The terrible decay and decline of Festac Town, a community in Amuwo-Odofin LGA, Lagos state has caught the ears of the government.
In a meeting on Wednesday, 9th September 2020, The Federal Government and Lagos State Government have agreed to address the degeneration of infrastructure in Festac.
FESTAC Town which is a federal housing estate situated in the Amuwo-Odofin area of the state has in recent years experienced degeneration in its infrastructure.
The resolve to rehabilitate was the resolve borne out of the meeting on between Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority, Senator Gbenga Ashafa.
A statement said this signaled an end to the disagreement between the state and the Federal Government over the matter.
The governor described the development crisis in FESTAC town as “unpleasant”, pointing out that the population growth and influx of people led to the degeneration of the neighbourhood.
He explained that the failure of oversight on the activities of property developers in the community distorted the original master plan of the area.
He said,
“I think we can still correct this irregularity and regenerate the entire area for healthy living and business, now that the Federal Housing Authority is headed by a highly knowledgeable indigene of Lagos. Once the Federal Government is ready, Lagos State will cooperate fully and work through our Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development on an agreed plan.”
”Festac Town as it is today is not what it looked like from 1970s to 1990s, given the degeneration of infrastructure and the unpleasant development observed in the community.
”The original master plan did not consider population growth, which reflected in the caliber of allottees that got the property then.
”As a result of lack of monitoring and enforcement, people took advantage of this weakness to build indiscriminately on every available space.