By Richard Benjamin
Lagos,The Lagos State Government has urged residents of its housing estates to take greater responsibility for maintaining their neighbourhoods to preserve infrastructure, improve security and protect property values.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Abdulhafis Toriola, made the call on Saturday during the ministry’s monthly stakeholders’ engagement with residents of government owned housing estates held at Millennium Housing Estate, Agbado-Ijaiye, Ojokoro.
Toriola said the engagement was aimed at strengthening collaboration between the government and residents while providing a platform to identify challenges and improve estate management. He encouraged residents to be proactive in maintaining their surroundings instead of relying entirely on government intervention.
“Wherever you live, you need to take ownership so that the estate retains its value. Where government intervention is required, we will come in and assist, but residents should not wait for government to fix everything,” he said.
The permanent secretary commended residents for maintaining their estates and urged them to comply with the terms of their property allocation, pay insurance premiums and meet other statutory obligations, including land use charges. He warned that defaulters would be sanctioned in accordance with the law.
Toriola said residents’ feedback from previous engagements had informed improvement projects across government housing estates. He also disclosed that the state had commenced urban renewal initiatives, including the redevelopment of the old Jakande Estate in Lekki, following structural integrity assessments.
Earlier, the Director of the Estate Department, Olukemi Fosude, said the ministry remained committed to maintaining estate infrastructure, strengthening facility management and promoting sustainable communities.
She announced the introduction of a standardised demand notice and a unique payment code for each allottee to improve transparency, accountability and reconciliation of service charge payments.
Fosude also reminded residents to pay service charges and insurance premiums promptly and warned against unauthorised structures, illegal commercial activities, indiscriminate waste disposal and other violations of estate regulations.
She further encouraged residents to participate in the state’s reintroduced monthly environmental sanitation exercise to promote hygiene, prevent flooding and preserve property values.
Speaking on behalf of residents, Vice-Chairman of Millennium Housing Estate, Agbado-Ijaiye, Chris Otabo, commended the government for improving security through the construction of perimeter fencing and for beautifying the estate. He appealed for improved drainage, rehabilitation of deteriorating roads and the installation of additional streetlights.
Chairman of Millennium Housing Estate, Okoba, Jamil Onosoya, also praised the government’s rehabilitation of residential blocks and infrastructure upgrades but requested the completion of an abandoned water project, additional recreational facilities and improved smart security infrastructure.
Representatives of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Safety Commission, Lagos State Health Management Agency, Lagos State Mortgage Board, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency attended the event and educated residents on waste management, fire safety, insurance, security and environmental sustainability.
