By Sunday Ani
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos State, Gbenga Omotoso in this interview with some journalists highlighted Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration’s commitment to further improve the lives of residents. Among others, he also spoke on what Lagosians stand to gain from THEMES-Plus Agenda.
During the last four years, Governor Sanwo-Olu worked with the THEMES Agenda. Now, he has added Plus to make it THEMES-PLUS Agenda. Can you tell us what the Plus entails and how is it going to benefit Lagosians positively?
When Mr. Governor delivered the budget speech, he spoke about THEMES Plus Agenda. Also, when he delivered his speech during his inauguration for the second term, he spoke about it. It is very simple: Mr. Governor felt he should add something that may not have been very well catered for in the THEMES Agenda. So, he brought on board, the Plus and it is simply about social inclusion, gender equality and about the youth.
It means that in this second tenure, we are going to be doing many things. Attention will be paid to our young people, because they say they are leaders of tomorrow. But this administration believes that it is not even a question of tomorrow, that they are leaders of today. You can see that in all the things that we are doing in Lagos, we talk about entertainment.
Young people are the leaders, when you talk about science and technology. They are leading the way. When you talk about sports; they are the ones at the forefront. There is no government that wants to brush aside all that the young people are doing. So, in Lagos, we are giving them all the opportunities that they need in the creative industry and where over 6,000 of them have been trained in film editing, acting, script writing by some of the giants in the trade like Del-York, Ogidi, Ebonylife.
You can also see what we have done with the about 18 vocational centres that Lagos State government runs. Over 16,000 of them have been trained and after passing out of these schools, they were not left on their own. They were given equipment to go and start their new trade. As I speak to you, we are building about nine mini stadia in some parts of Lagos, so that young people can have avenues to display their talents in sports.
And we are encouraging science and technology through the LASRIC fund. About N250 million has been put there so that young people who have ideas, innovation and who will need to push through their dreams and about this innovation will have no problem sourcing funds. Everything that the government is doing is going to be geared towards encouraging our young people.
That is what THEMES Plus is all about, social inclusion. All of our brothers who are living with disabilities are not going to be left behind and the bottom line is that nobody will be left behind in Lagos State. Of course, gender equality, men and women are all going to be the same in this administration; equal opportunities for everybody.
During the first term of the governor, we saw iconic projects being initiated and completed. What other landmark projects should Lagosians expect from this administration during this second term?
The Opebi Ojota Link Bridge is going to be completed. We were there recently to see the level of work and we have seen the transformation that the bridge has brought to that area. It means that when it is completed, people will no longer be missing their flight when they are going to the airport, especially when there is traffic congestion. The traffic gridlock around that area will definitely fade away.
It is going to be significant, it’s like somebody is flying from Opebi to Ojota, Odo Iya Alaro Link Bridge and Maryland. There are so many projects that are going to be completed this year, Massey Hospital by the time it is completed, is going to be the biggest pediatric hospital in Africa. If it is not in Africa, it will be the biggest in West Africa.
Apart from the Massey Hospital project, there is also a Mental Health Hospital that we are also building in Ketu Ejinrin Epe. It is a mental rehabilitation centre because people don’t pay so much attention to mental health. People only talk about other aspect of health that can be treated in general hospitals. But now, the Lagos State government is paying attention to this very important aspect of health.
Truly, so many people are affected and it’s like they don’t know but Lagos State government knows through its data and realises that this is one of the problems we are facing not just in Lagos but in the country. That hospital is going to be about a 500-bed hospital and it will treat people with mental illnesses and will be a rehabilitation centre.
There are other numerous projects like the Lekki International Airport that is expected to take pressure off the Murtala Muhammed Airport. It is going to be built on about 5,000 hectares of land and it is expected to take about five million passengers per year. It is going to be able to help people to avoid Murtala Muhammed Airport. They can just go from that eastern part of Lagos; Epe and Lekki without any stress to fly to their destinations.
And of course, the food and logistics hub is also ongoing and we hope to complete it this year. There is also the Omu Cricket Project, which will be connecting a virgin area of Lagos to Epe and Itoomu among others. There is also the 4th Mainland Bridge. A company has been selected for it and any moment from now, we are going to be doing the ground breaking.
But the most important thing that I will want us to talk about in all these projects is that they are not just about infrastructure, they are geared towards creating jobs for our people because you are building the 4th Mainland Bridge, you are talking about a project that can generate about 10,000 jobs. It is a road that is stretching for about 37 kilometers all the way from Abraham Adesanya passing through four local governments, Kosofe, Ibeju-Lekki, Epe and Obafemi Owode in Ogun State.
It is going to be running all the way from Abraham Adesanya to Ikorodu and bursting out around Lagos Ibadan expressway, around Redeemed Church. It is a project that will generate huge job opportunities and it will also serve as an opportunity for our young engineers to see how that kind of bridge is built in the world. It is a kind of a bridge that we have in London that is called M25.
So, for us, it is not just about all these projects, it is about creating employment for our young people and boosting their skills. The Blue Rail, which is also part of what we have completed; the last aspect of it is from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko. You have seen how the phase that has been completed has opened up that corridor and made life so simple for people who come in from Mile 2 to Marina.
