Makoko Residents In Lagos Deserve Better Means of Livelihood, Infrastructure – Osh

Makoko Residents In Lagos Deserve Better Means of Livelihood, Infrastructure – Oshun

Moshood Olanrewaju Oshun is a lawmaker representing Lagos Mainland Federal Constituency in the 10th National Assembly. He speaks with NASSNEWS on the need to ensure a decent livelihood for the over one million Makoko residents in Lagos

NASSNEWS: Kindly give us a brief introduction of yourself and the reason for your motion.

HONOURABLE MOSHOOD OLAREWAJU OSHUN: Well, my name is Moshood Olarewaju Oshun. I represents the good people of Lagos Mainland Federal Constituency, I am from Lagos State. My motion today is on an infrastructural deficiency in some of the communities in my constituency. I have Makoko, which is an area in my constituency that needed to be upgraded. This is an area we have almost one million people, who are living below poverty level. The roads are so bad hence they are confronted with drainage and flooding issues and they live on water. So really, there’s a lot that needed to be done for them and there is no point in saying we have a government and those people won’t be able to feel the impact of government. So I think we have to let the government know their plights so that something can be done about it. That was why I moved the motion today,

NASSNEWS: What are your specific prayers in the Motion?

HONOURABLE MOSHOOD OLANREWAJU OSHUN: I am asking the Ecological Fund to provide some funds to make them live like human beings. And at the same time, to ask the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to give them some palliatives so that even though they can’t get everything they’ve lost, at least they will know that they haven’t been forgotten.

NASSNEWS: Okay, Sir. Does the federal government understand the urgency of this situation?

HONOURABLE MOSHOOD OLAREWAJU OSHUN: I hope so, I hope they do but I am going to follow up on it. The motion has been moved already, it has been passed to the relevant committees. I’m going to liase with the committee chairmen and the committee members to give it the urgency and the push it deserves. I need to go to NEMA and the Ecological Fund office, and i will do everything within my power to make sure that people can feel the impact of the government.

NASSNEWS: Do you think that relevant agencies of government could act on it before the raining season?

HONOURABLE MOSHOOD OLAREWAJU OSHUN: The motion has been approved, the speaker actually threw the question and everybody was in favour of the motion. So, it has been approved, all we needed to do now is to work on it so that we can start implementing the prayers in the motion.I strongly believe it would be implemented before the rain starts.

NASSNEWS: Are there any measures put in place, to fix the roads?

HONOURABLE MOSHOOD OLAREWAJU OSHUN: That is why I said FERMA should stand up and go and fix the roads and then Ecological Fund office should go and mitigate the flooding. The issue of transportation is because the roads are bad, so if the road is fixed and there is no flooding, there will be no erosion and transportation will ease up. Now if you have someone that is on a medical emergency, it is not easy to move that person to the hospital because of the roads. So if the roads are good, then it is a short trip to any hospital.

NASSNEWS: So, while these policies are being put in place and while this project is being pushed, are there any extra measures that you have put in place for them, like relief materials and other things ?

HONOURABLE MOSHOOD OLAREWAJU OSHUN: About a month ago, I did some palliatives for the people of my constituency but that was not enough, considering the population of the area that is affected. That is why I’m appealing to the government that we can do more. I’ve done what I can do within my power but we need the government to do more. I’m still going to appeal to the Lagos State Governor to do something for them. So it’s going to be a three way approach and what is important is for them to benefit from the democratic governance.

NASSNEWS: So in summary, they need relief materials and roads need to be fixed?

HONOURABLE MOSHOOD OLAREWAJU OSHUN: The Ecological Fund Office also needs to mitigate the flooding.

NASSNEWS: Speaking of the FERMA, NEMA projects, there are some that were started in the past, but somehow were abandoned or they started and stopped halfway and everybody forgot about it. Do you have any extra measures that is in place to prevent that from happening in your constituency?

HONOURABLE MOSHOOD OLAREWAJU OSHUN: That’s why when there’s any project or any such construction, the people should take ownership. Say for example, FERMA comes to do some things for them. If they take ownership and FERMA stops working and they don’t finish the job, they will let me know then I can pursue it and say, look, you’ve not done this or that. So it’s a project that requires all hands to be on deck, everybody must believe in the project and must be ready to contribute their quota. I will personally oversee with my team. I have my team, so as soon as they go to site, my team will be with them, all the time.

NASSNEWS: Away from that, with the situation of Nigeria, now, things are hard everywhere. If you were in a position to advise the President on any matter at all, what would you say?

HONOURABLE MOSHOOD OLAREWAJU OSHUN: Well, the President and his team are doing well. It is not going to be easy to resuscitate something that has been damaged for years. But like you said, if I could advise the President, I would advise that they keep bringing out the palliatives. Palliatives doesn’t have to be food, it could be asking people not to pay transport sometimes, or reducing their taxes, bring facilities that they can enjoy from, giving them transportation for half the price. There are many things that could be done to relief people’s sufferings, even though in some cases, we are our worst enemy. It is not everything that is the fault of the government but the ones within the purview of the government like transportation, education, health, anything that can bring relief to the people.

NASSNEWS: Are there any words of encouragement or succour that you can give to Nigerians right now? Especially to your constituents?

HONOURABLE MOSHOOD OLAREWAJU OSHUN: I need to praise the bravery and perseverance of Nigerians, it has been very wonderful. And I want to appeal that we will continue along that line. I want to appeal to Nigerians again, that they should not allow anyone to push them into protesting or revolting against the government. Finally, I want to assure them that things will get better, and we will all enjoy the benefit of voting for this government.