AMID the new political administration envisaged in Lagos and Ogun states, experts are already predicting better days for urban planning, especially within the mega city project areas.
The state has been enmeshed in boundary dispute, which has affected infrastructural development in the border communities and physical planning activities. The town planners in every forum had heaped the blame on the authorities.
Specifically, in the past seven years or more, there has been intense disagreement between the two states on some issues bothering on the delineation of the boundary between the two states, especially, when it come to the issues bothering on tax collection, infrastructure provision, land matters and sundry issues.
However, professionals in the housing and planning sectors perceived the new development as a welcome one, not only between Ogun and Lagos, but states in the South West zones that has gained grounds during the last election.
Speaking at the just concluded Lagos housing fair held in Agidingbi, Ikeja, the Executive Director, Loans, Production, Security, Insurance and Market Development, Mr. Bola Ogunsola, traced the difficulties inherent in housing provision, especially, for the middle and low income earners in places like Lagos to the shortage of land.
According to Ogunsola, Lagos’ population with few land size, is far outnumbered than that of Oyo and Ogun put together, but with large expanse of land, but that ineffective use of this boundary advantage is putting much pressure on Lagos.
“Now that the entire southwest states are under the control of one political party, they should use the opportunity to provide the necessary infrastructure that would facilitate attraction for people to have their houses in those states, without spending as much as they would in Lagos”.
Speaking in the same vein, Professor Tunde Agbola of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Lagos, said if the policy makers are serious about the issue of housing delivery for all category of Nigerians, there should be synergy between the federal and relevant state governments on interstates’ collaboration, “especially, in the south west where political providence has placed them under a single political party”.
Agbola singled out the development between Lagos and Ogun as a welcome one whereby the contentious issue of boundary adjustment has slow down “what could have been collaborative advantages”.
Another town planner and former Chairman, Lagos chapter of Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Mr. Moses Ogunleye, said the emergence of a single ruling party in the southwest zone is an opportunity to fashion out collaborative efforts that would attract people working in Lagos to live in either Ogun or Oyo state.
“From the perspective of a Town Planner, collaboration among these states in term of joint use of boundary by ways of effective transportation system would be beneficial to all of them both economically and social aspects”.
“This can only be achieved in there is an effective transportation system, especially, rail transportation.
Sources disclosed that the Ogun State Governor-Elect, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has assured the communities in the disputed boundary of a workable solution to the problem, “now that governments in Lagos and Ogun are from the same party and with the same zeal and commitment to serve the people of the two sates who are historically and politically, one indivisible family”.
According to one of the source, the committee set up by the Lagos government at the peak of the crisis may need to be reconstituted and given a new mandate. “The problem then was the attitude of some individuals to a just and equitable distribution of amenities and infrastructural needs of the people living in the boundary. If the former administration was favourably disposed to the needs of these people, there may not be unnecessary clamouring for re-delineation of the existing adjustment. But all these anomalies is going to be corrected immediately the new governments are put in place in the two states.”
From Lagos end, there was the realisation that government has take into cognizance, the present situation by putting it on top of its agenda, a new rapprochement between the two states on some issues.
“It is obvious the difficulty in identify which communities fall within which of the two states, especially, in places like Ojodu Abiodun, Otta, Sango, Mowe, Kolington, Moshalashi, in Agbado-Ijaiye axis and many others. So for the purpose of provision of amenities such as schools, health centres, market, road network and others, a new working relationship is to be developed by the two states. But most importantly is the issue of land and taxation, land administration and infrastructure provisions”.
The contentions among the Ogun residents include the issue of “double taxation”, lack of infrastructural provision, and problem of land allocation, tenement rate and several others.
Besides, the example of the recent flooding that ravaged Ogun and Lagos, as occasioned by the opening of Ogun Dam is also on top of agenda included in working relationships between the two states.
Confiding with The Guardian, a member of Lagos executive council, who is also involved in the boundary dispute, said the new committee would be drawn from the two states to critically look into the issues involved. “The committee would not only comprise of government officials, but also professional bodies, representatives of the boundary adjustment committee at the federal level, community leaders and other stakeholders.”
Source: The Guardian Nigeria Website