Author: oduduwanews

The National Bureau of Statistics report indicated that price increase remained the slowest in Oyo at all levels, with the Economic Adviser to Governor ‘Seyi Makinde, Professor Musbau ‘Tunji Babatunde, stating that the effective management of the state’s economy by the governor were responsible for the development.

Statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for February 2021 have shown that Oyo State’s month-on-month as well as year-on-year inflation figures were the slowest in the country within the time under review.

Data made available by the NBS in February indicated that the inflation rate rose to 17.33 per cent (year-on-year); 1.54 percent rise month-on-month above the January 2021, while urban rate increased by 17.92 percent (year-on-year) in February 2021 from 17.03 percent recorded in January.

However, the NBS report indicated that price increase remained the slowest in Oyo at all levels, with the Economic Adviser to Governor ‘Seyi Makinde, Professor Musbau ‘Tunji Babatunde, stating that the effective management of the state’s economy by the governor were responsible for the development.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted Prof. Babatunde as saying that Oyo State was able to record the slowest growth in headline inflation and food inflation month-on-month and year-on-year because of the sound economic policies of the Governor Makinde administration.

He pointed out that the regular payment of salaries, which according to him, increased effective demand in the food system, support to farmers with inputs at the height of the pandemic and the expansionary fiscal policy from the various capital projects embarked on by the state were among factors responsible for the slow inflation increase.

According to Babatunde, a professor of Economics at the University of Ibadan, the NBS Data had indicated that “the consumer price index, at the national level, (CPI) which measures inflation, increased by 17.33% (year-on-year) in February 2021. This is 0.86% higher than the rate recorded in January 2021 (16.47) %.

“On a month-on-month basis, the Headline index increased by 1.54% in February 2021, this is 0.05% rate higher than the rate recorded in January 2021 (1.49%).

“The urban inflation rate increased by 17.92% (year-on-year) in February 2021 from 17.03 % recorded in January 2021, while the rural inflation rate increased by 16.77 % in February 2021 from 15.92% in January 2021.

“The upward increase in inflation can be attributed to the lingering effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuations in the price of crude oil, weakened Naira that has increased the price of imported input, insecurity in the food producing parts of Northern Nigeria, the food blockade during the Shasa riot, among others.

He added:

“The components of inflation that witnessed surges in the review period are food, health care, imported food and transportation.

“However, food price is the main component of the inflation basket. It rose to 21.79% in February, a jump of 1.22 % point from the January figure.

“This rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of Bread and cereals, Potatoes, yam and other tubers, Meat, Food products, Fruits, Vegetable, Fish and Oils and fats.”

Further analysis of the performances of the state had shown that on month on month basis in February 2021 all items inflation was highest in Kogi (3.25%), Ondo (2.46%) and Kebbi (2.43%), while Kwara (0.84%), Kano (0.70%), while that of Oyo stood at (0.38%), the slowest rise in headline month on month.

On month on month basis, however, February 2021 food inflation was highest in Kogi (3.34%), Ondo (3.33%) and Ebonyi (3.26%), while Benue and Niger (0.90%), Kano (0.70%), oyo again recorded (0.09%), the slowest rise in month on month food inflation.

Babatunde, who explained that the implication of the slowest rise in headline and food inflation in Oyo State meant that the state has the lowest cost of living in Nigeria, said that the cost of health care services in Oyo State has not risen due to the strategic investment that the state has made in the management of COVID-19 pandemic.

He said: “The conversion of isolation centres to Level 3 primary health care centres has improved access to health care services. “The effects of the strategic investment in the health sector by the State has manifested in the stable service cost.

“Transportation cost has also been stable in the State despite the fluctuation in domestic price of petroleum products. The positive effect of the Park Manager System with respect to managing the commercial transport sector is showing positive with respect to the regulation of transportation costs across the routes.

“So, one can say that there is good value for money can be obtained in Oyo State.”

He further said that the positive inflation figures recorded in Oyo State in headline and food inflation month on month across the 36 States can be attributed to the regular payment of salary, which has increased effective demand in the state.

He said that the regular payment of salary in the State has improved demand.

“Similarly, the effective support to farmers with inputs at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic has paid off. The strategy of supporting farmers with inputs impacted positively on their output level which has been translated to the moderation in price increase of agric. output.

“Also, the effective distribution of the COVID-19 palliatives to different categories of people in the state moderated the demand for those goods that were distributed in December 2020.

