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| How to free Lagos of Traffic Congestion and Flooding - Fashola |
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| Friday, 09 May 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Thursday enjoined Civil Society Organisations (CSO) in the State to collaborate with his administration in order to realize the policies and objectives of government tailored for the general good. Fashola, who spoke while receiving the leadership of the Coalition for Issue-Based Politics and Good Governance (CIPOGG), particularly asked for collaboration in the areas of the Environment, Traffic management, Security and flood control. Noting that the rainy season is fast approaching the governor urged vehicle owners in the state to service their vehicles, check its tyres and wipers to avoid breakdowns, pointing out that this also contributes to traffic congestions. He also urged the people to avoid dumping their refuse into canals and drains to avoid flooding saying it would be wasted effort and resources if government would spend so much in clearing drains and canals only for residents to turn them into repository of waste. The Governor enjoined the various resident associations in the metropolis to form large groups to be able to help in addressing various issues affecting them and decongesting traffic in their areas, pointing out that congestions were often as a result of the blocking of access routes by residents. Commending the initiative of the Victoria Island/Ikoyi Residents Association (VIIRA) in the effort to decongest traffic on the island, the Governor who blamed the congestions partly on the blocked access roads by residents, declared, “We have encaged ourselves and blocked the access roads with gates denying access to traffic at peak periods’, and encourage resident associations to constitute themselves into larger bodies to help government to decongest traffic. “If we dismantle those gates, the traffic will flow more freely”, he said. He also urged the civil Society groups to spearhead campaigns to stop shopping in traffic adding that congestion would result when people chose to shop for pepper and meat in traffic. The Governor expressed dismay that in spite of the efforts of his administration to provide platform for the proper discharge of industrial wastes, some corporate organizations were still discharging their wastes in a very improper manner. “We have made efforts to provide industrial waste-treatment plant after series of meetings with the industrial sector groups, but we are still being environmentally afflicted. I will retain the identity of the major corporate culprits until it becomes inevitable to make them public”, he said. He regretted that although government was doing its level best to raise the quality and standard of life of the people, the partnership needed to engage and actualize the process was not being offered, adding, “We cannot do it alone”. He particularly urged the Institute of Directors (IOD) and Concerned Professionals, whose members are represented in CIPOGG, to assist government to ensure that proper disposal of industrial waste was maintained by corporate organisations. The Governor declared, “The Guild of Accountants must be involved and concerned in ensuring that the way the assets and resources of the country are being applied in a transparent and verifiable manner”, adding that governance was not different from any corporation. “It must be able to account for all of our assets. How can we plan if we do not know our assets”, he queried. The Professionals, he also urged, should also get involved in the supervision of buildings as a way of ensuring quality jobs even as the government step up efforts to stop the unfortunate incidence of building collapse. The Governor emphasized that though government would do its best to improve the quality of lives of the people, it is the people themselves who would decide on the type of life they want to live. “It is the voice of Lagosians that will articulate the type of life we want to live, ours is to implement the policies that will actualize that decision”, the Governor said. He thanked the CIPOGG and the civil society groups for their support to his administration, pointing out that without such support, governance would have been more daunting. “You have kept us on our toes”, he said, expressing joy that Nigerians and Lagosians were becoming increasingly aware of happenings in governance and how such happenings affect their lives. “For too long, we never cared and we were never concerned what happened in governance. For so long we never took interest in governance and how it affects our lives”, the Governor lamented, adding that this was why the people never cared to pay tax because it seemed normal not to do so. Earlier, in her remarks, Chairman of CIPOGG, Lagos Chapter, Miss. Yemisi Ransome-Kuti, said the NGO was at the Governors office both to thank the Governor for his recognition and support given to the group and also to seek areas of mutual partnership with the State Government. Miss Ransome-Kuti, stated the aims and objectives of the organisation, said it was mainly for good governance in the country, adding that this was pursued through organizing awareness seminars, debates for political office aspirants and spear-heading other issues for good governance. She later presented the result of surveys taken from 20 local governments areas of the state, a report on town hall meetings, a report on Lagos State/CSO meetings, a summary of the partnership structure and action plan enumerating short, medium and long-term programmes and a copy of the draft MOU guiding the partnership agreement between CIPOGG and Lagos State Government.  Quote this article on your site | Views: 821 | Print | E-mail
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