Sanwo-Olu to make Lagos 21st-century economy

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said the maiden edition of the Lagos Physical Planning Summit 2024 is a pivotal event aimed at reshaping the future of our megacity.

The theme of the summit: “Rethinking Lagos: A New Vision for a Regional and Integrated Megacity”.

He said it’s both timely and necessary towards building a resilient, sustainable, and inclusive Lagos.

He commended the former Governor, Babatunde Fashola for spearheading transformational projects that reshaped the state’s infrastructure, including the expansion of the Lekki-Epe Expressway, the development of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, and the initiation of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund, which significantly enhanced safety and security across the state.

Fashola however warned that payment for building approvals must be reasonable and processed within a good time. “Everything about building from conception to finishing must not be about the money that is coming to government coffers,” he said.

He said: “His commitment to urban renewal, sustainable development, and good governance continues to inspire us all, and we are honored to have him share his invaluable insights with us today. This event marked a milestone in our collective efforts to realize the comprehensive physical development plans for Lagos State.

“To accelerate the realization of our vision of making Lagos a 21st- century economy, alongside other pillars of our state’s blueprint, we have embarked on the reorganization of the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development to enhance its efficiency in serving the people”.

“We have taken a carefully planned approach to delivering impactful projects across Lagos. Notable successes include the Agege-Pen Cinema flyover, which was part of the Agege/Ifako-Ijaiye Model City Plan, and the Ajah and Abule-Egba flyovers, proposed in the Ajah-Lekki Infrastructure Master Plan and the Alimosho Model City Plan, respectively. Soon, we will commence the Ikotun flyover, the Opebi/Odo-Iyalaro bypass, and road expansions in Ikorodu.”

Sanwo-Olu said he has embarked on transformative infrastructure projects that enhance mobility, reduce congestion, and improve the quality of life for all Lagosians. The Lagos Rail Mass Transit projects and the continuous development of our road networks are key pillars in our efforts to promote sustainable urbanization.

Fashola, who was the Special Guest spoke on: “A meeting of Reminders”. He urged the governor to reposition Town Planners who are better placed to envisage how communities and states evolve. He regretted what he called the prevalence of assets without value in the state as former competitive infrastructure has been degraded and a not a few mismanaged.

He said: “My administration came up with BRT, but today the route has been overtaken by tricycles, bikes and Korope, we cannot be talking about a megacity or smart city when our infrastructures are not working. For instance payment for building approvals must be reasonable and processed within a good time. Everything about building from conception to finishing must not be about the money that is coming to government coffers.

“Let developers breathe and the government should be patient to collect revenue from Land Use Charge, VAT and Personal Income Tax after a particular development is completed,” he said, adding that building approval payment for revenue generation can be termed as tunnel vision. Streamlining the number of agencies building approval applicants must go through, a process that takes up to two years to get proper documentation is a disincentive to developers or individual builders.

Furthermore he advised Sanwo-Olu to reduce the number of Agencies of government related to building approval noting that the costs charged by some of them is unattractive and businesses can look for alternative states where the process is less cumbersome, he added that insisting on getting revenue from planning permits is not sustainable he added.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Physical Planning & Urban Development Oluyinka Olumidie said the state is mindful of the imperatives of a livable and sustainable built environment and also committed to ensuring that its growth is guided by sustainable, inclusive, and innovative planning principles.

He said the theme of the summit provides a unique opportunity to chart a course for the future of physical planning in Lagos by exploring strategies to address pressing issues of implementation, investment, sustainability and physical planning service delivery.

He noted that Lagos, with a population of over 22 million on an area of 3,577 square kilometres, about 20 percent of which is water, is acclaimed to have the highest rate of urbanization in Africa confronted with urban decay deficit and the threat of impacts of climate change among others.

Olumide further noted that over the past two decades, successive administrations have addressed these challenges through series of interventions and strategic policy initiatives noting that these Operative Development Plans (ODPs) are the basis for sustainable urban development in Lagos in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).