WE ARE NOT SURPRISED BY EMERGENCE OF LAGOS AS FIFTH BEST AFRICAN CITY TO LIVE, WORK, INVEST – OMOTOSO
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… Says Red Rail Line to Start Operations Soon, No Going Back on Styrofoam Ban
The Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso has said that the State Government is not surprised by the recent report that ranked the state as the Fifth Best African City to Live, Work and Invest.
He said the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led administration deserves the recognition by the Time Out Magazine that puts Lagos as the fifth African city with high desirability for people to live, work and invest. The Commissioner spoke today on a TVC programme: “Business Nigeria”.
Time Out is a London-based magazine, a global media and hospitality business that enables people to discover and experience the best of city life.
Reacting to the survey, which puts Lagos at 53.7% behind Cape Town, South Africa; Cairo, Egypt; Johannesburg, South Africa and Casablanca, Morocco and Nairobi, Kenya, which comes sixth after Lagos, the Commissioner said considering the projects and policies of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration, the recognition is expected.
In his words: “When you look at what the Governor is doing in Transportation, for instance, where we have the Blue and Red Rail Lines, then you have nothing to say but to applaud the reporters for a job well done”.
The Commissioner, while reviewing the Transport, Health, Entertainment and Security sectors, noted that everything in Lagos is top notch and the Governor has done very well across the board.
Acknowledging the fact that there will always be room for improvement, the Commissioner submitted, “We can do better. We aim to be the best. We aim to be number one. And that is why as I speak to you today, Governor Sanwo-Olu is trying to see what we can do about getting more trains for the Blue and Red Rail Lines. This is because by the grace of God, any moment from now, within the first quarter, the Red Line will take off”.
Omotoso said the State Government is set to build a 100 Hectare Film City in Ejinrin where young people can exhibit their talents in all aspects of the creative industry.
On the Y2024 Budget, the Commissioner averred that Lagos has always been creative and that the State has always done well in budget performance as it did over 80% last year. He pointed out that there are many iconic projects on the way, such as the General Hospital in Ojo, “The first to be built in decades”, and the New Massey Street Children’s Hospital, which, when completed, will be the biggest paediatrics hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Maintaining that all the iconic projects slated for the year are not only people-oriented, Omotoso declared that they are specifically designed and tailored to make the lives of Lagosians better.
The Commissioner spoke also on the ban on styrofoams, saying it would not be reversed, as the State is prepared to sacrifice profit instead of the health of the people. Taking care of the environment, in his view, is one of the best gifts to bequeath to the coming generation.
“Anybody who is saying the ban on Styrofoam is going to hurt manufacturers and affect the local economy is not taking the big picture into cognizance as the health of Lagosians is more than naira and kobo”, Omotoso stated.
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