Lagos govt issues Makoko, Okobaba redevelopment orders
• Wants standardised roofing; plank sellers moved to Agbowa
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered residents of the Makoko community to move 100 to 120 metres away from the power lines and to unify their roofing colour.
Also, Okobaba residents were instructed to move to their new designated location, Agbowa, and plank traders were asked to desist from trading within that environment.
General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABSCA), Gbolahan Owodunni Oki, representing Sanwo-Olu, made the order during a courtesy visit to community leaders of Makoko to lay down the four-point rules for the community over the weekend.
He explained why: “When you look at Makoko when driving on the Third Mainland Bridge, the houses look like shanties even though they have more sophisticated gadgets than in some upscale communities like Ikeja or the Island.
“Makoko is a very lovely place, so they should ensure it doesn’t look like shanties by making sure they have one significant colour for the roofs or choose a particular roofing style.
“For the people of Okobaba, we have been on this for about 15 years, and now that we have sent them away, we don’t want a situation where some people will feel that they are playing smart and move to the other side, which will make the project a failure.
“Everybody should move to Agbowa, where the government has put all the necessary infrastructure in place for them, like electricity, roads, water, and other essential services,” Oki said.
According to him, the life of an average Nigerian is more important than the money a person building under high-tension power lines would make because when an incident happens, you cannot regain the life lost, but money can be recovered.
He reiterated that LABSCA is about building control in all its ramifications and not about construction and demolition alone but the welfare of the average citizen. He urged community members to desist from violence or spoiling government property, explaining that the infrastructure is funded from taxpayers’ money, which they have been indirectly paying.
“When we say taxpayers’ money, people believe it’s government money, but that money they pay when entering a Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) bus or buying things in the market, among other things, you are paying tax one way or another.
“So, when you say you want to destroy government property, it’s your money,” he said. He applauded the community’s understanding and commitment to abide by the rules and deadlines.
Responding, the community leaders agreed to obey the government’s rules and keep to the deadline. In his remarks, the Aare Onikoyo of Yorubaland, Tomori Williams, stressed that the Third Mainland Bridge, from the Makoko axis to Ilaje, Bariga, is supposed to be a selling point of what Lagos State should be due to their locations.
According to him, people coming in and out of Lagos State from the Third Mainland Bridge should see the semblance of a state that is viable, rich and beautiful, and not otherwise.