The Lagos State government, southwest Nigeria, through the Ministry of Housing, has reaffirmed its commitment to scale up the restructuring of the housing sector, particularly the state government-owned housing estates.
The Commissioner for Housing, Hon. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, stated this during the monthly stakeholders’ meeting and public enlightenment with residents of the state government-owned housing estates in the Ikorodu division, held at the Oba Adegboruwa Housing Estate, Igbogbo, Ikorodu.
The commissioner, who urged allottees to comply with the rules of allocation and ensure the creation of a robust, sustainable environment, was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Abdulhafiz Toriola.
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He said that the essence of the meeting was to receive feedback on the priorities of various Lagos State housing estates and to proffer sustainable solutions that will make habitation meaningful and seamless for the residents.
He maintained that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has, in the past years, scaled up its interventions to give a facelift to the state government-owned estates and ensure residents enjoy quality of life through adequate infrastructural renewal, stressing the need for collaborative efforts by the allottees of various estates.
“There are rules and regulations when you are living anywhere in the world. We have a constitution in Nigeria and also have laws in the state. There is also a rule and regulation within government estates to ensure compliance with the law and the sustainability of these estates.
“What we are doing now is to put structures in place to ensure the sustainability of our various estates, and this revolves around maintenance, which can be achieved through cohesive relationships among the allottees so that minor challenges can be addressed by the estates community before calling on the government’s intervention to attend to the bigger ones.”
“We should expect that as long as there is activity, there will always be challenges. He said that this engagement has allowed us to get feedback and make decisions to solve issues in various estates.
He urged the allottees to take ownership of their estates, conduct proper maintenance, and adhere to all the rules.
Extending Knowledge
Earlier, in her welcome address, the Director of the Estate Department, Mrs Olukemi Fosudo, stressed that the state government has rolled out the stakeholders’ forum initiative across all government-owned estates, with the aim to empower residents with knowledge of key issues affecting their quality of life.
According to her, the initiative would foster collaborative dialogue between residents, facility managers, and government officials, as well as promote strict adherence to estate rules and regulations.
Stakeholders Engagement
In their short presentations, stakeholders took turns to engage the allottees on various pathways to enjoy harmonised benefits of living within the estate environment.
The Regional Manager of the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), Mr. Adedokun Mathew, emphasised the importance of solid waste management and urged them to continuously patronise government-approved PSP operators and ensure proper hygiene to prevent pandemics within the estate.
In his remarks, the Deputy Commandant of Corps, Nigeria Civil Defence, Mr. Soyoye Oluwarotimi, called for a concerted effort to scale up security measures within the estate while emphasising vigilance as well as proper restrictive measures to guard against theft and unscrupulous acts.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and insurance brokers, among others, presented to the delighted estate allottees.