Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu promised the timber dealers that the protracted wait for the anticipated relocation of Oko Baba saw millers from Ebute Metta, Lagos Mainland, to a proposed permanent site in Agbowa, will end in December.
While touring Agbowa-Ikosi Timberville in the Ikosi-Ejirin Local Council Development Area (LCDA) on Tuesday to assess the degree of construction there, the Governor provided the assurance.
While Babatunde Fashola was governor, the State Government began to construct Timberville. After then, the project was put on hold, casting doubt over what would happen to the saw millers in Oko Baba.
By getting the contractor back on the job site, Sanwo-Olu went back to the project. The saw millers were ecstatic about the new construction and their leader, Alh. Abdul-Ganiu Onikeku, went on the tour with the governor.
The Governor also visited a 1,500 tons per hour brickette plant that the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) had built on the property. This plant will allow the conversion of mill waste into combustible brick materials for industrial use. The Governor was joined by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, and the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako.
According to Sanwo-Olu, the State Government updated the project’s authorized design to include extra amenities for the comfort of the timber traders.
He revealed that 160 two-bedroom apartments had been finished for the residents’ housing, and that office buildings had been set up for administrative functions.
The Governor emphasized that the ongoing building of a bridge crossing on-site caused a delay in the construction of the road, which is a 3 km access road from the major expressway to the site.
Alternative highways, according to Sanwo-Olu, have been finished to allow for the saw millers’ easy migration. He stated that as soon as the crossing bridge is finished, the access road will be paved.
Sanwo-Olu stated that the government will begin moving the saw millers once the amenities were set up.
The Governor said: “They are waiting on us to clean up and ensure the Timberville is fully habitable for them. In terms of agreement with the saw millers, they have shown their readiness to relocate. We have the full political will to ensure this relocation is done, but we don’t want to throw our citizens into a place that is not fully ready.
“The saw millers at Oko Oba have been cooperative with the Government and working with us tirelessly to ensure everything required is provided. It has been a very long journey, but our administration is committed to bringing the long wait to an end.”
He said: “This project has been on for years, but we are happy that our own Government has brought it back. We have invested a lot of resources to be able to bring it to a useable level.
Part of the facilities we have put in place for the potential Oko Baba saw millers that will be moving here is 160 units of two-bedroom flats that have been completed. We also have offices in their various shades that have been built. The other amenity built on this site is a brickette plant facility which will be managed by LAWMA.
“The leaders of Oko Baba saw millers’ association are excited and are willing to relocate to the site. The ship piles where ships will be berthing have been done. What is left is to clear the trailer path for the saw millers, and put up a police post and a fire service.
In this regard, we are making additional funding available to the contractor to ensure that before the end of this year, we all should sing Hallelujah and bring everybody down here. It’s been a very long journey, but our administration is committed to bringing the long wait to an end.”
The Timberville project may have been finished, according to Onikeku, president of the Lagos Mainland Sawmillers Association, but for the dispute over the project’s design, which caused it to be abandoned.
He said: “All of us are happy this project has been revived by Gov. Sanwo-Olu after many years it was abandoned. One of the reasons we did not agree with the previous Government is that the design was not done according to our agreement. This has been reversed and we have our input in the new design.
“Our people will not be relocated here to be playing ludo game; they are coming to cut timbers and we will make judicious use of the facility. We are expressing our appreciation to the Governor and his deputy for listening to our pleas to revive the project when we met them over the development.”
