Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Wednesday signed an executive order for the rebuilding of Lagos in the aftermath of #EndSARS violence that led to wanton destruction of public and private properties in the State.
The governor also set up an 8-member Board for the new Lagos State Rebuilding Trust Fund Committee (LRTFC) to not only oversee the rebuilding of every aspect of the state but also to look at the future of the state and healing of wounds.
Membership of the Board cuts across, the private and public sectors as well as international bodies who have offered to assist in rebuilding the state.
The 8-member board will be chaired by Mr. Yemi Cardoso, while other members are: Prof Kanyisola Ajayi, Mr. Gbenga Agboola, Mrs. Bola Adesola, Mr. Sam Egube, Engr. Jimi Hotonu, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman and a member of international donor agency.
Sanwo-Olu further inaugurated six other committees to assist in quick recovery from the present situation.
The committees are: Business Continuity Committee, Assessment Committee, Planning Committee, Execution, Measurement and Evaluation Committee, Security and Enforcement Committee and Communication and Community Engagement Committee.
Speaking with newsmen at the State House, Ikeja, Sanwo-Olu said it was time to let go of the pains of the loss and focus on rebuilding the state, adding that government had been inundated with offers of assistance to rebuild both locally and internationally.
He stated that though a bill on LRTFC would be presented to the House of Assembly in few days time for passage, but he had to issue an executive order and set up the committee on rebuilding because of the deluge of offer of assistance both locally and internationally.
Sanwo-Olu assured that the state would come out of the ashes with upgraded structures and a modern Lagos as it embarked on reconciliation, rebuilding, unity, social reforms for the state to attain new height of development and obtain greater heights for a greater Lagos.
“It is in that cherished Spirit of Lagos that we have decided to put behind us our most recent challenges and face the daunting task of collectively rebuilding our state. We believe that our culture, heritage, values and future are worth much more than the looting, arson and destruction, which we witnessed in Lagos State about two weeks ago.
“We have decided to look to the future with hope as we work on healing the wounds of our recent past. Instead of wallowing in our pain, we have chosen to positively move forward. We will embrace new standards of governance; we will build stronger partnerships, stronger people, stronger institutions, and a stronger state.
“Our strength lies in our uncanny ability to overcome the most complicated challenges because we have people who genuinely love Lagos State and will assiduously do all they can to preserve its peace and unity. In the last few weeks, we have been inundated with local and global offers of assistance to rebuild our state and recover all we lost to arson and violence in October.
“It is obvious that we can no longer wait to begin the onerous task of reconstructing Lagos State. In the next few days, our government will send a bill to the Lagos State House of Assembly for the Establishment of a Trust Fund to Rebuild Lagos,” he said.
He said when the Trust Fund Bill is passed by the House of Assembly and becomes law, the Lagos Rebuild Trust Fund Committee would be dissolved, and that its functions would be immediately transferred to the newly established Trust Fund.
The governor said with the deluge of offers of immediate help and assistance received locally and internationally, “we can no longer wait until the bill is passed. It is expedient that our enumeration, recovery, and rebuilding efforts start as soon as possible.”
