Residents of Badia community today staged a protest march to Government House, Alausa, over what they described as orgy of abandoned projects in their community.
The aggrieved residents were led by their representative in the House of Assembly, Muyiwa Jimoh, along with the leader of the community, Prince Kayode Obadiya. Armed with placards with inscriptions such as ‘LMDGP, tell us why you want to sack the contractor?’ ‘No roads for PSP vehicles,’ ‘Apapa Iganmu: LMDGP, your system five is a failure,’ ‘Our houses have been demolished, please help us,’ among others, the aggrieved residents pleaded with the governor to urgently come to their aid.
In a letter addressed to the State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, signed by leaders of the community, it was alleged that the Lagos Metropolitan Development Governance Project (LMDGP) had taken over the project from Seg.Mahen Co. Nig.Ltd., without awarding it to another contractor.
“We are writing this letter to our Dear Excellency sir, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, the governor of Lagos state and the contractor Director, Mr. Dayo Oguntunde who represents World Bank in Lagos State to please save our souls.
“The World Bank has visited this community before our communities were enlisted among the areas to be assisted and we are part of Lagos,” the statement read. Some of the projects already abandoned included Canal (System V), which according to the letter was supposed to serve as alternative to a major drainage in the area but construction stopped since 2011, leading to deluge each time that it rains.
While championing the cause of his constituents during the protest, Jimoh hinted that, “the world Bank has currently terminated the project and is yet to re-award it. He therefore appealed to the state government to urgently intervene to save his constituents from impending danger.
In his response, Chairman, House chairman committee on Information, Strategy, Security and Publicity, Segun Olulade, praised the protesters for conducting themselves in a peaceful manner, adding that his colleague Jimoh has been proactive in his determination to make sure that the issue is amicably resolved.
“As a member of committee on Works, I know the role he (Jimoh) has been playing in ensuring that the matter is seriously looked into. I want to assure you that the House would surely look into it with immediate effect,” Olulade promised.
