When CDHR, CACOL Beamed Searchlight On Infrastructural Development In Lagos – Independent Newspaper Nigeria

LAGOS – Last Thursday, October 31, 2024, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Lead­ership (CACOL) held the Citizens Accountability and Rights Forum (CARF) with the theme, ‘Relevance and Roles of the Citizens in Infra­structural Development in Lagos State’.

The event, which was held at the Rights House, 43, Adeniyi Jones Av­enue, Ikeja, Lagos State, attracted a large number of activists from sev­eral civil society organisations, the media, members of the Community Development Associations (CDAs) and Community Development Com­mittees (CDCs) from several Local Governments (LGs) and Local Coun­cil Development Authorities (LC­DAs) and government’s agencies in Lagos State, as well as lawyers and educationists.

The latest CARF, the eighth in the series so far, according to the programme, had Dr. (Engr. Adekun­le Olayinka, Special Adviser to the Governor on Works, and Engr. Olufemi Olu Olubunmi Daramola, Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, as Keynote Speakers. But, the two officials did not attend the event, neither did they send rep­resentatives.

Hon. Desmond Elliot, Chairman, Lagos House of Assembly Commit­tee on Works and Infrastructure, was also absent, while Hon. Gbenga Omotoso, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, sent a representative.

However, Dr. Abiodun Afolabi, the Special Adviser to the Governor, Of­fice of Political, Legislative and Civ­ic Engagement, who was pencilled down as Chairman of the event, was present. His presence greatly light­ened the event as he held the crowd­ed hall spellbound with stories on infrastructural development in the state in several sectors.

Dr. Afolabi’s input at the event, indeed covered every other area that would have received the attention of his two ansentee colleagues, who he said were very busy on crucial offi­cial matters.

In his opening remarks, Comrade Debo Adeniran, who doubles as the President, Committee for the De­fence of Human Rights (CDHR), and Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corrup­tion and Open Leadership (CACOL), noted that the event was the eighth in the series.

Adeniran stressed: “This is the eighth edition of the Citizens Ac­countability and Rights Forum (CARF). This event is a bold step in CDHR and CACOL’s commitment to contribute to creating a peaceful at­mosphere between the people on the demand side of governance in Lagos State and those on the supply side.

“This platform was organised to create an avenue where the imple­menters and the beneficiaries of various government policies would come together to explain, elucidate and expatiate on areas of concern for the citizenry with a view to harmon­ising different opinions on policies that are being implemented in the state.”

According to Adeniran, the event provided a forum for healthy exchanges of ideas so that the areas of friction between the government and the governed would be drastical­ly reduced, if not totally eliminated because the people would have sense of belonging and the government would have the opportunity of lis­tening to the people and explaining their positions on diverse policy is­sues that may crop up at a particular time.

He stressed that CDHR and CACOL were convinced that this would bring about a harmonious re­lationship between the government and the governed.

Adeniran stated: “Today, we want to beam our searchlight on the in­frastructural development in Lagos State. With the theme, ‘Relevance and Roles of the Citizens in Infra­structural Development in Lagos State’, infrastructure projects have been established to be key drivers of growth in the industrial sector, and real estate as a whole.

“Industrial nodes are important for multiple reasons as they provide job opportunities and encourage lo­cal production. The economic im­pact of the industrial sector is not isolated as it also translates into the establishment of office and residen­tial developments in surrounding areas.

“We would like to brainstorm on the efforts of the government at bringing the dividends of democra­cy in the area of infrastructure de­velopment to the people and how the citizens can play their parts in the development process,” adding that any information the state officials dished out would be straight from the horse’s mouth.

He added: “Infrastructural devel­opment in Lagos State is a dynamic and evolving process, largely due to Lagos’s status as a fast-growing meg­acity and economic powerhouse in Africa.”

With over 20 million residents, Adeniran stressed that “Lagos faces immense pressure to develop infra­structure that can keep up with pop­ulation growth, economic activities, and urbanisation.”

According to him, the Lagos State government had initiated several major projects over recent years to address these needs across trans­portation, housing, water, sanitation and even ICT. However, challenges like population pressure, funding constraints, and environmental concerns require that development is both accelerated and diversified to meet the city’s future demands.

He said: “Continued investment, urban planning, and strong pub­lic-private partnerships will be crit­ical to ensuring that Lagos evolves into a sustainable megacity capable of supporting its population and economic ambitions. We believe that citizens have a major role to play in infrastructure development of the state such as: Advocacy and Aware­ness: Citizens can advocate for neces­sary infrastructure projects, raising awareness about issues such as road safety, public transportation needs, and environmental concerns.

