Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 called on stakeholders to collaborate with the state government on its smart city project.
Sanwo-Olu made the call at the 2021 Stakeholders Conference of the Lagos State Infrastructure, Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA), with the theme: ”Lagos State Metro and Smart City Initiative: The Future of Technological Infrastructure”.
He said that his administration is committed to greatly investing in technology, which is critical to the development of the state and nation at large.
According to him, technology is crucial to the Lagos Smart City Project, hence, the need for collaboration as partners, to create a Lagos that works for all.
He said that the state government is committed to providing ease of doing business for investors, to make life better for citizens as well as adequate security of lives and property in the state.
The governor said that the state would not hesitate to take copy Singapore and other countries that used modern technology for massive infrastructure development, while also collaborating with the private sector.
”If Lagos is to sustain its Centre of Excellence status in the country, vital infrastructural development is critical to achieving human capital development. The economic impact that infrastructure improvement has on nation building cannot be over-emphasised,” he said.
During the conference, Sanwo-Olu also confirmed the acting General Manager of LASIMRA, Mrs Abisoye Coker-Odusote, as the substantive General Manager of the agency.
In his keynote address, the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr Hakeem Fahm, said that in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S. agenda, the state would leverage technology to provide infrastructure to boost the state economy.
Fahm said that the government would leverage technology to improve security, enhance efficient service delivery in all sectors and traffic management, in a bid to achieve a smart city and make Lagos a 21st Century economy.
The General Manager of LASIMRA, Mrs Coker-Odusote, said that the government is keen at making Lagos the fortress of digital enterprise, an urban hub for innovation and commerce and a fertile market for imperial investment.
”In line with the Governor’s T.H.E.M.E.S. Policy Agenda, repositioning Lagos State as a smart city is an integral aspect of this administration.
”With a well-designed roadmap, the administration has been working hard to improve the efficiency of services and eliminate redundancies in major sectors to promote an enabling environment for business, as well as residents.
”The administration’s plan to fully transform the state Metro/Smart City Project and make her economy 21st century compliant is fully on course,” she said.
During a plenary, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Mrs Aramide Adeyoye, said that the state government is committed to the Smart City Project to reduce crime, increase investment among other things.
By Florence Onuegbu
