She is Dr. Adekemi Oluwayemisi Sekoni, an expert on infectious diseases, who would prepare the State for responses to possible outbreak of diseases and coordinate all science-based research that are likely to benefit Lagosians.
The State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, who announced her appointment at the commemoration of the 2,700 Days in Office of his administration at the LTV Blue Roof Multi-purpose Hall, on Alhaji Lateef Jakande Road Agidingbi, Ikeja, said the Scientific Adviser would act as co-coordinator for providing scientific information about infectious diseases as well as coordinating other areas of science based research such as food sufficiency, water sufficiency, air pollution and all other things that are likely to affect the well-being of Lagos residents.
The Governor, who praised Lagosians for their cooperation in the containment battle against the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the State, said the need for a Scientific Adviser arose out of some of the lessons learnt during the spirited efforts to end the spread in the State pointing out that Government saw clearly the necessity for a post-Ebola management by having someone to both provide scientific information about infectious diseases and coordinate scientific research for the good-health of the people.
Recalling the very anxious months of the efforts to contain the EVD in the State, Fashola, who described it as a very challenging period especially with the fact that it has no cure and has devastating consequences on its victims, said what made the Lagos case unique was that in the 40 years since the virus was discovered, it had never affected an urban centre adding that all known cases were in rural places where there were not many people.
“Ebola in Lagos, with a population of 21 million people, was a time bomb of epic proportion if it developed into an epidemic”, the Governor said adding that in spite of the fact that the State had no previous experience to fall back to, it had to learn by itself and came out with excellent result.
He paid glowing tribute to all residents, old and young, male and female, including traditional rulers, community leaders, transporters and State workers as well as the State’s Health workers working with their counterparts from Federal Health institutions members and development partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Doctors-Without-Borders and the Centre for Disease Control as well as the Diplomatic Community.
Thanking all who have contributed in that containment battle, Fashola declared, “You refused to surrender. You contained the disease and our country is in the world news for all the right reasons”. The Governor, however, noted that the work of containment could not be said to have finished until the virus is routed from all the other countries of the West African sub-region where the disease is currently holding sway.
The Governor stressed the need for residents to continue to imbibe the lessons of personal and environmental hygiene such as regular hand-washing with soap and water, and stopping the practice of public urination and open defecation as viable means to safeguard themselves and the State from outbreak of any infectious disease.
He appealed to the Federal Government to maintain the highest vigilance at the nation’s land, air and sea borders adding that close scrutiny of persons from countries and regions where Ebola remains a challenge must be the first line of defence in ensuring that the disease does not infiltrate the country again.
The Governor argued that the work on the Ebola containment in the country could not be said to have finished until the disease is equally eradicated from all the other countries bordering Nigeria adding, “Importantly, we must send help to these countries if we truly want to keep the gains we have recorded”.
On the achievement of his administration in the last 100 days, Fashola reiterated that the 2014 budget recorded 84 percent performance in the third quarter pointing out that when the figure is added to the first and second Quarter performance of 67 percent and 106 percent respectively, the January to September report would show a total performance of 86 percent.
According to the Governor, “This performance is evidenced by the service that our Government has continued to render across sectors; from flood management during the just-ending rainy season, to Education services, Health service, transport services, Housing and many more”.
In the Health Sector, the Governor recalled that the State Government introduced, on July 17, 2014, a 10-day paternity leave for male civil servants and extended maternity leave for female workers to six months adding that the new policy, which he said has been well received across the State, would allow nursing mothers to breastfeed exclusively and give fathers time off to bond with their family and be involved in childcare activities.
July 18, 2014, the Governor also recalled, marked the 6th consecutive year that the State Government has commemorated the Tree Planting Day in Lagos adding that 28,094 jobs were created between 2008 and 2013 from the annual tree planting while between January and June 2014, three thousand, one hundred and eighty jobs were also created.
He said over 388 schools have been connected with pipe-borne water by the State Water Corporation which he said began working to install pipelines for water supply connection to 600 schools in the state to ensure that all public schools get direct water supply.
