Lagos Assembly and waterfront leaders back the Lagos Water City project after demolitions, agreeing on enumeration and regeneration terms
The Lagos State House of Assembly and representatives of Makoko, Sogunro and Oko Agbon waterfront communities on Tuesday backed the proposed Lagos Water City project following recent demolitions in the affected areas.
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The resolution formed part of a five-point agreement reached during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Assembly complex in Alausa, Ikeja.
Chairman of the Adhoc Committee on Rules and Business and House Majority Leader, Noheem Adams, said the state government’s proposed project was designed to benefit residents of the affected communities.
Noheem Adams disclosed that a 10-man committee would be constituted to conduct a self-enumeration of affected buildings, with the exercise expected to be completed within two weeks and submitted to the committee for review.
Noheem Adams stressed the need for transparency in the process, noting that information supplied by the communities would be cross-checked with existing government records.
Noheem Adams directed Makoko stakeholders to forward the list of nominees for the committee upon its constitution.
The Baale of Sogunro Community, Chief Abraham Mesu, commended the Assembly’s intervention and described the Water City initiative as a landmark effort capable of improving living standards while ensuring that residents remained the primary beneficiaries.
Chief Abraham Mesu acknowledged concerns over the impact of the demolitions but affirmed the community’s readiness to cooperate with the state government.
The Baale of Makoko Waterfront, Chief Emmanuel Shemade, said community leaders had agreed not to rebuild demolished structures pending further directives.
Chief Emmanuel Shemade expressed satisfaction with the agreement aimed at regenerating Makoko communities without displacing residents.
Chief Emmanuel Shemade also welcomed the commitment of the state government to provide an aerial photograph showing the exact demolition boundaries within one month.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Geographic Information Service, Dr Olajide Babatunde, said the government had concluded plans for the Water City project as part of broader regeneration efforts.
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Dr Olajide Babatunde said the governor was concerned about overcrowding and poor living conditions in the waterfront settlements and assured that affected residents would be adequately compensated.
