Lagos Assembly set to criminalise encroachment on LASU lands

• VC alleges military annexing school’s property
• House approves N153 billion for Lagos rail mass transit
• Ogun to execute 60 projects across 20 local councils

Lagos State House of Assembly has directed the management of the Lagos State University (LASU) to come up with a legislation that will criminalise anybody or a group of people that encroaches on the land of the institution.

Chairman, House Committee on Finance and a member of Public Account Committee (PAC), Mr. Rotimi Olowo, who gave the directive, yesterday, during an interaction with the institution’s management, enjoined the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, who appeared before PAC for 2019 auditor-general’s report, to hastily reclaim all incursions on the lands belonging to the institution.

Olowo said invaders should be kept at bay because LASU is on the way to greater deeds and would need the lands for infrastructural growth. Fagbohun, who expressed gratitude to the legislators, said the Assembly played a role in making LASU what it is today.

He said that some residents of Epe community had trespassed on the institution’s land and that there was indeed a need to act fast otherwise, it would pose serious threat to the school in future.

The vice chancellor also lamented how the military, which ceded the land to LASU originally, are coming back to make incursions on the property.
HOWEVER, the Assembly has approved N153 billion sought by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to construct the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT), also known as the Red Line and the Blue Line.

Chief Press Secretary to Speaker of the Assembly, Tolani Abati, who confirmed the development to The Guardian, said the House unanimously approved the amount after adopting the report of the House Committee on Finance as submitted by its Chairman, Olowo, at its plenary session on Monday.

He said that while N93 billion would be sourced through Differentiated Cash Reserve Requirement (DCRR), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) intervention facility from First Bank of Nigeria (FBN), United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Zenith Bank for the Red Line, the remaining N60 billion would be sourced from DCRR, CBN intervention loan funds for the Blue Line.

IN Ogun State, the government has promised to facilitate at least 60 projects across the 20 local councils of the state to improve the living standard of rural dwellers.

The state governor, Dapo Abiodun, who disclosed this at the commissioning of projects executed by Ado-Odo/Ota Local Council Transition Committee, said the first stage of completion would capture at least three meaningful projects in each local council.

Abiodun, represented by his deputy, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, said projects were executed according to the request of the people, urging the beneficiaries to guard and put them into good use to spur government to do more.

He noted that Ado-Odo/Ota, being the industrial hub of the state, deserves attention, saying the present administration would intensify efforts in facilitating the intervention of the Federal Government in the repair of roads.