The Lagos State Government has reiterated plans to relocate traders in the Ikeja Computer Village to Kantagua, Abule- Egba, area of the state, saying, “There is no going back.”
The Special Adviser to the State Governor on eGIS and Urban Development, Dr. Olajide Babatunde, stated this on Tuesday, during an inspection tour of the Ikeja Computer Village.
Accompanied on the assessment tour were: top management of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, LABSCA, led by the General Manager, Arc. Gbolahan Oki.
Babatunde said the state government was committed to the regeneration and development of urban areas of the state.
He stressed that “The present administration led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is committed to the restoration of the master plan of Lagos which is being degraded and distorted.”
According to Babatunde; “The relocation of computer village presently in Ikeja to Kantagua in Abule- Egba area of the state is in progress and when fully completed will boast of world class facilities such as: schools, hospitals, clinics, hotels, banking facilities, warehouses, storage rooms, among others which will make shopping more conducive and befitting of the mega city status as envisage by the Governor and as obtained in other modern cities of the world.”
.Why relocation
He stated that; “The Computer Village area within the state Law is a Residential Area and is still a residential area that has grown into a full-blown market which is against the Modern City Plan of the State.
“The current location of computer village in Ikeja was planned to be a residential area and that plan is being distorted by commercial activities within the area. We cannot fold our hands and allow the distortion to go on, the residential status of that area must be restored.
“We are trying to do things in proper ways that will ensure that urban centers are re-generated, re-developed, innovated, conserved in line with the THEMES+ agenda of present administration.
“The Computer Village area still remains a residential area and its Land Use has not been changed by the State Government and this is the main reason the government is relocating the traders to Katangua for proper settlement,” he stated.
“If the rules say it is a residential area then it must remain a residential area, therefore, the government has to make provision and also accommodate the people who are in this area and that is the reason why the state Government is developing Katangua into a model market,” he added.
Babatunde noted that Lagos state’s exponential growth will have serious consequences on its urban space if not properly planned, hence, the need for the relocation of the computer village to a more spacious area that would not have traffic implications and other consequences on the citizens.
The special adviser, while assuring shop owners and traders that the planned relocation will be transparent, said the state government would carry them along as nothing would be imposed on them, stressing that “the relocation of the market will be done in consultation with all relevant stakeholders including the markets associations and owners of properties in the area.”
“The regeneration and development of urban Lagos is not limited to computer village alone but across the state. Shortly, Lagosians will start feeling the positive impact of the redevelopment plans on traffic decongestions, security implications and other positive areas,” Babatunde said.