“Feedback and Input: Citizens can provide valuable feedback on existing infrastructure, identifying areas for improvement and suggest­ing new projects based on their ex­periences. Participation in planning: Involving citizens in the planning process through public consulta­tions or forums helps ensure that infrastructure projects meet com­munity needs and priorities.”

Adeniran informed that the idea of focusing on the state govern­ment’s policies and activities and gathering people to discuss them, is anchored on the determination to ensure that the common man on the street is not short changed by government policies and encourage an all-embracing, all-inclusive imple­mentation of government’s policies so as to enhance the socio-economic wellbeing of the people of the state.

According to him, “It should be noted that the forum is not meant only for public servants, as it will also engage major service providers like electricity/communication pro­viders, regulatory agencies, anti-cor­ruption agencies, etc., from time to time as the occasion demands.”

Adeniran stressed that CDHR and CACOL’s activities have for long been funded with subscriptions and donations from affiliate members and patrons, and solicited the sup­port of the organisations.

He said: “We would like to do more in the service of humanity and we are ready to partner with relevant government agencies and fraternal organisations to ensure that we con­tinue to be the voice for the hapless citizens of the country as a whole.”

He said that both CDHR and CACOL are firmly committed to the cause of making Lagos State and Ni­geria a peaceful place for all.

In his speech, the chairman of the occasion, Engr. Afolabi, took time to explain the efforts of the state gov­ernment towards infrastructural development, noting that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration has been doing everything possible to put smiles on the faces of Lago­sians, “both on infrastructure and stomach infrastructure.”

Afolabi informed that by this month, November, the governor would be commissioning over 60 roads, adding that the state, unlike others in the country, does not per­form ground breaking for projects.

He stressed: “We actualise things. We develop projects and hand them over to the people. The roads to be commissioned traverse all parts of Lagos; OldOjo Road, Lagos – Badagry Expressway, Ajah, Ikorosu, etc. A lot is happening and we will do more.”

While urging the people to help protect the projects from vandal­isation, Afolabi recalled that the government provided solar lights along the Third Mainland Bridge, but they were vandalised, adding that when such happens, it takes more time for the government to replace them.

Afolabi stressed that the govern­ment has not fully recovered from the effects of #ENDSARS, which he said was not palatable, saying, “We do not want to experience it again. I commend CDHR and CACOL for being articulate.”

He added that their criticisms make the government to wake up from slumber, even as he stressed the need for a participatory approach to governance, saying that the people are indeed the government.

He continued: “Lagos govern­ment is responsible and responsive. The coming of the Red Line and Blue Line is a thing of joy. People have al­ternatives. There is no traffic hold-up, no police checkpoints, no LAST­MA. All that people need is to buy the Cowry Card. The launching of the Red Line is a landmark. It attracts a 50 percent discount.”

Afolabi also touched on the state’s school system, informing that due to the removal of petroleum subsidies, the primary and secondary educa­tion have become free. The school buildings, he stressed, have been changed to Millennium structures, adding that very soon, Lagos will have its Medical College and will not be relying solely on the Lagos State University (LASU) for the training of medical doctors. This, he said, will enable more students to be admitted to read Medicine and check the ef­fects of brain drain.

Afolabi stressed: “Nobody can stop us. Through my office, there are a lot Lagosians can benefit from. We have the ‘Sanwo-Olu Cares’. The governor cares for us. If everyone has something to eat, everyone will be happy. “We deal with people with health challenges, indigent business­es, etc. No one comes to my office sad and will not leave with joy.

“We have programmes for wealth creation. But, people should be ready to leave their comfort zones. There are a lot in rural areas. Government provided equipment to people for start-ups in business after school.

“Let us help the government to protect infrastructures. People should stop littering the roads and gutters with plastics and nylon. They block the drainages and lead to flooding. People should not be blocking the right of way of canals and gutters.”

Afolabi also mentioned several other areas the Lagos State govern­ment has been performing for the benefit of the people, disclosing that the state borrowed money to carry out some major road projects, but stated that the toll collection at Lek­ki Toll Gate, which was suspended because of the #ENDSARS protest, will soon resume and pleaded with Lagosians to cooperate with the gov­ernment.

After a series of questions and answers, which Afolabi responded to, the participants were happy that it was indeed a satisfying session. In­deed, if other states are like Lagos, the nation will be a better place for citizens to live in.