Kehinde Adeleye
In an effort to tackle the issue of food security in Lagos, Deputy Governor Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat outlined various initiatives that are being implemented under Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s leadership to ensure that the state is self-sufficient in terms of food production.
Dr. Hamzat highlighted that the Lagos State Government has developed a five-year agricultural plan that focuses on improving food storage infrastructure and addressing the challenge of limited land mass.
Addressing the issue of food security during a live interview, Deputy Governor Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat shed light on the government’s ambitious vision of transforming Lagos into the hub for agricultural distribution in Nigeria.
He emphasized, “Given that Lagos State has a relatively smaller land mass compared to other states like Ogun State, which has a land mass four times larger than Lagos, but still has a higher population with increased demand for food and beef, it is imperative that we prioritize food security.”
“One of the challenges faced in the agricultural sector in Lagos is the inability to provide enough agricultural products for the people and store enough to make the products available across the state,” he lamented.
While reeling out the different initiatives put in place by the present administration, the Deputy Governor noted that the government has established the Imota Rice Mill with 16 silos, where the state is collaborating with different states such as Niger, Kebbi, Kwara, and others to secure paddings that will aid produce of over a million 50 kg bags of rice annually.
Speaking further, on the government’s policies, Hamzat stated that the T.H.E.M.E.S+ agenda stands for various pillars; T stands for Transportation and Traffic Management. He highlighted that traffic management is key because Lagos is a state with a high density of humans, occupies o.4 percent of the land, and takes care of 10 percent of the entire population, which automatically means that there will be traffic.
Besides, the Deputy Governor noted that in a bid to solve the traffic problem in the state, the government has diversified into other transportation systems, which include water and rail. “We encourage people to go on ferries and trains. The idea for us is to increase from one percent passengers for rail to maybe 15 percent and water also to 15 percent. Which means 30 percent on other transport means and 70 percent on the road to reduce the pressure on our roads,” he said.
He added that the present administration has recently launched 15 new ferries with 40 seats that were built in Lagos. To also address the traffic challenge, the government has removed many roundabouts due to the high vehicular density in the state.
On making Lagos a 21st-Century Economy, he noted that the Sanwo-Olu’s administration is committed to increasing the economic activities in the state as it improves the state’s GDP, adding that since the inception of the administration, the government has empowered over 143,000 SMEs, saying “if the basket is bigger, then the state can have enough money to spend on other infrastructures.”
Dr Hamzat emphasized that the present administration is currently planning out the 2025 budget, and the state officials are going around to compile the needs of the different communities within the state.
Hamzat noted that the present administration prioritizes securing the lives and property of its citizens, adding that “Without a state being secured we really can’t do anything.” He reiterated that the state government has continued to support the security agencies in securing security gadgets to make sure that the state is secured and help to increase economic activities.
However, in the health sector, the Deputy Governor emphasized that the government is committed to providing adequate health facilities, stating that the government is building a huge facility in the different divisions of the state such as a 500-bed space hospital Ketu-Ejirin in Epe, this is to take care of those who had lost touch with their families.
While Commenting on the upcoming nationwide protest, the Deputy Governor asked, “How have we gotten to a stage where we destroy things meant for us? It means something fundamentally has changed. We just destroy assets, make people lose their businesses, and inflict pains on fellow citizens, and not the government”.
He, therefore, bemoaned that the nation’s values are breaking down and there is a need to ensure that everyone collectively strives to take it back, adding that “this is where our religious leaders and traditional rulers need to do a better job”.