“More so, the expansionary fiscal policy from the various capital projects embarked on by the State also had impacts. The contractors have employed a sizable number of artisans across the geopolitical zones in the State. This has created both direct and indirect jobs.”

Babatunde added that the effective management of the government deficit structure and the use of alternative infrastructural financing framework have also allowed the government to simultaneously embark on welfare enhancing projects, a factor which, according to him, also contributed to the slow inflation growth.

He further stated that the ongoing construction of the Moniya-Iseyin road has also enhanced the movement of agricultural goods to the main city and has reduced farm-gate losses, which he said, has also improved the supply of agricultural goods.

“The merit driven staff recruitment across the educational, health and environmental sectors of the State have boosted household confidence about the activities of Government given the economic opportunities available to the newly employed candidates.

“Low interest fund support to SMEs to cushion the impact of COVID-19 pandemic that is being coordinated by OYSIPA has enhanced the business framework in the State. It has enhanced the business performance of the beneficiaries with feedback to the Oyo State economy.

“In conclusion, effective economic management has been very supportive of the low headline and food inflation being witnessed in the state,” the Prof. added.

The Ogun State Government said it has beefed up security around all public schools in the state to guard against the incidence of kidnapping.

Governor Dapo Abiodun said this on Wednesday in Abeokuta when he received members of the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education, led by its Chairman, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere.

Abiodun described the measure as a proactive step in the light of the recent kidnappings of students in some parts of the country.

“As a responsible government, we have approved the employment of security men in all our schools. We do not want to be reactive on the issue of security in our schools.

“We want to ensure that our children and teachers are safe while in school,” the governor said.

He also announced plans to rehabilitate 600 schools across the state before the end of his first term in office.

According to him, the projects are part of efforts to ensuring a conducive environment for teaching and learning in the schools.

He noted that his administration had invested huge fund in infrastructure in the education sector, stating that more investments needed to be made to take the schools to greater heights.

“In spite of the much we have done, each time I see some news items on the television or newspaper about one school whose roofs are about to fall, I ask myself when will we cover all these schools.

“The task to rehabilitate the schools to ensure a conducive environment for the children to learn remains our priority.

“Our target is that by the end of the first four years in office, we will have given about 600 schools a facelift.

“We are also in the process of awarding the construction of 60,000 furniture contract so that the children can sit comfortably while learning,” Abiodun said.

He assured that his administration would accord necessary priority to basic education, saying “basic education is the foundation on which other levels of education are built upon”.

A petitioner, Mr. Elusanmi Kolawole, on Thursday told Osun Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Police Brutality, Human Rights Violations and Related Extra Judicial Killings that he has been spending N15,000 monthly to precure medication as prescribed by his doctor to cure the internal injuries he sustained to police brutality.

Kolawole who claimed to have been defrauded of his car by a police officer, said he was beaten to a pulp before his car was taken away to an unknown destination.

This was even as the petitioner demanded for a sum of N7million compensation to assuage the adverse effects of the incident.

Recall that the petitioner had earlier appeared before the panel on 11th March, 2021, the adjournment date to give credence to his petition.

While being cross-examined by the respondent’s counsel on Thursday, Kolawole said he has been suffering memory lapse due to the degrees of injury he sustained from the police assaults.

Narrating how he was allegedly duped by the Police, the petitioner recalled that one Superintendent Ayuba, a police officer serving in Ogun State then bundled him out of his house in Osogbo and tortured him from Osogbo to Ilesa.

Kolawole who had approached the panel to seek justice, alleged the accused of complicity, fraud and stealing by trick.

According to him, the alleged police officer accused him of buying a stolen vehicle, a claim which he said he refuted when he presented the officers the documents of the car.

“It is unfortunate that I have been turned to what I am today. As you can see, I have been suffering from memory loss due to the incident of police brutality which I was a victim of.

“What actually happened was that I was in my house that fateful day when I saw about five fully-armed police officers who had come to arrest me. I was beaten mercilessly and forced into the vehicle.

“I was hit repeatedly on the head with different harmful weapons they took along and I was taken to Ilesa, the residence of the person that I sold the vehicle to.

“The injuries I sustained particularly on the head have been disturbing me till now to the extent that hardly I remember past occurrences. The ugly incident had caused a lot of damage to the extent that I spent N15,000 every month to buy drugs”, he added.

