By Rasaq Adebayo
No fewer than 24 out of 57 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State have built new structures in their council secretariats and or built entire new secretariats in the last two years.
ECHONEWS findings across the 57 local councils indicated that the 24 councils which represent 42 percent were trying to expand their building by adding more offices to accommodate more staff and federal and state government agencies such as Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Department of State Services (DSS), National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), and others.
Those councils whose chairmen embarked on building new secretariats include Isolo LCDA, Amuwo-Odofin LG, Alimosho LG, Ibeju-Lekki LG, Ikorodu North LCDA, Ikeja LG, Mushin LG, Odiolowo-Ojuwoye LCDA, Iba LCDA, Oto-Awori LCDA, Coker-Aguda LCDA, Apapa LG, Lekki LCDA, Imota LCDA, Ikorodu West LCDA, Apapa Iganmu LCDA, Ikosi-Ejirin LCDA, Etiosa LG, Mosan-Okunola LCDA, Ejigbo LCDA and some others.
Isolo LCDA is currently building a new Finance block and another block of offices for the executive members which are still under construction. The council is also redesigning its main gate, lawns, and outlook of the premises.
Amuwo-Odofin LG is building an ultramodern administrative building to provide more office space for staff and government agencies.
“The old ones have been brought down. We are building an entire new 4-storey building. When I mean the old one, what I mean is the administrative building to consolidate the existing legislative, account, and primary healthcare centre,” a council official told ECHONEWS.
The current administration of Alimosho LG under the chairmanship of Hon. Jelili Sulaimon, within the last two years, completed the new Secretariat building which was started in the previous regime.
During the #EndSARS protest saga, the administrative block in Ibeju-Lekki LG was burnt, ECHONEWS gathered that the block has been demolished and is currently under reconstruction.
“We are currently building a new Ultra Modern Secretariat Building. The old block was burnt by EndSARS protesters during that crisis.
“It’s a new building from scratch after the unfortunate saga of the EndSARS imbroglio where hoodlums razed down the entire Secretariat.”
In Ikorodu North LCDA, the council chairman, Hon. Deola Banjo on June 22, 2023, conducted the block-laying ceremony of a multipurpose building that would house Ikorodu North legislative chamber and offices, a multipurpose hall, and a customary court.
The project housed by the council secretariat, Eweye, Isiu handled by Becks and Vicks Nigeria Ltd is expected to be completed in five months.
Banjo, during the block-laying ceremony, said: “Today is a historic day. This project when completed would resolve some of our challenges in the previous years. Our councillors would now have a comfortable working environment. We can then boast of a customary court to resolve some of our domestic matters and a befitting hall to host our official events. I am already anticipating the relief this project would bring to the day-to-day administration of Ikorodu North LCDA.”
It is a total and brand new construction from scratch in Ikeja LG. The council demolished the old structures which are termed to be obsolete and constructed new ones.
“The main reason is because the demolished structures are old and obsolete hence, the need to build a new council secretariat/administrative complex,” council officials told ECHONEWS.
Just last week, the Chairman of Mushin LG, Hon. Emmanuel Bamigboye kicked off construction of a 2-storey building annex office at Oliyide.
According to the chairman, the structure is being built to accommodate Federal Government Agencies as he plans to facilitate the opening of a passport office in Mushin.
Laying the foundation ceremony of the new building, which was an extension of the old secretariat (now General Hospital Mushin), the chairman confirmed that the old building which was constructed over 40 years ago, has become dilapidated, and failed the structural integrity test.
“The new building will accommodate Federal Government Agencies like the Directorate of State Security (DSS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), National Immigration Service (NIS), National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), National Population Commission (NPC), National Orientation Agency (NOA, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), etc.
“The office annex will also accommodate commercial and entrepreneurship offices, to promote and offer business services to the community.”
The building, which is being constructed by Artwork Design Partnership, under the supervision of the Works and Infrastructure Department of Mushin Local Government, will be delivered and commissioned in six months.
Odiolowo-Ojuwoye LCDA pulled down some structures and started rebuilding them afresh with additional new buildings to expand and create more offices which are currently under construction.
