From Suleiman Amagbor, Lagos
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has called for more federal government presence and support in the development of infrastructure in the state, being home to virtually every family from across Nigeria.
The governor also called for concerted efforts by all arms of government as well as citizens to create a liveable country that everyone would be proud of.
Mr. Sanwo-Olu spoke while playing host to members of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Works at the Lagos House, Marina.
The Joint Committee comprised members of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Works, led by Senator Barinada Mpigi and Hon. Akin Alabi, respectively.
Sanwo-Olu noted that there were challenges even with the huge opportunities in Lagos and stressed the need to build more infrastructure, maintain existing ones, and make funding available to keep them in proper shape to serve the people of Lagos better.
He said: “We want to thank President Bola Tinubu for his great vision in ensuring that different parts of the country have meaningful, impactful, and purposeful governance, and he is showing it in all of his various interventions. The latest being the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund that the government is trying to put together.
“Lagos deserves, desires, and requires some of the infrastructure that you have gone around to inspect because it is important for us to build additional infrastructure, but more importantly, it is important to maintain and preserve existing infrastructure because these are assets that belong to all of us, the Nigerian people.
“For us as a government, we see ourselves as partners with the National Assembly and the Federal Government, because indeed, what we see at the end of the day is that our people get service. It is about the Nigerian conversation. It is about building our economy, nation, and country.
“We are excited that those investments are being made, and we want to assure you that this investment will be put to good use, preserved, and maintained properly. We will ensure that it brings about economic development for our people.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu, while commending the joint partnership between the Senate and the House of Representatives, encouraged members of the 10th National Assembly to continue to be passionate about their constituencies and ensure representational governance.
“We are all partners in progress, and what I will encourage you to do is let us not be deterred by whatever force that is trying to bring us down. Let us not be discouraged by forces of ethnic dimension, issues around kidnapping, banditry, and unwarranted death. That is not who we are. We are people who are driven by the willingness to create wealth, make life meaningful for citizens, and create opportunities for one another,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the leader of the team, Senator Barinada Mpigi, said they were in Lagos as part of their oversight function to see first-hand some of the Federal Government’s major projects ongoing in Lagos and its environs, which include the 700-km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, repair works on the 3rd Mainland Bridge, and the Carter Bridge, amongst others.
The Senate Committee Chairman on Works commended the efforts of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s administration in complementing the Federal Government’s infrastructural drive in the commercial nerve centre of the country.
He also commended Governor Sanwo-Olu for doing a great job with the level of security around Lagos, particularly the Red and Blue rail lines.
Senator Mpigi, in the same vein, commended President Bola Tinubu for appointing the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, who seems to be a round peg in the round hole going by the level and quality of work ongoing at the project site.
