Lagos Moves To Open Up Ode-Omi

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Ode-Omi, a remote community at the border between Lagos and Ogun states is on the verge of being opened up as Governor Babatunde Fashola has approved the construction of a road from Igbogun in Lekki to the community cut off from civilisation.

Ode-Omi, which has been in existence for 300 years is a subject of dispute between Lagos and Ogun states as both claim ownership of the land said to be rich in gas.

The Lagos State Government said it owned 70 percent of the land mass of Ode-Omi, which is the reason it is bringing development to the community which has been neglected for decades.

Commissioner for Rural Development, Cornelius Ojelabi, at a ministerial briefing in Lagos, said the state government, being aware that Ode-Omi belonged to it, had approved, in this year’s budget, some projects including the provision of palliative measure in the area of road from Igbogun in Lekki to Ode-Omi with two mini-bridges.

“When completed, the hope of the sons and daughters of Ode-Omi of taking their vehicles to the community will be a reality after over 300 years of its existence. Approval has been given for the provision of three solar-powered water projects and two solar-powered toilets for the community and the contractors would be moving to site in due course.

“Not satisfied with the total darkness at Ode-Omi, approval has also been given for the electrification of the town with three substations powered with 300KVA transformers each, to be installed at Igbogun, Mafogun and Owode to facilitate the rural electrification project. It is expected that this will open the gates of opportunities for the people,” he stated.

The commissioner added that in order to preserve and ensure maximum income generation from their fishing and reduce poverty to the barest minimum, the government had approved funds for the provision of fishing inputs, such as nets and outboard engines, among others, to fishermen in the community.

Ojelabi insisted that government was not laying claims to the entire Ode-Omi community, but that a major part of it belonged to Lagos, adding that Governor Fashola had said that he was not ready to lose any part of land belonging to Lagos.

According to him, the government had already taken the case to the National Boundary Commission, NBC, for adjudication, saying that very soon, the body would come up with a position and put the matter to rest.

“We are not in dispute with Ogun State,” he said, adding that he and the Surveyor-General would soon visit the community to map out areas that belonged to Lagos for development.

On security, Ojelabi appealed to Lagosians to be security conscious by reporting any strange faces, movement, occurrence or object to the security agencies.

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