Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday unveiled Elemoro Community Junior Secondary School, Ibeju-Lekki and 774 housing units at Sangotedo area of the state.
He said his administration would give priority attention to quality education and shelter for the residents.
The governor spoke at the unveiling of Elemoro Community Junior Secondary School on Tuesday, saying that the newly constructed educational facility is a project that is very dear to his heart and has made him extremely pleased.
According to him, “It is a fulfilment of my promise to provide the Okeodo Elemoro Iwerekun community with a secondary school. I am greatly pleased today because with the commissioning of this school, many children in this locality will now have access to secondary education and the platform through which they can fulfill their dreams and ambitions for the future without having to travel kilometres to another community for secondary education.
“Our administration’s approach to constructing new schools, rehabilitating and revamping existing ones is all encompassing and is also our way of saying we are taking the issue of security in our public schools very seriously. I wish to use this opportunity to restate our commitment to the safety and security of teachers and pupils in all schools across Lagos.”
Harping on the rationale behind his administration’s massive involvement in housing provision , he explained that the move is to meet one of the basic needs of Lagosians.
Governor Sanwo-Olu said that humanity is well preserved and protected when decent shelter is made available, describing decent shelter provides as the base upon which other socio economic activities can be built.
The governor said: “In an urban setting like ours and given attendant challenges of uncontrolled immigration into the state, it behoves on us as your own government to intervene in this sector so as to give succor to as many people as possible.
“In utilizing the THEMES agenda as a policy compass for achieving the Greater Lagos dream, the provision of decent homes is placed under the Pillar of Making Lagos a 21st century economy . This addresses our ultimate goal in housing development. We don’t only build houses, we create homes in livable communities.
” We provide supporting infrastructure within these enviroment to add value to the lives of our people. We promote a sense of togetherness that transcends our tribal, religious and political differences. This is our own answer to the need to build bridges and promote the emergence of new communities that are resilient and responsive to both communal and individual yearnings of their members.”
The governor added that everyone can benefit from state housing schemes, saying that is the reason the state government is deepening its activities in the area of land allocation and speeding up the formalization procedures for land acquisition.
“We are going ahead with the plans for full excision on all untitled lands. This is to ensure orderliness and sanity in this important sector with the aim of tackling the problem of land grabbing in Lagos State.
“The menace of land grabbing is a major turn off for both individuals and private sector real estate investors . In putting this plan into reality , all stakeholders will be carried along to enable us have a formal and documented delineation on communal land and family land. ”
Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, emphasised the importance of modern infrastructure to the delivery of quality education, stressing that access to conducive facilities would aid pupils realise their full potential.
Adefisayo praised Sanwo-Olu’s passion and sustained commitment to the provision of world-class infrastructure in public schools, describing the gesture as “exemplary”.
Special Committee for the Rehabilitation of Public Schools in Lagos State (SCRPS) supervised the construction of the school and ancillary facilities.
