The Senator representing Lagos West on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Solomon Adeola, has renewed calls to the Federal Government to grant Lagos State a special status and special grant.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance renewed the call following massive destruction of public and private property put at over N1 trillion in Lagos during the #EndSARS protest.
The senator, who was among the South West Senators briefed by Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, recalled that over the years many attempts had been made in the agitation for a special status for Lagos State.
He said the calls were justified Lagos being the nation’s economic nerve centre and status as the former Federal Capital with many federal infrastructures and huge population of all tribes of Nigeria.
Adeola, according to a statement by his Media Adviser, Kayode Odunaro, noted that the resources of the state government cannot adequately cater for the over 20 million residents in Lagos.
He stated that there was the increasing pressure on social amenities and facilities in Lagos being a mega city.
He said, “The issue of special status for Lagos State has again been brought to the front burner following the fallouts of the protest against extra-judicial killings and police brutality.
“With the magnitude of the destruction of critical infrastructures in Lagos State last week, it is inconceivable that Lagos Government alone can handle the rebuilding of destroyed properties, most of which are for public good.
“It is necessary at this time to state that when Federal Government makes interventions to assist the state like the N1billion per state to assist in efforts aimed at stemming COVID-19, Lagos State should be more favourably treated in view of its status. Nigerians boarding all the burnt BRT buses are not asked their state of origins when they board,” he stated.
While commending Sanwo-Olu for his adroit and patriotic handling of the crisis within the power and resources available to him, Adeola called for urgent grant from the Federal Government to aid the Lagos state government in rebuilding and replacing destroyed public property.
Explaining that the heavy loss in Lagos was more than other states and FCT combined, he added that all residents of Lagos, irrespective of ethnicity, would benefit from the grant to Lagos.
Besides, the Senator argued that many revenue generating agencies and other federal institutions were located in Lagos, warning of possibility that their operations would be greatly impeded without urgent rebuilding of the destroyed property.
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