Lagos in talks with development agency over vertical building projects

• Renovates dilapidated educational infrastructure   
To cater for increasing urban population, the Lagos State Government has entered into an agreement with a multi-national development agency to escalate housing production in the state .

The agreement will see the state provide land for vertical buildings in the Mainland, while the firm brings the technology and provide infrastructure for the project.

Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai told The Guardian that the influx of people into Lagos for greener pastures created challenge for housing in the state, hence the decision for collaboration to address challenges.

The commissioner also said the state was seeking smart solutions to the problem of housing deficits, by providing affordable mass housing in collaboration with the private sectors.

According to him, the state’s affordable public housing scheme with a United States-based company – Echo Stone in Idale; Badagry, is a test case, while the technology adopted made it possible for two flats to be completed in 14 days.

Speaking also on the achievement of his ministry during the yearly ministerial briefing, Akinderu-Fatai, expressed optimism that the present administration tackle the housing deficit by providing more homes, enhancing accessibility and affordability.

On the strategies to be adopted, Akinderu-Fatai hinted that the state government was engaging multinational development partners for the construction of mass housing.

MEANWHILE, the Special Committee on Rehabilitation of Public Schools (SCRPS) in collaboration with the state government has rebuilt and commissioned four schools.

The schools are Akintan Junior Grammar School, Surulere; Fazil Omar Senior High School, Iwaya; Onike Girls Junior High School, Yaba and Igbobi Junior High School, Somolu.

Speaking at the commissioning, the committee Chairman, Hakeem Smith, said the committee had embarked on the construction of about 300 new classroom blocks, spread across the six education districts of the state and various rehabilitation works in about 92 public primary and secondary schools.

He noted that the project, which commenced in May 2020, was sitting on a raft foundation because of the compressible nature of the soil texture.

The chairman stressed that the committee had also provided about 100,000-student furniture in some of these primary and secondary schools.