By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur Olowoopejo
LAGOS — Governor  Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, handed over three roads— Adelabu Street, Akerele Street and Ogunlana Drive — to Surulere residents with an appeal to Lagosians to cooperate with his administration in the on-going infrastructure regeneration by voluntarily paying their taxes.

Handing over the roads, Fashola said the people’s cooperation was necessary  because it was through infrastructure regeneration that the economy of the state could be grown and jobs provided for the teeming population.

The governor, who said there was still a deficit of infrastructure in the state, added: “For us, this is the way to grow the economy; this is the way to provide jobs. You cannot provide jobs by just making statements. You provide jobs by getting things done”.

According to him, the deficit is estimated to cost the state government about $50 billion against the state’s yearly revenue of about $3 billion.

Adding. “If you do the odd calculation of our budget of about four hundred and something billion and with a Dollar now about N162.00, it is possibly not up to $3 billion and that includes all the taxes that you pay.

“You can see the race we are up against. But, despite the difficulty, the regeneration and the bridging of the infrastructure gap has started. It started in 1999. You saw things being done at Kudirat Abiola Street, Oregun, in Adeola Odeku, in Sobo Arobiodu Street. You also saw the Lagos Island Central Business District renewal.

“Now we continue that through the renewal of Old Yaba, many parts of Apapa; now we are in Surulere, Idiaraba, Mushin, Alimosho, Ketu and so many other parts. We are in Ijeshatedo and in Aguda. There is still a lot of work to be done,” the Governor said.