By Our Reporter
Lagos State Government on Monday reiterated its commitment to turn Makoko community, in Lagos Mainland Local Government Area of the state to a safer habitable area for the residents, saying that it required counterpart funding to regenerate the area, having set aside $2million for rebuilding the area.
This was just as it maintained that the demolition exercise recently carried out in some parts of the community was an action of intense necessity and in the best interest of the masses, noting that the affected houses demolished fell under high tension wire which endangered lives of the people.
Special Adviser (SA) to Lagos State Governor on E-Gis and Urban Renewal, Dr. Babatunde Olajide, made this known on Monday, while addressing newsmen at the Bagauda Kalto Press Center, Alausa, Ikeja, saying that the state was already in partnership with the United Nations agencies to rebuild Makoko, with the UN being expected to provide $8 million to start the project.
Olajide, who briefed the press along with the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotosho and the General Manager of Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, Saheed Animashaun, said in order to carry out the renewal, the state government and United Nations had properly engaged the people of Makoko.
He explained that part of the reasons the community needed to be replanned is that, the present Makoko is an eyesore, saying that sanitation in the area is at its lower ebb, with wastes being passed into the river as the community lacked social amenities and, therefore, the need state government to do the needful and improve the living standard in the area.
"UN has promised to support Lagos State Government and we will continue to hold meetings with UN. It is going to be counterpart funding, the state government has committed $2miilion fund for Makoko, we are expecting $8 million counterpart funding," he said.
Speaking further, Olajide explained that the state government would not remove poor people from an area and replace them with rich people, adding: "This government is not interested in removing poor people from an area and replace with rich people, but to create a good environment for people to live in."
He stated that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had directed that those whose houses were demolished because they fell under high tension should be compensated.
Olajide added that every renewal being carried out in the state had human face, saying that the state government does not have the intention of displacing anybody, even as he maintained that the state government did not tamper with the Makoko fishing community but only demolished houses that fell under high tension.
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