19th October, 2010
Plans have been concluded to demolish the entire complex currently housing the Lagos State House of Assembly P.M.NEWS has learnt.
Starting from Tuesday next week, a part of the building would be brought down while the other part would be demolished later, a source close to the leadership of the House confirmed.
The building, which houses the sitting chambers, offices of the Speaker and the other 39 members, the offices of the Clerk, Deputy Clerk, and other civil servants in the House was constructed by Alhaji Lateef Jakande, while he was governor of the state in the 80s.
The source said that the building, which is obviously one of the best House of Assembly complex in the country, is to be pulled down for an L-shaped building which would showcase the pride of the state.
“The part of the structure where the civil servants have their offices would be brought down as soon as the contractors complete a part of the L-shaped building that would represent the first letter of Lagos.
“When this is done, the members of the House would relocate their offices to the newly constructed part of the building while the civil servants would move to the offices previously occupied by the politicians pending the completion of the entire project,†the source said.
Asked the time frame expected for the completion of the project, another source who craved anonymity said it would be within a year.
He said: “The money for the project has been made available to the contractor and the first phase will be completed in six months while the other part will be started after that.â€
He said the L-shaped building would only house the offices of the staff of the House of Assembly as well as the legislators as another complex which is to serve as the Assembly chambers, with two halls and offices of media correspondents and information officers, would be opened by the State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, in December.
Chairman of the ad hoc Committee on Information in the House, Hon. Ipoola Omisore, who also spoke on the development, told P.M.NEWS that “there is a master plan for the complex so that by the time it is completed it would be one of the best in Nigeria.
“Though this one was built by Jakande, as it is today, only few Houses of Assembly can still match it, but being the State of Excellence, we are desirous of setting the pace. What we expect is a master-piece that only Lagos can be proud of.â€
Asked if he does not consider the project a waste of public fund since the current complex had not shown any signs of old age, he maintained: “When you talk of waste, it is relative. A state that makes about N18 billion a month cannot be compared to Ondo State that makes about N500 million. If such a state is embarking on this kind of a project, you can call it a waste, but for us that are thinking of matching the expectation of a mega-city status, we have not even done enough.
“If Ekiti State is building what we are building, then they may be short-changing their people.
“We just came back from the state of Indiana in the US and the chamber there, as old as 100 years, is better than the Governor’s office here. What we are building does not even match the chamber in Georgia, which was built over 300 years ago.
“We went to Kenturky and when we got to the Capitol there, we bowed. The Governor’s office is there, the Assembly and Speaker’s offices are there, the Chief Judge is there, all in one block. So all these fight between the executive and legislature is not there because they are in the same building.
“What we are trying to do is set the pace. What we have in the poorest state in the US cannot be compared to the National Assembly.
Asked when the project would be completed, Hon. Omisore said it is a continuous project. “It is not even designed to be completed during our time, so I will not be surprised if some of us don’t even use it,†he stressed.
—Eromosele Ebhomele