In Iba LCDA, the administration block is being reconstructed to expand the building and have additional offices. It was gathered that the project will soon be completed and commissioned for use.
The newly built administrative block in Oto Awori LCDA has been completed by the current Prince Musibau Adekunle Asafa-led administration. Indeed, ECHONEWS observed that the whole compound of the council secretariat has been fully interlocked which has attracted many people to the council that now serves as a tourism centre.
Coker Aguda LCDA has demolished its old administrative block to give way for a new modern structure. The council is currently planning on the reconstruction of the block.
There is a new office building currently being built inside the secretariat of Apapa LG. The council is also building a vocational centre which is still under construction.
In Lekki LCDA, there is an ongoing reconstruction of some buildings, likewise in Imota LCDA, the administrative block is under construction to be commissioned soon.
Ikorodu West is building a new Chairman’s block, while the renovation of the administrative block and others are ongoing.
Apapa-Iganmu constructed a new council secretariat entirely in its new site, outside the old secretariat. Though the construction of the new secretariat had commenced long ago, it was commissioned to mark the 100 Days in office of the incumbent council chairman, Hon. Funmilayo Akande Muhammed.
In Ikosi-Ejirin LCDA, the legislative has just been built while the council is also currently building its mini stadium and sports centre outside the council secretariat.
While construction work is ongoing on its permanent secretariat site, Eti-Osa East LCDA is also renovating some of the damaged buildings at its temporary secretariat.
Ejigbo LCDA has started construction for the expansion of its secretariat since the first term in office of its chairman, Hon. Mobsurudeen Oloyede (Obe). The construction has continued during his second term which started in 2021.
According to him, the reconstruction of the Ejigbo LCDA council secretariat was born out of a passion for making Ejigbo LCDA a diverse and sustainable place to live and work and to set Ejigbo LCDA at the forefront of creating a model.
“This vision can be realized when capacity is prioritized. A capacity plan that accommodates all classes of government agencies, ministries, departments and ultimately the encouragement of seamless and responsive public participation in the overall public affairs.”
He said he was convinced that productivity in public services is a function of overall welfarism of management staffs, executives, legislators, judiciary, and the people by extension “which necessitated the ongoing innovations and expansion of council Secretariat with the construction of more offices for enabling work environment
“Public hall, religion hall for CAN, befitting mosque for Islamic faithful and elevator for perhaps the aged and people with disability are also engendered in the plans. Basic facilities to make everyone comfortable are not also left out.”
Some other local councils are also constructing new buildings to extend their offices in their secretariats.
RENOVATION
While many of them are constructing new buildings, some of them only renovated the existing structures to fit the modern local council environment. Still, others, since the beginning of the current local government administration in Lagos State in the last two years, have neither built a new structure nor renovated the existing ones. The reason as gathered by ECHONEWS is that some of the secretariats were reconstructed and renovated during the previous administration. It was also gathered that some of the chairmen who do not prioritise such renovation are serving their second term having done the renovation in their first term in office.
Among those councils who have embarked on renovation of their secretariats in the last two years are Itire-Ikate LCDA, Kosofe LG, Orile-Agege LCDA, Ojokoro LCDA, Surulere LG, Lagos Mainland LG, Agege LG, Ikorosu LG with building of public toilets and a new council hall which are located outside the council secretariat, Badagry LG, Lagos Island LG, Egbe-Idimu LCDA, Mosan-Okunola LCDA, Oriad LCDA, Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, Eredo LCDA, and others.
These renovated their existing structures by either fixing the damaged windows, doors, roofs, structural adjustment, re-painting, and equipping their offices to be upgraded to a state-of-the-art working environment.
However, there has been no renovation nor any new building in some council secretariats in the last two years for any of the reasons earlier mentioned in this report. They include Ojodu LCDA, Lagos Island East LCDA, Ojo LG, Oshodi-Isolo LG, Agbado-Okeodo LCDA, Ikorodu LG, Ijede LCDA, Iru Victorial Island LCDA, Ayobo-Ipaja is likely to renovate soon as the council is also planning to build a new legislative chamber.