The petitioner admitted that he sold the vehicle to someone in Ilesa after he purchased it from one Mr. Waheed and Tajudeen Hassan.

He said the vehicle was sold because it was not his choice of car, saying, “the car was sold to me at the rate of N220,000, out of which I paid N100,000 to the owner as deposit. When I made a move to return the car, I was asked to look for a buyer after which the person that sold the car to me and myself took it to someone that wanted to buy the car.

“But few weeks later, five police officers came from Mogbon Police Division in Ogun State, along side with the persons that sold the car to me and I was bundled out of the house around 1:00am and took to Ilesa and later to Zone 11 here in Osogbo.

“I was there for few days and later released but the car was taken to Magbon police station in Ogun State where it was allegedly sold to another police officer. All efforts to retrieve the vehicle proved abortive but we later got to know that the car had been sold to a police officer in Ogun State”, he added.

Ruling in the case, the chairman of the Panel, Justice Akin Oladimeji (rtd.) adjourned the case to tomorrow March 26, 2021, for further hearing.

Addressing journalists after the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel, Barrister Bidemi Olumide Odutola, expressed confidence in the ability of the panel to dispense justice.

Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, on Wednesday, pledged to upgrade the infrastructural facilities and social amenities, such as roads and solar lights, in Akinyele Market in order to make the market conducive and habitable for traders.

The governor stated this while speaking with traders at the market, calling on them to ensure that there is harmony among different ethnic groups earning their living in the place.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the governor added that the government is desirous of having as many people as possible making their living legitimately in the state, as, according to him, their activities will also contribute to the state’s economy.

He said: “When the incident at Sasa happened, I was convinced that it was the handiwork of people that do not mean good for this country. We want as many people that can make a living in Oyo State to come here. It does not matter where you are from.

“What I want to say is that, this is a market, which has contributed to the economy of Oyo State. Now, government will come here and fix your infrastructure. We will organise the market very well and ensure that there is harmony between everybody that is earning their living here.”

Governor Makinde explained that he will meet with the leadership of the market on how to organize the market, saying that those trading on the express road should desist from doing so in order to avoid loss of lives.

“I will meet with the leadership of the market and we will ensure that this place is organized. Truth is, we don’t want any loss of lives. This is why we will clear the express road, clean all of these places and they will make ways for you.
“But please, we don’t want people to trade on the expressway, we want them to come in.

“We will get the local government to come here and upgrade your facilities. They will fix the road coming in here, they will put solar light so that people can stay here. But please and please, do ensure that there is ethnic harmony in this place,” the governor added.

He equally admonished the traders to go about their lawful business without hindrance and to obey their leaders in the market.

He said: “We are all together and you should go about your business without hindrance. Obey your leaders, obey the laws that will be put in place in this market and you won’t have any problem with anybody, not even with the government.”

The Oyo State Task Force on Security, also known as the ‘War Room,’ has announced plans to launch what it called integrated security concept, which will bring together state and non-state actors in a bid to effectively tackle insecurity in the state.

The Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor ‘Seyi Makinde, CP Fatai Owoseni (rtd), disclosed this while addressing journalists at the Press Centre of the Governor’s Office, Agodi, Ibadan.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted Owoseni as saying that the decision was taken at the state’s Security Task Force meeting held late on Tuesday, in Ibadan.

According Owoseni, the Army, the Police, the Department of State Security Services, Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun operatives, members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), the Vigilante, the Agbekoya, the Soludero, and other state and non-state security actors will be brought under one umbrella to jointly fight crime and criminality in the state.

He said: “The Task Force observed a slight improvement in the security situation in the state. And we also realised that a lot still has to be done in order to have perfect peace in the state; and the Task Force itself is resolutely committed to making Oyo State a haven of peace.

“Towards this direction, the Task Force deliberated at length and resolved that the needful should be done to ensure the efficiency of what has been termed the ‘integrated security concept’ earlier adopted by this state.

“Concerted efforts are going on in conceptualizing this and towards that end, an improved security architecture for the state and a number of things would have to follow, which have to include finalising standard operating manual for both the state and non-state actors so that we will have synergy for the state.

“In order to further optimize this ISC, a gap analysis is going on so that we can fully utilise hotspot policing and strategic policing.

“We resolved that we have got to really think and operate quite smart enough against the backdrop of whatever resources we have got.

“The state has taken the architecture of integrated security concept where both state actors and non-state actors will work seamlessly together.

