August 14, 2022

The Lagos State Government has engaged stakeholders on the need to establish a smooth Right of Way (RoW) and construction of the Opebi-Mende link Bridge, a priority project of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration.

The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, who spoke during the stakeholders’ meeting in Alausa, described the construction of the Opebi-Mende link Bridge and approach roads as an iconic project that would help in addressing the Traffic and Transportation and the Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy Pillars of the T.H.E.M.E.S. Agenda of the Lagos State Government.

“It is a known fact that the people are the ultimate beneficiaries of development projects like this. As promised through the T.H.E.M.E.S. Agenda of the present administration, the State Government led by Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu will continue to take concrete steps towards ensuring the delivery of the dividends of democracy to our people. Evidently, this particular project, like many that have been executed across sectors, will add on as a good example of making life more abundant for the governed”, he said.

He enjoined the people to grant Public Officers and contractors working on the site unhindered access and hitch-free operations for the project to be executed in record time.

Salako stated that, as part of the procedure for the establishment of the RoW, officers from the Ministry would serve Statutory Notices on buildings earmarked for removal, mark such affected buildings at the expiration of the notices and also invite officers from Lands Bureau to carry out a valuation exercise for compensation purposes before the actual removal of structures.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on E-GIS and Planning Matters, Dr. Olajide Babatunde, noted that it behoves all property owners to respect the RoW of public facilities to avoid the removal of structures whilst the Governor had approved the consideration of compensation for buildings that must give way for public infrastructure.

Also speaking, the Special Adviser, Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye, urged the stakeholders to take ownership of the project and accord it the deserved support as their inputs and suggestions were factored in.

At the meeting were also the Permanent Secretary, Office of Infrastructure, Engr. Olufemi Daramola; General Manager, Lagos State Urban Renewal Agency, Ms. Ajibike Shomade, and the General Manager, Lagos State Planning and Environmental Monitoring Agency, Tpl. Daisi Oso, among others.