is not short changed by government policies and encourage an all-embracing, all-inclusive implementation of government’s policies so as to enhance the socio-economic wellbeing of the people of the State.
“As I have always pointed out, it should be noted that the forum is not meant only for public servants, as it will also engage major service providers like electricity/communication providers, regulatory agencies, anti-corruption agencies, etc. from time to time as the occasion demands”.