“But taking it further, a lot of gaps have been identified. The security challenges in Ogbomoso may be different from the ones in Saki or Kisi or Ibadan.

“In addition, we have also looked at the strength of the combined security or conventional security agencies including Amotekun that we have in the state compared to the population and, of course, the challenges we have.

“It is one thing to say we are having a concept and it is another thing to have regulations and guidelines that will guide the performance of the people that are involved. It has been observed that even the non-state actors are always at loggerheads with each other”

Owoseni added that the state is already making efforts to bring the security actors together in a way that they will operate without rancor, saying, “taking turns from the first meeting, efforts have been made to pull these actors together in order to eliminate the issue of supremacy and rancor among them so that they will work as one.

“There should be a guideline that they will use so that when they are on the field together in the theatre of operation, no one will want to outdo the other. These are the basic things that came up yesterday (Tuesday).”

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, hinted that the state government has perfected plans to establish hot spots and strategic policing.

He added that after the programme is launched, operatives will be stationed at various trouble spots in the state, especially in areas like Foko, Born Photo, Popo and other areas of the state.

In his remarks, the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chief Bisi Ilaka, maintained that the two concepts will take off soon.

He said that though the Task Force observed a slight improvement in the security situation in the state, it also realised that a lot still has to be done.

The wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu has restated the commitment of the State government to bringing an end to preventable deaths arising from tuberculosis.

Dr. Sanwo-Olu, joined policymakers, stakeholders and partners in the fight against TB to commemorate the year 2021 World TB Day in Lagos with an Awareness Walk and an Engagement meeting, said the State Government is determined to change the narrative of high TB prevalence in Lagos as well as reverse its position as the State with the highest TB burden.

She noted that the State government, through the Ministry of Health, has expanded the TB Directly Observed Treatment Shortcourse (DOTS) Centres from 1,047 in Y2018 to 1,257 in Y2020 to offer increased treatment to TB patients.

Mrs. Sanwo-Olu also disclosed that the State government with support from global funds has also conducted training for community care workers to provide quality TB care, procured and deployed 18 X-ray machines to health facilities in the State and provided 31 GeneXpert sites in 20 local government areas of the State.

“We recently launched three Mobile X-ray vans to increase active case search in the State, which hitherto will improve diagnosis, treatment and an overall increase in TB case finding”, she added.

While noting that evidence abounds around the world that there are successes in TB prevention and control, Dr. Sanwo-Olu, who doubles as the State TB Ambassador, opined that increased awareness, diagnosis, treatment and care of TB cases will help achieve the goal of TB eradication.

“It is germane to state here once again, that TB is preventable, curable, and the treatment is free. It has become pertinent to increase general awareness, ensure effective service delivery, including diagnosis, treatment, and care by improving access to TB diagnosis and treatment services”, Sanwo-Olu stated.

The First Lady stated that the theme of Y2021 World TB day; “The Clock is Ticking’ is very apt, stressing that it is reminding everyone that the world is running out of time to act on the commitments made by global leaders to end TB.

“This running out of time is also influenced by the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and it is necessary we scale up access to prevention and care of TB. World Tuberculosis Day is an important day to remember as it creates public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of Tuberculosis”, she added.

While appreciating stakeholders in the fight against TB, Dr. Sanwo-Olu said that the contagious disease is becoming more prevalent, noting that its control must be a global agenda in which everyone must show commitment and be part of the fight to bring the disease to an end.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi appreciated the First Lady for taking the lead in expanding the awareness of Tuberculosis in the State.

Abayomi stated that tuberculosis is a silent killer and its eradication must be prioritised as a public health strategy, hinting that 28,000 people globally get tuberculosis every day out of which 4,000 people lose their lives on a daily basis.

He said, “In Nigeria, just half a million people are diagnosed annually and it is saddening to know that Nigeria ranks sixth in the world amongst countries contributing to global TB burden and is now number one in Africa with an expected diagnosis of 440,000 TB patients in a year.

“TB awareness is, therefore, crucial as the disease is a significant cause of ill health and death in Lagos State. As a government, we are committed and we will go to any length to address the challenge of under-diagnosis of TB in Lagos State. Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu is the Lagos champion for tuberculosis and it is indeed very befitting that we have such a prominent person taking the lead and expanding the awareness and importance of Tuberculosis”, the Commissioner said.

