Fashola reiterates commitment to community-based economy

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has reiterated his commitment to give priority to the development of communities in the state by using them to boost the economy and ensuring all round growth.He said the aspirations of the people for water, education and electricity were possible if every community in the state contributed their quota.Fashola spoke at the 2011 Community Development Day celebrations at the Police College, Ikeja, with the theme, Optimising Community Resources for Job Creation and Self Reliance.He said it was the votes of the the people at the grass roots that brought him to power for a second term, adding that it was therefore expected that his administration would continue to work hard to take care of their welfare.He said, CDAs are critical to our development. If we build drains, I am sure the communities will agree that drains are not places to drop refuse. Therefore, we will need the communities to continue the advocacy down to every home, down to every household, that we should all refrain from dropping our wastes in our drains. We expect every person who has a job to pay something by way of taxes so that we empower the powerless, strengthen the weak and support the poor.In the last 12 years in Lagos State, there have been no empty promises. This government, in every way, has been trying to make life better for all. I will continue to deal with you truthfully. Some of the decision we take may not be popular to all but beneficial.The governor sought the cooperation of all residents to give good governance to the people. He said the coming year would be of immense benefit to the people at the grass roots.Fashola added several projects had been embarked on at the grass roots. These included the Beach Estate to be built at Ilashe, Lekki, and Rice Mill in Imota, which would be commissioned in 2012. He added that the projects were evidence of his promise to use rural communities to drive Lagos economy.Earlier, the Commissioner for Rural Development, Cornelius Ojelabi, said the government had been creating and developing programmes that were community-driven through the CDAs and Community Development Councils. The government, he said, had also been harnessing resources to improve the standard of living of rural dwellers and stemming rural-urban drift.He said the state government had built several solar-powered water schemes for needy communities, adding that the government distributed 100 transformers to provide electricity to grass roots communities.
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