16th November, 2019
The need for all Government Agencies and Security Operatives to harmonize and synergize their operations in the Lagos Central Business District has been emphasized.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Central Business Districts, Prince Olarenwaju Elegushi expressed this at an MDA’s stakeholders meeting organized for government agencies operating within the Lagos Island Central Business District.
Flagging off discussion at the meeting organized to brainstorm and deliberate on how to take CBD to the next level in tandem with the megacity status, the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on CBD, Honorable Sola Giwa, said that all government agencies must see themselves as one and must be fully prepared to ensure that the original master plan of the Lagos Island Business District is maintained and protected.
He stressed that all agencies of government must work in harmony and unity of purpose to attain the desired goals of making shopping and trading on the Island stress-free.
In his address, the Special Adviser said, “over 3 million shoppers and traders commute the Lagos Island daily and this result to a high influx of people with its attendant security, waste, traffic and emergency issues which one Agency of Government cannot handle alone effectively. We must, therefore, synchronize our operations to meet the attendant large volume of challenges daily”.
The Special Adviser said that Government Agencies cannot be working at cross purposes and expect a positive effect on service delivery and attainment of set goals and objectives of the Lagos State Government.
He, therefore, advised that agencies of government with the intention of carrying out operations within the Lagos Island CBD should notify his office before embarking on such activities so that logistics and security cover can be provided for hitch-free operations.
While disclosing their various activities and operational plans on the Lagos Island Business District, stakeholders at the meeting drawn mainly from the LASTMA, LAWMA, LASEMA, Lagos State Fire Services, Lagos State Ministry of the Environmental, Lagos State Resilient Office, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Renewal, Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Agency amongst others agreed on the need for proper harmonization of operations of agencies for effective service delivery in the Lagos Island Central Business District.
Issues bothering on waste management, traffic control, environment, health and physical planning as well as security and fire safety were discussed with the resolve to have a standing committee to address areas of friction that may arise in the line of duties of agencies.