By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Lagos State Governor, Bababjide Sanwo-Olu, had disclosed plans to embark on the construction of Ikotun Flyover as part of measures to reduce the menace of traffic gridlock along the axis.

Sanwo-Olu announced this on Tuesday, at a Two-Day Lagos State Physical Planning Summit, organised by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, with the theme: “Rethinking Lagos: A New Vision for a Regional and Integrated Megacity,” held at Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Former Governor of the State, and immediate past Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, was the guest Speaker. He titled his address as “Reminder,” which he stressed was to serve as reminder to everyone on what needs to be done for a regional and integrated megacity.

Speaking on various tasks posed by Fashola, the governor expressed commitment of his administration to continue to ensure the enhanced ease of doing business in the State.

According to Sanwo-Olu, “We can’t be complacent with our mega city status. We have to think out of the box and challenge ourselves on what the citizens want.

“We have taken a carefully planned approach to delivering impactful projects across Lagos.

“Notable successes include the Agege-Pen Cinema flyover, which was part of the Agege/Ifako-Ijaiye Model City Plan, and the Ajah and Abule-Egba flyovers, proposed in the Ajah-Lekki Infrastructure Master Plan and the Alimosho Model City Plan, respectively. Soon, we will commence the Ikotun flyover, the Opebi/Odo-Iyalaro bypass, and road expansions in Ikorodu.

“The recent junction improvement at Opebi and the regional road at Lekki are further examples of our commitment to these plans. Additionally, the Lekki Deep Sea Port and the new airport in Lekki are direct results of proposals from the Operative Development Plans.

“We are also committed to addressing the challenges posed by climate change. We have successfully implemented measures to mitigate the impacts of flooding, sea-level rise, and other environmental risks.

“The creation of the Lagos Resilience Strategy is a clear demonstration of our dedication to safeguarding our city for future generations.

“We have embarked on transformative infrastructure projects that enhance mobility, reduce congestion, and improve the quality of life for all Lagosians.

“The Lagos Rail Mass Transit projects and the continuous development of our road networks are key pillars in our efforts to promote sustainable urbanization.

“Thank you (Fashola ) again for reminding us, you also reminded us as planners we need to be audacious, we need to be ambitious and we need to be very creative ensuring that we can indeed plan for the future and plan to build the cities.”

Earlier, Fashola said, “We are to remind ourselves what needs to be done. But just before I go in there, what really is a megacity? How many people in this meeting know what a megacity is? And I ask this question not in any derisive manner, but in reality of the fact back there that people used to ask me,Governor, where is the megacity?

“So, for not a few, it was a sacred place, a special place almost like a heavenly place. And I recall that it was my responsibility to continue to enlighten that it is not a destination, it is a status.

“A status of the number of people within a special environment designated as cities. And it was cities that had populations of 10 million and above. So, once you become mega, your headache really becomes mega.”

He challenged Sanwo-Olu to be a little bit bullish in his approach to managing traffic enforcement, especially, the violation on Bus Rapid Transit, BRT corridor by commercial motorcyclists, Okada, and mini- buses, called Korope.

“But why is this diversion necessary? It is to understand the context of this meeting, how to organize in a mega city, and the kind of mega materials that will be needed. Lagos has a concept and a master plan for seven rail lines, and we are at two.

“So, in that mega arrangement, what is the role of the town planner? Who is the town planner? And I think that for me, I would argue, the most important member, in my view, of the cabinet of a mega city like Lagos, the most important member, first and foremost, is the town planner.

“Because it is his responsibility to envision how the state, the environment will evolve.”