Lagos commits to facility maintenance in estates

The Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, has said that adequate maintenance of facilities in housing schemes remains one of the priorities of the government.

Akinderu-Fatai, who stated this at a review meeting with the staff of the ministry, explained that government is interested in the well-being of residents of the estates and will do its best in ensuring the durability of infrastructure in the estates.

The commissioner further revealed that qualified facility managers are being engaged to manage facilities so that they can serve the people satisfactorily.

He enjoined homeowners to have a sense of ownership by taking charge of the facilities and reporting maintenance issues as soon as they occur.

On efforts to bridge the housing gap, the commissioner said the government was strategising on developing more homes to match up with the increasing migration from every part of the country.

Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Housing, Kamar Olowoshago, reiterated the commitment of the government to increasing the housing stock in Lagos while ensuring the adequate maintenance of existing ones.

Olowoshago urged stakeholders, particularly homeowners, to align with the government‘s initiatives by cooperating with facility managers so that the government’s vision of sustainable housing can be achieved.

MEANWHILE, the state government has urged residents to comply with the State’s Physical Planning laws and desist from embarking on any form of development without following due process and procedure.

The state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who gave the charge during the 2022 World Habitat Day, said government’s agenda and programmes have been critical in maintaining social equilibrium and harmony in the state, adding that the government is focused on inclusiveness and bridging the social divide across sectors.’

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Folashade Jaji, he said a number of institutions were purposely created or refocused in the state to address the socio-economic imbalance and champion even the development of Lagos and its people.

The governor noted that efforts were focused on urban renewal and infrastructural provision, provision of qualitative education for residents, investments in road infrastructure, empowerment and skill acquisition, as well as slum upgrade and physical planning instruments as ways to bridge the inequality gap among the people.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Bamgbose-Martins said with the growing inequality and vulnerabilities that have been exacerbated by Covid-19, climate change and conflict, global priority to tackle urban poverty and inequality was crucial in line with the theme of the celebration.

He added that the government has improved the provision of environmentally friendly housing and enhanced the sustainability of the built environment with the approval of the Building Energy Efficiency Code (BEEC), the Green Building initiatives as well as ongoing domestication of the National Building Code and the current move to automate Planning Permit process and other procedures of the Ministry of Physical Planning and its agencies.

The former Managing Director of Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) who is also a serving Commissioner for Environment in Ogun State

Mr. Ola Oresanya, said that there must be deliberate government efforts to narrow the gaps in society and maintain social harmony.

He called for a planning mode that will take care of every segment of society while urging effective public-private participation in public programmes.

The event attracted the President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Olutoyin Ayinde, and the General Manager, the Office of Disability Affairs, Mr. Oluwadamilare Ogundairo, Special Adviser to the Governor on e-GIS, Dr. Olajide Babatunde, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Abiola Kosegbe, Oba Semiudeen Kasali, Adeboruwa of Igbogbo and White-cap Chiefs from Lagos Island.