Weeks after unanimous decision of all stakeholders in Ikorodu to agree with the move of the Lagos State Government at a town hall meeting in April to convert the current Ikorodu Local Government secretariat to South African investors and owners of Shoprite, the move by the state government has continued to generate mixed reactions from concerned stakeholders of Ikorodu over the the decision to sell the facility to a foreign business enterprise.
A Legal Practitioner and foremost; Ola Animashaun, in a social media post, alleged that the Ikorodu local government, which the state government described as ‘lacking in value’, thus the excuse for its sale, was rendered redundant and dormant by the government like most other state governments in the country, who have persistently incapacitated government at the grassroot of its basic functions by starving them of funds under the disguise of “joint account”, a situation he described as bad as local government cannot pay electricity bill in their Secretariat.
Animashaun, further condemned the decision of the state government to site a shopping mall in a highly developed and congested area, which is characterized by notorious traffic grid lock. He further stated that the General Hospital, located opposite the proposed site for the shopping mall usually attract traffic, hence, locating a business enterprise of that magnitute with potential human and vehicular traffic from Agbowa, Imota, Ogijo, Ijede, Igbogbo, Agric-Ishawo axis, and other parts of the division, hence, the development will increase stress and hardships of Ikorodu residents.
While downplaying the notion by the state government that the mall will create job opportunities for residents of Ikorodu, Animashaun opined that, if other private investors could source landed property privately in the division for their businesses, then an institution of government, such as the local government secretariat should not be traded away, much less, to a South African business interest.
He noted that large expanse of land still exist in Ikorodu Division, particularly between Majidun and Itowolo areas of Ikorodu for private investors who intends to invest in the division.
