By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur Olowoopejo
Lagos State Govern-ment is set to enact a new law aimed at streamlining the activities of private organisations and individuals in discharging Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, in the state.

According to the Commissioner for Rural Development, Mr. Lanre Balogun, who disclosed this at a one-day stakeholders’ workshop on contractors-financed option for project implementation/provision of infrastructure in rural areas in Lagos, the State Executive Council would soon forward a bill to the Lagos State House of Assembly for consideration and eventual passage into law.

Balogun said: “Very soon, an executive bill will be forwarded to the House of Assembly; before any organisation within and outside the state provides any facility to Lagosians, they must link up with the state agency involved with that statutory responsibility so that they can synchronise their plans with what the government has earmarked and what areas they will like to intervene.”

He stated that the government encourage CSR but discovered that private organisations and individuals in the state provide CSR to communities in the area of construction of community hall, erection of boreholes, provision of free healthcare delivery and others, to areas which were already earmarked by the state government.

“This leads to multiple provisions of facilities. And with the new bill, organisations willing to provided CSR in the state cannot do so without seeking the approval of the state government.”Balogun added.

The commissioner urged corporate organisations and individuals in the state to work with the state government in other for both parties to deliver a good project together.

On project delivery, the Permanent secretary, ministry of Rural development, Engr. Babatunde Oshodi said “the state government is introducing new strategies which will fast track project delivery in the state.”

Oshodi added that effective quality time delivery of projects within dry weather periods is therefore the goal of the new strategy.
He noted that if projects commence earlier, it should be completed before the stipulated period.

According to him; “Over the years attempt at taking advantage of dry weather period which in the country falls between November and April have not yield much.”

“By our traditional procurement and funding methods, most contracts in the state commence in the middle of the raining season. Most time the contractors collect down payment from government and sits at home watching for the rain to subside. Price increase occurs in some cases which lead to variation in controversies.” Oshodi said.