The Lagos State Governmenti in its efforts to fine tune the process for the construction of the Fourth Mainland Bridge, has reviewed the initial routing of the bridge and has included Powerline (Sulaimon Shoderu road) and other areas in Ikorodu as parts of the routes the bridge will pass through.
This was revealed by the Cityscape Planning Service, a Town Planning Consultant, during a stakeholders meeting on the Ikorodu Sub-Region Masterplan in Ikorodu.
The event, which was held at the Ikorodu Town Hall, was attended by traditional rulers and Chiefs, Baales, representatives of Community Development Associations (CDAs) and others.
The highlights from the presentation by Cityscape at the event are:
·A comprehensive masterplan for the economic development of Ikorodu LGA and the eight LCDAs – Ikorodu -West, Ikorodu-North, Agboyi-Ketu, Ikosi-Ejirin, Imota, Ijede, Igbogbo-Bayeku, and Ikosi-Isheri.
·Participation: The attendees included community leaders such as Obas, Baales, Chiefs and representatives of the community development associations.
·Fourth Mainland Bridge: Initial routing through Ijede is now reviewed as follows – From Agbekin coastal area –> Agunfoye—>Olomu—>Omitoro swamp line—>Magodo, near Itamaga—>By Laspotech—>Ojokoro powerline—>Isawo—>Ikosi-Isheri—>Lagos-Ibadan express way, at Ojodu-Berger. The proposed 4th mainland bridge is shortened to 4km plus span instead of the original 7km plus in order to cut construction cost. Also, the routing review is to drastically cut down on the number of houses that may be demolished; hence, the routing along swamp areas, Powerlines, and low populated areas.
·Encroachment on Government Lands will henceforth be resisted and culprits will be prosecuted in accordance with extant laws. Lands designated as institutional such as health centres, general hospitals, schools, firefighter stations, and so forth will be recovered. Land speculators/buyers beware!
·Registration of Lands purchased from indigenous communities: CDAs and individuals who are yet to perfect their land documentation are advised to do so. That is, you have to obtain a global/individual c of o (where appropriate) and other relevant documents from the appropriate government agency.
·The Proposed Road Networks comprises of inter- and intra-LCDA linkages such that people don’t have to make long commutes to link nearby towns and villages. The new road networks will follow the existing ones, with emphasis on road expansion and dualization where feasible. In constructing new roads, government will endeavour to minimise the demolition of people’s houses.
·Masterplan Critiques and Divergent Views: Some elders alluded to the socio-political implications of the masterplan such as misrepresentation of wards, de-emphasizing major community landmarks, misspellings of town/village names, deleting some towns/villages from the masterplan, and so on.
·Final Review and approval of the masterplan: All criticisms were noted and addressed, though not fully. In this regard, people were advised to put their objections and observations in writing and submit same to the ministry of physical planning and urban development as soon as possible. This presentation is part of the review process aimed at incorporating further inputs for the final review.
·Availability of copies of the masterplan and other relevant documents: Copies can be obtained from the ministry of physical planning and urban development between 8:00am and 4:00pm, from Monday to Friday.