Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat has said the state government would continue to engage, interact and communicate with the youth, believing this would enable them to collaborate and partner with the government in achieving the set desired goals and programmes.
Speaking on Arise TV Programme, “The Morning Show”, Dr. Hamzat said the state government has been engaging youths across different sectors to get them involved in how things are done and run in the country.
He said Lagos is committed to providing youths with ‘cutting-edge’ facilities and technology, thereby empowering them to reach their full potential, including the desire to drive innovation and growth.
The deputy governor highlighted some of the initiatives the current administration has put in place to ensure youths are engaged, unleashing their potential for prosperity.
He noted that some of the youth are being sponsored to countries to see how things are done.
Speaking further, Hamzat said the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration would be remembered for laudable projects it had embarked upon, which would be a legacy of the administration. The deputy governor reeled some of them out, including road infrastructure, agriculture and food security, and transportation comprising the three major means of transportation, namely: road, water and rail, among other projects.
Hamzat said there was no local government in Lagos where the current administration was not doing tangible projects on a regular basis.
He said Lagos is the only sub-sovereign in the world to build rail on its balance sheet, adding: “We think we cannot be a metropolitan state without a rail, and finishing the blue and red line is our target. Let us be able to move our people conveniently”.
He, therefore, encouraged the private sector to participate in the projects the state government is doing, that are aimed at developing the state economy, saying, “now we have moved from conveying 70,000 people per month to about 288,00 people. We are also building jetties among others”.
Speaking further, he stressed the state’s commitment to enhancing local agricultural production, which will foster economic growth, address food price inflation and promote food security.
Lagosians have chosen dialogue, going by the huge response to the state government’s introduction of three telephone lines on which residents can interact with officials. The numbers are for Ministry of Youth & Social Development (+2347077178295), Information and Strategy (+2348119655788) and the Office of Political, Legislative and Civic Engagement (+2348025224347).
Within 24 hours of unveiling the telephone numbers, an average of 200 calls were received by each ministry. Callers acknowledged the peace that existed during the recent protest and urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to sustain the programmes put in place to reduce the present economic burden on Lagosians.
Top on the list of requests is the return of “Ounje Eko” Sunday market across Lagos State; the 25% rebate on fares paid on all state transportation platforms and concessions in the health sector.
A resident said; “Please, we are asking Governor Sanwo-Olu to return the discount on BRT bus fares. A trip from Ipaja BRT, which was reduced from N800 to N600, is back to N800, but we will appreciate if the governor directs the BRT operators to take it down again. This will help us reduce our daily cost of transportation”
Ayomide Olarinmoye, a student from Ekiti State University, inquired about accessing federal student loans. Nkechi Ajubike highlighted hunger and suggested a temporary subsidy for six months to alleviate economic hardship.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy Gbenga Omotoso said: “This is the way it should be. This is Lagos. We will always choose dialogue above violence, which is never our way.’’
Speaking further on the government’s initiatives, the commissioner maintained that the Sanwo-Olu administration would continue to empower youths and students by providing training and equipment to those who opt to become entrepreneurs.
“The ongoing engagement with youths is expected to bridge the gap between the youth population and foster a collaborative approach to governance,” Omotoso said.