LSDPC transforms Surulere slum to apartments

The Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) has converted a parcel of land used as a hideout for social miscreants into a housing scheme.

The scheme consisting of suspended twin three-storey development sits on 2,719.30 square metres of land, comprising 20-unit two-bedroom apartments. The land located on Olorogun-Allen Street, Surulere belongs to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who commissioned the estate, also opened a vocational training centre built by LSDPC on Owolewa Street in Surulere.

Sanwo-Olu said the redevelopment of the abandoned land had not only provided accommodation for residents but solved a major security threat in the area had also been solved.

He said the transformation further reiterated the government’s commitment to urban regeneration and infrastructural renewal.

“The land on which this project is sited used to be a security liability for residents of this neighbourhood. It was previously a massive school compound before the school was moved out of the site. The land was taken over by people of questionable character, who committed all sorts of atrocities and constituted threats to the residents’ peace.

Sanwo-Olu said the provision of safe and comfortable housing schemes for the citizens remained a key objective of his administration, noting that the intervention had helped his administration to raise standards of living.

He said the state government remained committed to scaling up access to safe and convenient housing while strengthening partnerships with the private sector to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

LSDPC Managing Director, Ayodeji Joseph, said the housing scheme was built to reflect simplicity and elegance, while also being complemented with contemporary infrastructure.

The apartments, he said, have dedicated uninterrupted power sources in addition to being connected to the national grid.

Joseph said the Owolewa Vocational Centre was built by LSDPC as a Corporate Social Responsibility to give back to the Surulere community to further aid the state government’s efforts at empowering young people with modern skills.

“I salute the maturity and cooperation displayed by the SUBEB management during the period of discussion to change the use of the property and rights to acquire it. Today, the outcome has become a win-win situation for both the LSDPC and SUBEB,” Joseph said.