From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos
Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola yesterday blamed the massive degeneration of
infrastructure in Apapa ports and other area of the state on Federal Government’s neglect.
Fashola lamented that despite the economic importance of the district to the Federal Government, it has over the years neglected the areas.
Fashola who was speaking at opening of BusinessDay Newspapers Headquarters located in Apapa said : “Apapa being the first industrial estate, where the economy of this country started to take shape is not supposed to suffer the neglect it has suffered over the years, and until the point of its total neglect; Apapa continues to spill forth, revenues to the national government, not only in millions, but in hundreds of billions and sometimes trillions.
“The question simply to ask is what kind of manager makes that kind of money in a place and refused to put something back there. As a sub-national government, within the limit of our control, though we have no territorial control over the port, we have to come and manage the fall out of the management of the port.
Fashola said his administration has started the regeneration of the Apapa city plan, saying the state government within the limit of its control has cleaned up the environment to ensure that businesses in the area continue to strive.
“When we came to assess what the problems was here because we have started the regeneration of Apapa in accordance with the Apapa city plan. What we saw at the time we came here is better left said because human beings were living on the major highways in Nigeria’s first industrial estate and deals with all the natural issues that human beings deal with right there.
“But, I am lucky to lead a team which does not give up, we started the cleanup. As soon as we started, the Federal Government team came here within 48 hours and they said they were ready to join us.
“We held meeting with them and after that, in spite of two letters to follow up, they have not comeback till today. I was later told that they are angry because we have taken the media credit for doing the work.”
