By Bisola Adeyemo
Toward the preparation of the Lagos Island Model City Plan, the Lagos state government has sought the cooperation of Lagos Island Local Government Area and Lagos Island Local Council Development Area, in actualizing the project.
The state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Idris Salako, sought the cooperation during an advocacy visit to the local councils on Thursday.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday to the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), by Mrs Monsurat Kehinde-Akinsanya of the ministry’s Public Affairs Unit.
Salako, who spoke through the Director, Regional and Master Plan, Mr Lateef Oladeinde, said that the area had no model city plan to guide its development.
He said that preparation of the Lagos Island Model City Plan was “to correct this lapse and position Lagos Island appropriately as the commercial nerve centre of the country’’.
The commissioner said that the plan was in line with Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda of making Lagos a 21st Century economy.
Salako said that the visit was to intimate the council’s leadership of the plan and introduce consultants on the project, Messrs Dar Al-Handasah.
He gave the assurance that the firm was reliable, trusted and able to deliver a sustainable planning document.
“Preparation of the Lagos Island Model City Plan would help in planning and sustainably harnessing the limited
land mass on Lagos Island to improve the socio- economic development of the area,’’ he said.
Mr Muhammed Ramadan, a representative of Messrs Dar Al-Handasah, also appealed to the council chairmen for cooperation throughout the process of preparing the plan, according to the statement.
Ramadan added that the council leadership support would also be needed during a house-to-house survey which would soon be conducted to generate data for the plan.
The Chairman, Lagos Island Local Government, Mr Adetoyese Olusi, said that the Lagos Island Model City Plan was a welcome development “for a city with limited land space’’.
Olusi expressed optimism that the plan would enhance provision of basic infrastructure in the area.
Olusi’s counterpart, Mr Alade Folawiyo, pledged support for both the state government and the consultant for a durable development plan for the area.