Lagos State government on Friday emphasized the need for the Federal Government’s support for the state in her quest for the development of critical projects and infrastructure in the state.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who the deputy governor represented, Dr. Kadir Obafemi Hamzat, made the plea while speaking during a courtesy visit of the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 45, 2023 of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS) to Alausa, Ikeja, saying that most of the major projects embarked upon by the state were beyond what a state can execute without the Federal Government support.
Sanwo-Olu stated that support from the Federal Government is essential for the state to effectively execute some infrastructure, citing the rail project, which was currently being executed by the state as one of such projects which required funding by the Federal Government, declaring that “Lagos is the only sub-sovereign in the world that is funding rail by herself.”
“If you notice, in New York, Addis Ababa, or anywhere else in the world, it is the Federal Government that funds their rail project, Lagos is the only sub-sovereign in that world that is funding rail line projects on her balance sheet,” the governor said.
“We cannot have a population that is growing like this, and we don’t have a rail, there will always be congestion, the rail is key, and that is why we are hitting it, and it is huge financially,” he added.
Governor Sanwo-Olu highlighted some infrastructural efforts put in place by the state government, including the recently purchased electric buses that were presently tested, the Imota Rice Mill, which processes 32 tons of rice per hour, which he said requires more land, among others.
This was just as he noted that the growing population in the state was another challenge as, according to him, “Lagos only occupies a small portion of the entire land mass of the country, whereas the state accommodates 11 percent of the nation’s population.”
“Also, to meet up with the required supply of rice to the rice mill, the state government partnered with different states such as Kebbi, Niger, Kano, Ogun, and some other states in the South, adding that the state needed 200 tons of paddy in other to supply the plant. If we can continue to do this interaction, there is no reason for Nigeria to import rice,” he said.
The governor, however, urged the participants to push the narratives to the public and ensure that the citizens understand that “they must grow what they eat and must eat what they grow.”
He noted that the visit of the Institute to the state was essential, declaring that “the sub-sovereign in our country is where we can actually make changes in the lives of the people in the state and, of course, the local government.”
The Director General of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), Prof. Ayo Omotayo, commended the activities of the state government on making remarkable strides in every sector of Lagos.
The Director General explained that the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 45, 2023 was on a state visit to learn and understand how the three variables, namely; industrialization, energy security, and climate, were been applied in the development of the state and also to collate data that would help in compiling a detailed report on the state.
He noted that the participants had visited Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) such as Economic, Planning, and Budgets; Special Duties; Science and Technology; Imota Rice Mill, amongst other MDAs.