He disclosed that the State government is actively managing TB across the 27 General Hospitals, over 300 primary healthcare facilities and numerous private sector facilities which add up to about 1200 health facilities.

Also present at the Awareness Walk and Stakeholders’ Engagement were the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye; Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr. Ore Finnih; Former Super Eagles Striker, Daniel Amokachi and representatives of partner organisations.

One of the umbrella bodies of herdsmen in Nigeria, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, says South-West governors, with their anti-herdsmen stance, are creating problems for the All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his rumoured presidential ambition in 2023.

Saleh Alhassan, the Spokesman for the group on Wednesday stated this while featuring on PUNCH Online interview programme, The Roundtable.

Recalls that nomadic herders in parts of the country, especially in the South-West geopolitical zone, have been accused of trespassing on farmlands of host farmers with their cattle. Farm produce worth millions of naira have been destroyed in the last few months. Some herders have also been accused of raping women in host communities, kidnapping the rich and in some cases, killing host residents, amongst other unprintable crimes.

Governors in the zone under the aegis of the South-West Governors’ Forum chaired by Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, have come up with many proposed solutions including prohibition of open grazing, night grazing, under-age grazing, amongst others.

Many leaders in Yorubaland including leader of socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, had also said Tinubu was afraid to speak on the herders’ crisis because he does not want to jeopardise his 2023 presidential ambition and because he does not want to offend the President Muhammadu Buhari.

But the former Lagos State governor broke his silence on the matter on March 13, 2021 in a statement titled, ‘Tinubu’s Statement On The Herder Crisis’.

In the statement, the former Lagos State governor urged state governments to convert unoccupied public lands to ranches for herdsmen.

Reacting to the proposed idea by Tinubu as a way of solving the near-perennial farmers-herders crisis rocking the nation, the Miyetti Allah spokesman lauded the idea but said the country was not yet ready to embrace or implement “progressive solutions”.

Alhassan said, “I sympathise with him (Tinubu) because if he says more than what he is saying, they will say he is pushing for his presidential ambition. That is why he takes time before he even respond but I expected him to call all his political godsons —who are governors — that are causing this confusion to order. He should call them and say, ‘Hey, when I become president, I will solve this problem for us’ (and) not to create problem for him, for his ambition.”

When asked whether the farmers-herders crisis could affect the political ambition of Tinubu, Alhassan alleged, “When you have a group of people attacking citizens, does it translate to political love? When you have the supposed Amotekun joining militants to attack traders in Shasha (in Oyo State), burn their properties, does it give a good political value to whoever wants to get support from those people?”

He also said the crisis was being exaggerated to score political points, adding that the Fulani herders who are of the same ethnic stock as the President are not enjoying any special preference or benefits from the Buhari regime.

A Federal High Court in Lagos has affirmed the powers of the Lagos State Government to regulate the practice of real estate transactions within the State.

A statement signed by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), noted that the judgment delivered on March 22, 2021, by Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court, struck out the originating motion filed by the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) and the Nigeria Institute of Estate Surveyors And Valuers (NIESV) to challenge the authority of the State government to regulate the sector.

According to him, the applicants – ESVARBON and NIESV – had filed the suit against the Lagos State Government and the State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), who were listed as first and second respondents respectively, claiming that they are the ‘sole body’ created by Law in Nigeria to determine persons who are to become Estate Surveyors and Valuers.

His words: “The first applicant claimed that by virtue of Section 2 of the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria Act Cap E13 LFN 2007 and Section 1 (3) of the 1999 Constitution, it was unconstitutional for Lagos State Government to create an entity known as the Lagos State Estate Agency Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) that compels registration of all Estate Surveyors and Valuers practising in the State”.

“The applicants had also argued that under Section 4 (6) – (9) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) or any other Section or Schedule of the same Constitution, the Lagos State House of Assembly lacked the legislative power to enact a bill to regulate the practice of estate surveying and valuation”, he added.

The Commissioner also averred that, consequently, the applicants sought an order of the court restraining the respondents whether by themselves, agents, servants and/or privies from implementing, enforcing, in any way or manner whatsoever and howsoever giving effect or further effect to the directives of compulsory registration with Lagos State Government.

Onigbanjo said Justice Aneke struck out the originating motion for lacking in merit and upheld the powers of the Lagos State Government to establish a Regulatory Agency for Estate Agents trading in Lagos State.

