The Lagos State Government says the totality of its efforts in all areas of the state’s economy was geared toward ensuring a safe and secure society.
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said this on Thursday in Ikeja, while presenting his administration’s achievements in the past two years.
L-R: First Lady of Lagos State; Mrs Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and his wife, Oluremi, during the ‘‘State-Of-The-State’’ Address At Lagos House, Ikeja On Thursday 
R-L: Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu; his wife, Dr. Ibijoke; Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and his wife, Oluremi, during the ‘‘State-Of-The-State’’ Address At Lagos House, Ikeja On Thursday
The occasion was tagged: ”Sanwo-Olu: 731 Days and Beyond, The State-Of-The-State Address”.
The governor said that government was working towards ensuring a safe and secure society for residents and where youth employment would be guaranteed.
”With more than two-thirds of Lagos State population falling below age 30, it is undisputable that the future of our state is the empowerment of our youth and security of their future.
”Our administration is committed to working with the youth and providing a safe environment for all to thrive.
”Most of our programmes are focused at empowering the youth. In the creative industry, thousands of them are being trained to become masters of their arts.
”No fewer than 4,000 youths have been placed in companies under internship programme; and many more will join. Our Volunteer Corps has more than 9,000 young people,” he said.
The governor said that the youth constituted the majority of the players in the tech-ecosystem and government had been supporting them by funding for innovative start-ups.
He said that presently, his administration had funded over 20 start-ups in areas such as agriculture-tech, environmental tech, educational technology and small scale manufacturing.
”Last October, we provided over $10,000 to each of the start-ups. We have also funded over 70 research initiatives across four Universities and Colleges of Education,” Sanwo-Olu said.
On security, he said that the government was currently working with the various state security operatives to determine additional operational and infrastructure needs that the state could support with.
The governor said that in the coming week, operational vehicles, communication gadgets, ballistic vests and helmets, anti-riot water cannon vehicles and Armed Personnel Carriers (APCs) would be handled over to the various security operatives.
He said that these would further enhance and improve their operations, which would ultimately have a positive impact on the security status in the state.
Sanwo-Olu said that the government would also be recruiting additional men, in the coming weeks, into the Neighbourhood Security Watch, to complement the efforts of the existing security personnel.
On the 4th Mainland Bridge, the governor disclosed that the ground-breaking for the construction and building of the bridge would happen before the end of this year.
According to him, the PPP concessionaires appear committed as they enter the final stage of the qualification process for the construction of the bridge.
”Lagos is 0.4 per cent of Nigeria’s total landmass, with a population of 22 million, representing about 10 per cent of the country’s total population.
”Looking at the interaction between these figures, one will notice an obvious disproportion between population size and habitation space.
”This, amongst other reasons, explains the perennial congestion on Lagos roads and across the state. As a government, we have undertaken several innovative means of ensuring that citizens’ travel experiences are palatable.
”We, therefore, believe that the construction of the 37km 4th Mainland Bridge will significantly change the face of transportation and movement in Lagos State,” Sanwo-Olu added. (NAN)