Fashola also recalled the commissioning of the Phase I of the re-constructed Tejuosho Market on August 15, 2014 adding that the new Market, which now has over 4,000 shop spaces with lockup and K-Clamp shops, would contribute to the economy of the State by supporting small businesses.
Other achievements by the administration in the last 100 days, the Governor recounted, include the handing over of a total of 31 classrooms in two government schools, Sonmori Senior Comprehensive High School, College Road, Ifako-Ijaiye and First African Primary School, Iju-Ishaga, on August 19, 2014, and opening of the Motor Vehicle and Driver’s License Administration Central in Oshodi, for business and service to the public on September 30, 2014.
He also reported progress in the reconstruction of roads such as Isiba Oluwo Road and Meiran Road in Alimosho, Akintola Road, Adenuga Kajero, Bakare Salami, Adaranijo, and Onitano streets in Somolu, rapid progress being made on the Mile 12-Ikorodu Road, Wemco Road in Ogba, and about seven roads in Apapa, to mention a few.
Describing the road as depreciating assets “unlike other assets such as buildings”, Fashola explained that from the day that they are built and put in use, roads start to depreciate by wear and tear adding that this informed the putting in place of a reformed Public Works Corporation and its expanding assets such as a new asphalt plant in Imota and one more in Badagry as maintenance strategy to restore and repair the roads.
“Within the last 100 days, the Public Works Corporation has completed rehabilitation work on 81 roads in spite of the inclement weather, and work is going on 284 roads and their completion will lead to improved travelling experiences and improved journey times”, the Governor said adding that as the weather gets better, most of the roads damaged by the rains, “which is usual in all coastal communities like Lagos”, would be resurfaced.
Fashola said he also undertook an inspection of the Adiyan Phase II waterworks during the period adding that the waterworks would add another 70 million gallons of water per day to the State’s water supply. “Work is going on as planned and even though it will be completed in 2016, we are doing everything that we can to make its final delivery a mere formality for the next Government”, the Governor said.
The Governor said at least 250,000 homes in Lagos and some parts of Ogun State, where the facility is situated, would be connected adding that some of the Lagos areas to be served include Ikotun, Agege, Iju, Ifako, Ogba and many parts of Alimosho.
In the Housing Sector, Fashola said in last one hundred days, Government has completed the 6th, 7th and 8th draws of the Lagos Home Ownership and Mortgage Scheme Lagos HOMS) housing initiative, which according to him, means that since March 2014, Government has kept its promise to put 200 homes on the market for eligible residents and has never failed to deliver.
“I have searched across many jurisdictions and I have not yet come across any where a Government delivers 200 new homes every month”, he said adding that in addition to road construction and rehabilitation, Government is maintaining the bridges, “whose expansion joints have not been changed for about 30 years, which the Federal Government built and left behind in Lagos when the capital moved to Abuja”.
He said his administration has awarded the contract to replace 33 joints from the Alaka end to the Apongbon end of the Eko Bridge at the cost of over N400 million adding that Government has also successfully replaced all the joints on the Alhaji Masha Bridge as commuters would testify that their experience is now better.
The Government, he also said, is also surveying the Apapa Bridge to determine the cost and strategy to implement it with minimal discomfort to commuters adding that apart from advertising vacancies for employment into the State Civil Service during the last 100 days to recruit young people to replace retired ones, Government has expanded its “economic empowerment initiatives for residents who have struggled to put food on their table because most businesses they can undertake require electricity which is not yet available”.
“We have been inventive and therefore able to teach them new skills which require little, if any, electricity”, he said adding that in the first phase, which kicked off in 10 Local Governments between 1st – 30th September, 11,862 people participated in training on soap making, tie & dye, bead and ear-ring making, pomade making and many others.
According to him, “They have graduated and while we are arranging to supply them with basic tools for their trade, so that they can get on with their lives, we have commenced the second batch of training for 14,000 people”.
