Our Lagos – the Centre of Excellence Has Fallen

Lagos, the Centre of Excellence, has further crumbled in the last couple of weeks under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, with no seen mechanism in place to organize it.
When the Governor resumed on May 29, he promised Lagosians, charged that he was going to rehabilitate the dilapidated roads, streets all over Lagos to ease movement using the Public Works Department of the State Ministry of Works, patch, fill the pot holes, gullies. But, that promise, initiative appears to have died on arrival as nowhere in Lagos are roads being repaired or patched.
The roads and streets have become terrible, very terrible to free movement of vehicles. The rains of the last few days, weeks have further opened the dirty part of governance in Lagos as our beloved Eko has fallen.
The Lagos roads are completely in a mess, with potholes and gullies everywhere.
Travelling or driving round Ikorodu, Agege, Iyana-Ipaja, Ikeja, Dopemu, Egbeda, Isolo, Aswani, Okota, Ikotun, Ijegun, Isheri-Osun, Amuwo-Odofin, Agboju-Amuwo, Orile/Sari Iganmu, Iba, Ojo, Olodi-Apapa, Badagry, Kirikiri, Mafoloku and several other inner streets and highways can be very devastating.
The roads needs emergency rehabilitation to lessen the sufferings people go through in moving to and fro places of their businesses daily.
The Governor will do the people of Lagos a whole lot of good if he immediately begins tackling these roads to ease movement of vehicles. No doubt the heavy traffic associated to the bad roads is contributing to the slow economic activity.
Roads are germane in boosting any economy. Lagos is a market and must be provided with facilities that will aide its development.
Major sidewalks in Lagos are littered with all manner of traders with their wares that defaces it.
The sidewalks are not shops, warehouses for display of wares hence the state government must rise up to the challenge in bringing sanity to the city. It is as a result of the fact that these traders pay tokens to ‘revenue collectors’ that emboldens them to display their wares indiscriminately.
The state government can create mini-markets, warehouses within neighbourhoods to check this ugly trend. The people should be commended for doing something legitimate to eke a living but, in doing such the authorities must guide them to do it rightly too.
Our government must provide a conducive environment necessary to support the people, and society. It is the full responsibility of government to keep the state decent.
There is high population growth here due to its commercial advantage, and as such the government must plan for the social-economic life of the people.
The refuse littering the streets, roads, drainages seem to have overwhelmed the government of the state, everywhere you turn to in Lagos are heaps of refuse. This is not a mark of seriousness on the part of any government.
Refuse in Lagos is a major problem due to the inability of government to take it seriously. The government must find a scientific way at managing the menace.
Humans cannot co-habit with refuse everywhere in a decent society. The government can begin mass campaign, mobilization, sensitization of the people against indiscriminate dumping of refuse on our streets, gullies, drainages. The people ought to be engaged if we must achieve success in this regard.
The Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning and other related agencies must embark on 100% work at cleaning the streets, roads of all heaps with alacrity. To get Lagos cleaned up is achievable in the next 3 months if only our government puts all machinery in place.
There seem to be no respite in the communities with the incessant clashes, killings by members of various cult groups. In Somolu, Bariga, Onipanu, Mushin, Ijegun, Iyana-Ipaja, Gowon Estate, Ikorodu, and others, stories of clashes of suspected members of Eiye, Aiye, One Million, No Salary boys reign the air.
These groups unleash mayhem in and around the communities with the security agencies and government not doing enough to arrest the situation.
Gov. Sanwo-Olu must hold security meeting with the relevant security forces to organize an improved security of lives and property for Lagos citizens. The Nigerian Police, Nigerian Civil Defence and Security, and others are very capable at crushing every notorious group up in arms against the peace of the state.
There are growing number of touts, criminal elements on our roads causing pain and anguish on the people of Lagos, especially at cover of darkness, hold-ups.
At hold-ups, these boys terrorize, rob the people, vandalize vehicles with no security anywhere in sight to the rescue. It is a big dent on the Centre of Excellence, for such free violent crimes without any security to the rescue.
The State Governor must wake up to its duty and responsibility, security of lives is the number one assignment he owes the people. He has to quickly hold a security meeting with the relevant agencies to draw a plan on how Lagos can be secured.
Lagos cannot be left for miscreants to operate at will, their feathers must be clipped.
*** Written by Uzodinma Nwaogbe / 07084351845 via The Will Nigeria