BusinessDay 21 Jan 2018

32 BD SUNDAY
C002D5556 Sunday 21 January 2018
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SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE
Rotimi Ogunleye and task of
Lagos physical planning
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State recently reshuffled his cabinet with appointment of key commissioners to strategic
ministries. This is to ensure quality performance, enhance his administration and give Lagosians quality live. Daniel Obi assesses
the tasks before Rotimi Ogunleye who was moved to ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
Widely travelled
Akinwumi Ambode,
Lagos State
governor has plan
for ideal model
city. It is therefore interesting that
from inception of his administration
in May 2015, he began in earnest to
execute plans and projects to make
Lagosians proud of the city.
His application to re-construct
the long abandoned and dilapidated
but very important Airport- Oshodi
road and the subsequent approval
by Federal Government; removal
of round-about along Lekki and the
construction of layby on major roads
to ease traffic are indications of his
determination to give Lagos a new
look and ease traffic-induced stress.
He has also displayed determination
for good transport system,
enhancement of BRT system, and
sustenance of lighting up Lagos.
From the early stage of his administration,
Ambode, the 14th Governor
of Lagos State whose comportment
and determination to achieve stands
him out has shown that governorship
is a serious business.
He has invested massively to reenergize
and re-invigorate the State
security infrastructure to bring it to
a level comparable to what obtains in
other modern city states.
In addition, the adoption of ‘Itesiwaju’
as slogan, interpreted to mean
‘Lagos is moving forward’ exemplifies
his values and character as action
and forward looking man. With
beautifications, constructions, filling
of pot holes, erecting of monuments
at strategic places and charge on his
commissioners for performance, he is
bringing Lagos closer to a dream city.
Lagos means so many things to
so many people. To some people, it is
an amazing city with bubbling live
and lots of opportunities. To others,
Lagos is densely populated with
intensive hustling and bustling and
heavy traffic jam. Simply put by an
observer “Lagos has everything to
offer everybody”.
But Lagos which is home to many
Nigerians and foreigners today has
physical planning defects. Roads
have been taken over by markets;
some buildings have unapproved
attachments; some filling stations ,
gas stations and churches, mosques
are sited within homes with external
very loud speakers and its attendant
noise pollution. Also kiosks in various
ugly shades have taken over gutters
and roads which assist in congesting
the pathways leading to traffic jams.
To Ambode, Lagos cannot continue
this way and still attract the
Ogunleye
expected respect, brand and tourism
within competing international
cities.
Fortunately, the Lagos office of
Physical planning was established
far back in 1928 and has metamorphosed
to the present name - Ministry
of Physical Planning and Urban
Development. In 1928 it was called
Lagos Executive Development Board,
changed to Lagos State Development
Property Corporation (LSDPC) in
1972. It became Ministry of Environment
and Physical Planning in
1990 and in 1999 it was called Office
of Physical Planning, Ministry of
Environment and Physical Planning.
Even with the presence of this
ministry for years, the planning of
Lagos has to some extent been left
to the dictates of ‘Omoniles’ who are
interested in selling parcels of land
in disregard for market places, width
of roads and streets, recreation and
sporting centres in counties.
It is not clear what therefore
informed the choice of the ‘Centre
of Excellence’ sobriquet chosen in
about 1992 when states adopted
slogans during the introduction of
Vehicle registration number but
whether the state is living up to the
slogan or not, Ambode is bent on
giving Lagos a new chapter. He hit
the ground running from day one of
his administration.
Recently, he reshuffled his cabinet,
moving Rotimi Ogunleye, former
commissioner for Commerce, Industry
and Cooperatives to the ministry
of Physical Planning and Urban
Development. Ogunleye’s appointment
for the task of Lagos physical
planning is seen in some circles as
vote of confidence and informed by
the capability and competence the
barrister has displaced even in Commerce
and Industry, “to make Lagos
Africa’s model mega-city”.
While in the commerce ministry,
the position he held for about 24
months, Ogunleye as in his days as
a top journalist in BusinessTimes,
displayed courage, tenacity of purpose
and determination in line with
Ambode administration’s philosophy
and character.
Ogunleye, as commissioner in
charge of Commerce and Industry
encouraged investment, enhanced
industrial harmony and commercial
activities in Lagos through the facilitation
of sustainable commercial and
industrial activities.
He also encouraged the development
of micro/cottage and small
scale industries in the state in order
to attain and sustain the level of
viable and vibrant commercial and
industrial activities in Lagos.
As commerce and industry commissioner,
he also successfully liaised
with relevant agencies such as
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria
(MAN), Central Bank of Nigeria
(CBN), Bank of Industry (BoI), World
Bank, IMF, National Association of
Small Scale Industries (NASSI), National
Association of Small and Medium
Enterprises (NASME), among
others to ensure Lagos industrial
growth and harmony were not compromised.
As core and central as his responsibility
was at commerce and
industry ministry, so also are his new
duties at physical and urban development
ministry. Looking back, the job
is daunting, taking into consideration
the age-long shortcoming of physical
planning of some areas in Lagos.
The central idea is to build a
mega city that is sustainable, organised,
liveable, business and tourismfriendly.
This can only be achieved
when the ministry with three parastatals
- Lagos State Physical Planning
Permit Authority (LASPPPA),
Lagos State Building Control Agency
(LABSCA), and Lagos State Urban
Renewal Agency (LASURA) ensures
that buildings are constructed in the
site allocated to them and wastes are
not piled up on the streets.
While the commissioner may
take a second look at kiosks that are
built on gutters, which, apart from
their ugly looks, make it difficult to
clean the drainage for easy passage
of flood, it will be interesting if he revisits
Makoko in Yaba for proper replanning.
The view of Makoko from
Third Mainland Bridge is not really
good enough for Lagos brand. There
are similar shanties here and there.
Within Lagos, there is increase
in shopping malls. This is a welcome
development in a city like Lagos to
encourage consumer spending but
it would be untidy to site any shopping
malls without enough parking
space. Some of these shopping malls
are already causing traffic difficulty.
Building collapse anywhere in the
world comes with its monumental
cost - material and human loss with
psychological effect. The Physical
and Urban Development ministry
under Ogunleye must continue to
be proactive to avoid such incidence.
The ministry must use its weight
to monitor big construction work
to ensure compliance. It must also
investigate (distress) structures for
integrity text.
Rotimi, a former business editor,
lawyer and politician is not only
competent as he displayed in his
past assignments but well-prepared
for the tasks ahead to make Lagos a
better place. Aligning with analysts’
comments, one cannot but therefore
commend Ambode for having
such a personality in his government
at this time when the nation’s
economy is seriously in need of
technocrats who could find solutions
to many economic problems
of this nation.
Ambode also made a right choice
in diligent and meticulous Ogunleye
when he looked around and asked
himself who will I send to attend to
Lagos physical planning especially
this time when foreigners are trooping
in to Lagos for investments and
tourism.
There is no doubt that Barrister
Rotimi Ogunleye, a prince from the
popular Ogunleye family of Ikorodu
has the capability to perform in the
new assignment. With his loyalty to
the government of Ambode and the
governor at his back, he is will likely
give Lagos a new face.