Recalling that the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak occurred during the training, Fashola said the interesting thing about it was that the trainees in soap-making became beneficiaries of a N25 million contract for the supply of liquid soap to the State’s schools for hand-washing as part of efforts to contain the spread of the virus in the schools.
In an interactive session with members of the public and newsmen at the event, Fashola hinted of plans by the State Government to send volunteer health workers to Sierra Leone to assist the country on the efforts to contain the Ebola scourge in that country.
The Governor, who said the State Commissioner for Health would shed more light on the development in a few weeks time, maintained that Nigerians could indeed close there two eyes and sleep about the Virus as there is no other infection case in the State or the nation.
On why construction on the Red line light rail has not kicked off, the Governor attributed the delay to the Federal Government’s inability to respond to the application to allow the State Government make use of the Right of Way from Iddo for the commencement of the project.
While shedding more light on the Rent-to-Own policy of the State, Governor Fashola, who said Government is working on it to ensure that just like the mortgage scheme which is generating 200 new homes monthly, the inclusion capacity of the initiative is expanded as Government contemplates how to fine-tune the modalities for its implementation.
Responding to a question on why the State is not generating electricity, the Governor said the state is generating electricity but cannot distribute it for commercial purpose except for its own usage adding that only the six licensed generation companies can generate and sell power to the 11 distribution companies for distribution to homes of residents.
He said the State’s six Independent Power Plants have been helping the Government to provide dedicated power to some of its agencies and organs such as hospitals, courts, waterworks, schools and many other Government facilities across the State.
While answering a question on how the new Energy Academy would improve power, the Governor said while the distribution companies in Lagos, Ikeja and Eko have already acquired assets which need to be upgraded, the academy would train students who would not only be imparted with adequate skills but be certified by a renowned brand name in telecoms, Siemens, and could also work in any part of the world.
He explained that the study conducted by the State showed that over the next 10 to 15 years, the energy companies in the country would need about 200,000 technicians to do the job of regulating, sustaining and distributing power adding that if people are not trained locally to have requisite skills in such areas, the manpower would be sought outside the shores of Nigeria.
On efforts being put in place to introduce what is similar to the EKO projects to primary schools in Lagos, Fashola said all that was done with secondary schools in terms of training the teachers, getting the communities involved and preparing the Principals and Vice Principals to prepare their budgets is being stepped up.
Speaking on replacement of teachers that are retiring, he explained that only last year, the State Government employed about 1,700 teachers to fill some vacancies in the teaching service commission, giving a commitment that the state would be having periodic recruitments to fill vacancies and monitor progress of the newly employed in the service.
In response to a question on the sustainability of the Horn-free Day, the Governor said if all Nigerians make a commitment to do so it is achievable, adding that the debates that followed the observance of the Horn-Free Day gave him an inkling that an awareness has been raised on it already.
Speaking on his presence at the Abuja declaration of General Mohammadu Buhari, Governor Fashola said he was there because he was invited by General Buhari and because the event was an All Progressives Congress (APC) party event.
The event also featured the presentation of Lagos State Residents Registration Agency LASRRA Milestone Award for the 600,000th person to be registered in the person of Kazeem Idowu who resides in Bariga, the 700,000th person , Mr. Ayodele Abiodun Ayanleye who lives in Ikoriodu, the 800,000th person, Mr. Lucky Emeka Oha who also resides in Ikorodu North, and the 900,000th person on LASRRA register, Mr. Michael Ogubo who resides in Ibeju Lekki while the one millionth person is Tunde Sunday Akano from Kwara State who resides in Orile Agege.
Prominent among those who attended the event were the former Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, his wife, Mrs. Abimbola Jakande, the Deputy Governor, Hon (Mrs.) Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, members of the State Executive Council including Secretary to the State Government, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, his Economic Planning and Budget, Finanace and Justice counterparts, Mr. Ben Akabueze, Mr. Ayo Gbleyi and Mr. Ade Ipaye, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Raji, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu 1, elder statesmen, Senator H.A.B. Fashinro, Sir Molade Okoya Thomas, religious and political leaders, heads and representatives of different groups and professional associations across the state.
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