Dec. 21, 2021

The Lagos State Government has declared its readiness to completely refurbish all its infrastructure and make the assets more sustainable using standard guidelines for designs of office buildings recently produced and approved for the purpose.

The General Manager, Lagos State Infrastructure Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA), Ms. Adenike Adekanbi, who made the disclosure on Monday in Ikeja, said various buildings are presently undergoing rehabilitation based on the initiative and approval of Mr. Governor, who has also given the agency the target to prioritise health facilities and education infrastructure.

She said: “The process we follow in settling for assets to refurbish is in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S. Agenda as well as Mr. Governor’s directive to focus on health and education. We are investing in capital projects for those places. So our first consideration is always health and education and then other offices come next”.

“We actually get a lot of requests and it is very difficult for us to prioritise, but what we try to look at is safety. We have to consider if the building is safe. The ones that are not safe you have to do something quickly about them and then you go from there. But we prioritise health and education facilities and then consider others afterwards”, Adekanbi added.

She also revealed that infrastructure renewal and maintenance ongoing in the State was a deliberate measure by the government to transform the landscape and create the right kind of work environment for the workforce, stressing that Mr. Governor believes that government buildings are not only workplaces but also a statement to the public on how the government conducts its businesses.

On expectations from the Agency, Adekanbi maintained that Governor Sanwo-Olu sees LASIAMA as an agency that is contributing to the economy.

In her words: “I think the biggest thing for Mr. Governor is that we are creating jobs. So when you have an infrastructural renewal agency like this, one of the biggest things we do is create jobs and contribute to the small and medium scale businesses in the economy. That’s really big for him. He is really interested in that”.

“When you handle a construction job you create jobs for that sector, when you have a maintenance job, you also create jobs for the sector. It’s a continuous thing. So I think he sees us more as an agency that is not only sustaining and preserving infrastructure but also an employment creation agency, thereby contributing to the State’s economy”, the General Manager explained.

Adekanbi listed Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that LASIAMA has worked or is working on to include Lagos State Fire Service Stations, Lagos Television (LTV), FADAMA Coordinator’s office, Drivers Institute (LASDRI), Blocks III and IV at the Secretariat, Alausa, which hosts the Ministries of Works and Infrastructure as well as Health and Information and Strategy, respectively, among several other public buildings.