Lagos Governor canvasses closer ties between Nigeria and Britain

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State

Lagos Governor canvasses closer ties between Nigeria and Britain
Abdul Semiu Babalola

The Lagos state Governor in south west Nigeria, Mr Babatunde Fashola has called for greater and closer economic ties between Nigeria’s commercial city, Lagos and the city of London as a way of deepening diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Fashola stated this at Lagos House, Marina, when he received the visiting Lord Mayor of the City of London, Mr Alderman Michael Bear, who led a trade delegation which included more than two London-based Nigerians, to the state.

Putting opportunities to use

A statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, Mr Hakeem Bello quoted him as saying parts of the challenges facing the leadership of the two cities was how to put into use, the opportunities that existed between the two countries for mutual benefit.

“This is, perhaps, the biggest objective that we can set as an agenda for today's meeting; how to use that opportunity to create jobs for people who seek legitimate employment, to reduce crime, to enforce the law and make democracy meaningful for the people”, the governor said.

“It is a challenge of leadership but I can see that your delegation and my team can deliver on the challenge. We have come to see challenges as harbingers of intrinsic opportunities for doing greater things; things that are driven by imagination and commitment”, he added.

Governor Fashola identified other areas where opportunities exist for investors to include water supply, building water works, building waste water treatment plants, providing electricity to major installations like the Free Trade Zone in Lekki and providing telecom support in a commercially rewarding way.

House ownership scheme

Meanwhile the governor said his administration has set up a template where businesses, local and foreign investors can partner with it now in building some of the needed infrastructure.

The governor used the opportunity to intimate the visiting Mayor on the recently launched house ownership scheme for residents of the city.

“Let me share with you that one of the topical issues on our agenda today is housing delivery in Lagos on a sustainable manner where people can pay for mortgages over a sustainable period, a mortgage payment that is tied to the quality of their work and to their employment. It is a mortgage system that frees up the desperate conditions of seeking to buy homes in one fell swoop and these are for us, the building blocks to reduction in crime and desperation as well as increasing opportunities for employment in the value chain that exists in the construction industry”, he informed the mayor.

A worthwhile achievement

The London City Lord Mayor, Alderman Michael Bear said his visit was in pursuance of agenda of the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, whose main focus, Bear said was “Commercial diplomacy which is making sure that we strengthen the relationship with those countries and partners with whom we have very long enduring and sustainable relationship.”

He added that Nigeria is one of such countries.

Commending the state government for the great transformation that has taken place since the last three years he visited Lagos, Bear pledged the readiness of the British Government to assist the City in whichever way possible to transfer skill and knowledge garnered from a lot of experience.

He acknowledged the governor’s achievement by saying: “We visited one of your projects, the Eko Atlantic City Project, and it was wonderful to see a combination of regeneration and protection of the shoreline. It is great to see.”

Shakira/Ekata