LASG moves to criminalize infrastructure vandalism

The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said that it would enforce laws to stop damage to public infrastructure, especially roads.

Mrs Aramide Adeyoye, Special Adviser to Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Works and Infrastructure, said this while taking questions from newsmen during the 2020 ministerial press briefing.

The briefing was also to commemorate first anniversary of the Sanwo-Olu administration.

Adeyoye, who lamented excess loading, indiscriminate road cutting and burning, as well as theft of manholes covers, appealed to residents to support the protection of government assets.

She explained that the office of the Civic Engagement would soon embark on massive enlightenment campaign to change attitude of residents towards public assets in the state.

“We are trying to promulgate laws and enforce existing laws to make people liable for vandalizing public assets.

“For open manholes covers, I keep saying this, anything we do not take ownership of is like no man’s property.

“When I see people burn tyres on the road, manhole covers removed by scavengers, I say we should not be so destructive because this is your money, our money, tax payer’s money.

“Mechanics stay on the road and want to repair cars there, one thing we say in the Ministry of Works is, ‘stop vadalisation of those property take ownership of them.’

She urged residents to assist the government to safeguard the public facilities by educating themselves on the dangers their actions posed to others.

Adeyoye said that the state government was trying to harmonize its rules with a Federal Government law which criminalizes anyone carrying excess load beyond roads capacity in order to ensure the long lasting of the roads.

“It becomes like an offense when you do excess loading on those road pavements, you pay a charge or penalty. I am sure by the time we do that, these roads will last longer,’’ she said.

She said that the state government was also reviewing its Public Private Partnership (PPP) laws to encourage private sector participation to address the huge road infrastructure deficit in the state which government alone could not handle.

“We will definitely encourage PPP participation but we also need to amend our PPP laws so that it becomes attractive to investors.

“And also, our arbitration laws must be made to be investors friendly. So we are looking at those laws, so that we can get the best from investors.

“That is why we have called in investors for the 4th Mainland Bridge, we are looking for investors to see who has money and to see that they deliver value for the money,” she said.

Speaking on abandoned Federal Government buildings in the state, she said state government was planning to collaborate with the Federal Government on how to take over the management of the assets.

On inner roads and interconnectivity, she said that the state government had embarked on massive rehabilitation and reconstruction across the state to reduce travel time and remove gridlock.

The Special Adviser said that the state government had completed and commissioned 31 network of roads in Ojokoro LCDA within its one year period in office.

“The completion of these network of roads has offered traffic relief to the area, improved socio-economic activities and interconnectivity to the neighboring Ogun State.

“The 20.2km length of network of road executed in two phases also creates easy access and reliefs the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway,’’ she said.

Adeyoye said that the Ijedodo road neglected for several years had been awarded by the state government and would be handled by Messers Oceanic.

“In furtherance of the priority given to road rehabilitation and construction in Lagos State, the people of the flood prone areas of Ijegun, Ijagemo and Ijedodo will soon put harrowing experience behind them as the state government prepares to construct the phase I of the project situated in Ojo Local Government Area,’’ she said.

She said that the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Agric-Isawo road into a four-lane dual carriageway, conceived to link Ikorodu axis with Lagos-Ibadan expressway through Arepo in Ogun State, was about 20 per cent completed.

She added that the reconstruction and upgrade Of Igbogbo-Bola Ahmed Tinubu-Igbe road, Ikorodu, another project to link several communities was about 12 per cent completed.

She listed road under various completion stages to include, Samuel Ekundayo/Toga road in Badagry, Samuel Ekundayo road/Toga road, Intersection-Samuel Ekundayo/Aradagun-Iworo-Ajido-Epeme road Intersection and Ishefun -Camp Davies- Ijon road Network in Alimosho.

She also listed various interstate link roads to Ogun as well as car parks, jetties and other public buildings under construction to make life comfortable for Lagos residents.