So, it is going to be like that from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko. It is at the very heart of all of the things that we are doing; the inter-modal transportation, so that anybody who is interested in going by road, rail and water will be able to navigate the city seamlessly. All of the jetties that we are building; about 15, I think almost everything is completed now.
By the time Governor Sanwo-Olu came in, we had about seven ferries. Later, it increased to 14 and very soon, we will be bringing in about 12 more ferries, so that water transportation can be expanded and made more popular. Because of the water, there is no traffic congestion, it is smooth, healthy, fast and comfortable. Part of the projects that will be completed is the Red Rail Line System, which will be running from Oyingbo in Lagos to Agbado in Ogun State.
A journey of about three hours will be reduced to about 32 minutes. It will be a smooth and jolly ride and in the first quarter of this year, the project will be open. Mr. Governor has said that he is going to prevail on Mr. President to come and be the one to cut the tape on that day. We are looking forward to the day. All infrastructure needed by the Redline have been completed except for one to the bridges in Mushin for people to see how ready we are.
That Red Line was conceived and started by Mr. Sanwo-Olu on April 21, 2021 and he promised that before the end of this first tenure, that it was going to be commissioned and today, to the glory of God, it’s over 90 percent completed. So, everything that needs to be done about the Red Line has been done and very soon, it is going to open. There is also the general hospital, the first to be built in Lagos in Ojo, which is currently ongoing. There is the Leather Hub in Mushin and other projects that we are going to be starting and completing this year.
Has Lagos been able to complete the budget cycle for Year 2023 and how will it be able to implement the new budget cycle for the development of all sectors in the state?
On how we are going to implement the budget, it is very straightforward. All of the projects that we are doing now and the new ones will be fighting completion time because we believe in the completion of the projects to create wealth and opportunities for the young ones, and to bring comfort to Lagosians. Lagos has a history of implementing its budget. I think the last budget we did, by September/October, we have done over 80 per cent and by November, we were about 90 per cent.
So, for Lagos, it is going to be exciting to implement the budget because it is an ambitious budget of about N2.2 trillion. For us, it’s something we need to work harder for its implementation. We have assured Lagosians that the budget is going to be implemented because it is the only way to create jobs and deliver dividends of democracy and not just the Renewed Hope that we are talking about but to concretise all of the new things as well as the bold and audacious projects that we are talking about.
Insecurity is rearing its ugly head in so many parts of the country. What measures are in place to ensure the overhaul of the security architecture of the state in 2024?
On the issue of security, you will agree with me that we do not just say that Lagos is the most secure state in Nigeria. It is, and considering the kind of pressure that we are having, people coming into the state every hour in their thousands, for us to be able to keep this state the way it is, we deserve kudos. Let me tell you, it is not because of the fact that we talk about it that the state is secure. It is because some people are not sleeping, while you and I were sleeping.
What you do about security is not what you put on the television and splash on the pages of the newspapers. They are strategic and something that must be kept close to your chest. Security is a business of all of us where everyone is reporting issues of security to the government. But the kind of things that I see in Lagos is what we see in all cities of the world.
I tell people, when they come to Nigeria and say they are worried about security and I tell them that when I go to some other places like New York or London that I too get worried because people don’t get stabbed at the bus stops in Lagos. They can pick your pocket and all of that, if you’re not attentive enough but that is not enough for people to say there is security challenge in Lagos.
All of the guys who were involved in a traffic robbery a few months ago, we all saw how the police paraded all of the people that they arrested and every time it is being reported by posting photographs on how Mr. Governor organises his meetings. There is a kind of synergy that you have amongst the security agencies in Lagos, the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, Civil Defence and our own Neighborhood Watch, which is very effective, because you find them everywhere.
They give intelligence information to all the security agencies and besides, Lagosians are also united to ensure that the state is secure. So, I feel that Lagos is very secure and it is going to be secure. Mr. Governor is putting in a lot of resources and attention and you can see that our Neighbourhood Watch, RRS, the police command, all their vehicles and equipment are able to do their jobs as they should. They are very well encouraged and we are going to do more.
What about holding town hall meetings?
Talking about the town hall meetings, your observation is very correct. By the time we came in, we were trying to do these things. After COVID-19, there were so many other crises. We had #EndSARS and all of that among these crises. We cannot be thinking of a town hall meeting and all of the projects we have been commissioning have also been used as a way of interacting with them.
To be specific, before the end of this month, we are going to have a town hall meeting. The airport is not going to take time, it is expected to be finished in about a year or two and that is going to be on the Lekki-Epe corridor and it is going to be an international airport that can accommodate about 350 aircraft at a time. It is going to take care of about five million travelers and we are already talking to investors because it’s not what the state can fund from its balance sheet.
So, everything that needs to be done at the airport and every other iconic project that I have spoken of, like Food and Logistics Hub, 4th Mainland Bridge are currently on the table. We are talking to investors from all over the world to come and take up these projects and they have seen that Lagos is where the investment destination is, the biggest in Africa.
If you look at the foreign direct investment, there is no state that matches Lagos and if you talk about foreign direct investment coming into Nigeria, when you look at Africa as a whole, Lagos contributes about 80 per cent of the one that is coming into Nigeria.