Ikeja GRA residents accuse government of neglect

Members of GRA Ikeja Residents Association yesterday appealed to the Lagos State government to ensure the master-plan of the Government Reservation Area (GRA) is protected. They also appealed to the Sanwo-Olu Campaign Organisation, which is located in the area, to do all within its powers to keep the serenity of the choice suburb.

Speaking on the state of infrastructure, security and transportation in Ikeja GRA at the stakeholders meeting tagged: Restoration Journey, which held yesterday, president of the residents association, Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN), said the high-class community is hugely challenged in terms of government’s inadequacies and infrastructure inconsistencies.

“We are taking our destiny into our hands. The state government is approving humongous structures all over the GRA, naturally, it behooves of them to improve on the infrastructure. There is inter-development charges they collect from all the developers, which is meant to improve on the infrastructure but unfortunately government has failed in this regard. In fact, they have been diverting the money elsewhere, which is wrong.

“All we are saying is they should come and maintain the infrastructure on ground and improve on it because they are the ones approving all the structures putting pressure on the limited facilities.

“One other major challenge we have is the problem of commercial tricycle and motorcycle operators. Under the law of Lagos State, it is forbidden and prohibited for them to operate in the GRA but we are having a major challenge with the chairman of the Ikeja local government area, Mr. Oke, who seems to in our view aid and abet them in this regard. If additional GRAs cannot be created, the existing ones should not be destroyed,” he said.

Also of concern to the residents is what they termed the ‘Sanwo-Olu menace’. The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Babajide Sanwo-Olu, set up his campaign organization at 58/60 Oduduwa Crescent. The street is a beehive of political activities as nearly a hundred thousand people visit the office daily.