By the ruling, the Lagos State Government called on all practitioners to abide by the Lagos State Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) Law and register with the Agency in line with the determination of the Government to protect the general public and ensure genuine persons and organisations possess the required platform to practice their trade.

The popular grandmother figure in Nollywood’s Yoruba series, Alhaja Lanre Hassan, known by the stage name “Mama Awero”, got a surprise gift from Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday.

The veteran actor was on the verge of being ejected from her rented apartment when the Governor intervened. Mama Awero was presented with the key to a new three bedroom apartment in the 360 units Lagoshoms Phase 2 scheme completed by the Governor in Igbogbo, Ikorodu.

The housing project was formally inaugurated on Wednesday at an event attended by all Government functionaries and traditional rulers in Ikorodu division. He named the scheme after former Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) apex leader in Ikorodu, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye.

The scheme, which is sited on 6.24 hectares of land, was conceived in 2012 under the ex-Governor Babatunde Fashola’s administration. It has 10 blocks each of 120 units of one-bedroom flat, 120 units of two-bedroom flat and 120 units of three-bedrooms apartments.

The project is bordering Oba Adeboruwa Housing Estate, which is the first phase of the housing scheme.

Sanwo-Olu said the decision to complete the Igbogbo housing scheme was in tune with his pledge at the commissioning of Lateef Jakande Estate, Igando in 2019, where he reiterated his commitment to deliver all housing projects inherited by his administration.

He said: “I am elated to be commissioning another housing project in Igbogbo, one of many delivered by this administration. Against all odds, our vision for a revamped housing sector has moved from the drawing table to the level of implementation and delivery. The completion and commissioning of this estate, comprising 360 units is a promise kept and sends a strong message about our determination to make Lagos a 21st century economy.

“This housing scheme symbolises our unwavering commitment to the Greater Lagos Project, and our determination to build and deliver modern homes so that irrespective of social or economic class, all Lagosians enjoy the dividends of democracy and good governance. We will continue to bridge the housing deficit by providing decent and affordable houses to our people.”

The Governor said his administration recognised that provision of decent housing was a crucial component of sustainable development, which was why housing schemes were being funded through direct budgetary allocations, as well as public-private-partnerships. The financing model, he said, has yielded remarkable results.

Sanwo-Olu said the State Government had started to prepare for a population surge that would accompany the opening of the project, disclosing that the State had activated the revamping of socio-economic infrastructure on the axis. He said rehabilitation of Government-owned schools was being escalated to cater for additional students’ population.

He said: “We are doing extensive road infrastructure in Igbogbo and we are extending another road from Ibeshe, which will be commissioned next month. The Baiyeku Road needs to be fixed and we will look at it once we are able to push the ongoing Igbogbo road project to a significant progress.

“We are still working on Agric-Isawo and Oba Sekumade Road, while we are planning the redevelopment of roundabout at Ita Elewa. All these projects are being done to bring real development into Ikorodu division and improve the value of properties on this axis.”

The Governor also presented free three-bedroom apartments to two members of the State’s teaching staff honoured in national education awards for their quality services. They are the Principal of Government Junior College in Ketu-Epe, Mr. Dunni Ikuseyi (Principal of the Year) and recipient of Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Elusakin of Oriwu Model College.

According to the Commissioner for Housing, Hon. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai the housing project was the seventh scheme to be completed and inaugurated by the Sanwo-Olu administration, which catered for the high net individuals and low-income earners.

He said: “As can be seen, the scheme is completed with modern infrastructure that will enhance decent living. Apart from other intrinsic benefits that come with this scheme, we are glad to say that it will definitely change the statistics of housing deficit in Lagos and stem the usual drift to city centres.

“Our joy is only complete when more people, particularly the low- and medium-income earners become home owners. In line with present realities, the convenient mortgage system fostered through our Rent-To-Own scheme will be utilised to a large extent in delivering the homes to the end users.”

Mama Awero, in an emotion-laden voice, expressed gratitude to the Governor, describing the gesture as “unexpected gift”.

“Anyone who is compassionate to offer his fellow human a comfortable shelter such as this deserves nothing but prayers. I am short of words. Governor Sanwo-Olu, you have put smiles on my face in my moment of despair. May Allah support you and your Deputy,” the veteran actress said.

The Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, Oba Semiu Kasali, hailed Sanwo-Olu for keeping his word on the housing scheme.

Some of the comfort features in the housing estate include expansive car parks, streetlights, water reticulation plant and modern sewage treatment plant.