According to the Lagos State Government, a commission on the rehabilitation of Obalende has been established to transform the area back into the tranquil neighbourhood that it once was on Lagos Island.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Idris Salako, made this known according to a statement from the Ministry of Physical Planning signed by its Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Mukaila Sanusi.
At a meeting with locals, Salako claimed that Lagos State Governor Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu formed the committee, which had three months to consider ways to bring the neighbourhood back to its former splendour.
He added that the move was in response to a request for assurance from the government regarding the issuance of land titles and the impending dislocation caused by the area’s regeneration plan made by local residents and property owners, led by Gbolahan Yehsau, their representative in the House of Assembly.
According to Salako, the administration of Sanwo-Olu prioritises community regeneration in line with the criteria for 21st-century development rather than displacing residents from their houses.
He mentioned that the administration had given the petitions careful thought and was open to giving local property owners a fresh lease.
Salako said, “Mr Governor, at the meeting, assured the Obalende residents that he will on compassionate grounds renew the title to their lands if and when they apply for renewal; but that should not derail the regeneration efforts of the state government.”
