- commissions shopping arcade
Published By Olanrewaju Adesanya
Mayor Dele Oshinowo the Agboyi-Ketu council chief while commissioning an ultra modern shopping arcade has affirmed that aside the Ogudu and Alapere scheme, the Agboyi-Ketu scheme offers a G.R.A taste given the well-structured town planning layout afforded there.
The council chief maintained that in search of affordable shops for people within the community, the developer and their financier have been counselled to ease the payment plan through instalment package.
In his words,” The Governor just approved a land scheme within this environment whereby we will have our own G.R.A in Agboyi-Ketu LCDA and if you look around, apart from the Ogudu and Alapere scheme we don’t have any other in Kosofe, so this would be another one and it is something of joy for us here.
“The arrangement we have with the developers and their financiers is for them to allow people to pay in installment, to spread the payment and at the same time they have financial institutions who are coming up with mortgage plans to make it easier for them to pay.
“This project started ten years ago, it was initiated by the then Council Chairman Otunba Yetunde Arobieke, when I came on board I took it upon myself that this vast land must be developed.
“I encouraged and supported all investors, we had a town planning layout and said we must have Housing estate, we must have Shopping mall and an event centre to cater for the overall interest of this Estate.
“At the end of the day it is going to Change the face of our community as a whole, it is going to bring about regeneration, it is going to increase our IGR because the people buying the shops are going get allocation, they going to pay taxes.
The estate is coming up you can development everywhere this is part of our strategic goal that we must develop Agboyi Ketu and it will also improve the security situation of our environment. In all there would be a multiplier effect on everybody and it will add value to the people living around here, the value of their house and land will go up.” Osinowo said.
Speaking at the commissioning, Project Chairman Mr. Lekan Mutiu and the Project Manager Mr. Taiwo Tajudeen of TOTALUM NIG/FOLATASH NIG LTD, expressed their gratitude for the intervention of government in ensuring the perfection of land title documents and other basic clearance for the land to be used for the said purpose.
Barrister Oshilaja Owolabi who represented the duo in a chat with National Daily maintained that the 82 standard lock-up shops afforded in the arcade is a fulfilment of a Private Public Partnership (PPP) agreement between them and the council.
This was formerly known as the Ajelogo market scheme but in the wisdom of the council they felt the need to rearrange this area in furtherance of the developments around here.
“We have about 82 lock-up shops standard as it were, you have fire control system in place , 24 hours electricity supply, ample packing space. The idea is to allow this structure to emerge comparable to what you will see elsewhere on the Island,Mainland and by extension in some West African communities.
“So this place is open for people who are desirous of engaging vibrant business endeavours. To God be the glory we have seen a number of persons approaching saying they are interested, we have given a large part of it out, we are hopeful that the rest after this commissioning aggressive marketing of the remaining will commence.”
Prince Olumuyiwa Sosanya a member of the Governing Advisory Council (GAC) from Kosofe, who graced the commissioning with the Apex leader Stephen Oyedele and the Ketu Monarch, Oba Isiaq Balogun Oyero and Oba Monsuru Oladega the Olu of Agboyi-Ketu Ketu all gave a trajectory of what obtains in the land upon which the arcade was situated.
Prince Sosanya opined that the arcade avails the women especially the party faithful an opportunity to latch on to better their lots business wise.
He counselled them to team up and form a cooperative with which they can access funds from banks, given the guaranteed repayment plan afforded by the cooperative scheme.
Hon. Femi Saheed the Lagos State House of Assembly member representing Kosofe II, celebrated the worthy feat of the council boss citing the importance of PPP.
“What we are celebrating here today is that actually the world is going towards Public Private Partnerships PPP arrangement, you can see what we are commissioning today is the dividend of PPP.
“The Chairman has shown that having a technocrats at the helms of affairs could usher in development without costing the government anything that will make the government start borrowing and as you can see he has changed the aesthetic of the land which is going to translate to economic gains.
“People will have a conducive business atmosphere whereby business will thrive and the IGR of the community will increase.”
Alhaji Biodun Salami the outgoing Publicity secretary of APC Lagos, a stakeholder in Kosofe polity note that he had no he has lost nothing conceding the chairmanship bid to Oshinowo as he has done excellently well.
He said that Elebiju road which was deplorable in time past has been fixed by him, likewise many other great developments facilitated by him across the area.
