By Kingsley Adegboye

As part of its urban renewal efforts, the Lagos Metropolitan Development and Governance Project, LMDGP,  has embarked on slum upgrading projects in Mushin, Itire and Ijeshatedo  communities. The projects include upgrading of 30 roads and drains, provision of boreholes as well as upgrading of primary schools.

LMDGP is a World Bank assisted special purpose vehicle put in place by the Lagos State Government in 2008 to upgrade 10 blighted communities  in order to improve liveability in Lagos as a megacity. The upgrading sub-projects were developed in response to the expressed demand of the beneficiaries in nine slums – Agege, Orile Agege, Ajegunle, Amukoko, Badia, Iwaya, Makoko, Ilaje, Bariga and  Ijeshatedo/Itire.

The areas were selected following a 1995 comprehensive study of living conditions in identified slum communities in Lagos State. The areas targeted for intervention by LMDGP are the worst and largest among the identified slum areas. The ten communities cover an area of 760 hectares.

LMDGP officials and stakeholders within the communities told newsmen who inspected some of the projects that 16  road projects had been completed while 14 were nearing completion. Some of the completed roads are  Adeola Street, Mushin, Araromi Street, Itire and Babatunde  and Baruwa Streets.

Others streets whose roads have been upgraded are Ibidun,  Gbadamosi, Lawani Olayinka, Oluwashina, Omolola , Sarumi,  Shofolahan and Alimi. About five borehole project have also been completed and now functioning.

Lauding LMDGP’s upgrading efforts in the areas, Mr. Olatunde Babatunde Adepitan, Chairman, Mushin Local Government Area said the interventionist agency has helped in upgrading infrastructure in Lagos.  According to Adepitan, the roads and schools upgraded by LMDGP in Mushin and its environs were of very good standards.