Speeches

Commissioning Of The Clover Leaf Park, Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Victoria Island, Lagos

Dec 18, 2008 - I am delighted to be here this morning to perform what is obviously a very pleasant and fulfilling assignment. This transformed space we have gathered to formally launch for public use today was once a nauseating eyesore. Once upon a time, this space was a veritable wasteland of refuse and illegal structures that disfigured our environment and demeaned our collective psyche and self esteem. It was a site of illegal activities by an assortment of artisans and hawkers who obstructed traffic and constituted a nuisance to the community as well as hoodlums that threatened security of lives and property.

Today, we have come to tell a new story; a story of renewal, regeneration and rebirth. Out of the decay and degeneration of yesterday, a brand new Clover Leaf Park has sprung up that is a beauty to the eyes and a redemptive balm to our psyches. This new park is an affirmation of our capacity to redeem our environment and significantly enhance its value. It is a confirmation of the fact that once we summon the will, we have what it takes to convert our challenges into opportunities and our dreams to reality. It is a symbol and a model of the great promise of excellence that is being fulfilled in our State.

All over the State today, the aggressive beautification and redevelopment of open spaces is being undertaken by our Administration. In doing this, we are not only enhancing the aesthetic appeal of our communities, we are restoring the self esteem and dignity of our people by elevating the quality of the environment where they live, work and recreate.

Our elders here present and those of us who were privileged to live in Lagos about three or four decades ago know that, there used to be more open spaces on the Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, Apapa, Surulere and Festac Town districts of the State. These spaces previously served as children playgrounds, public fields and recreation spaces, but were gradually converted for alternative uses by individuals and corporate organizations that placed their narrow interests over and above the collective good.

While some were gradually converted into shanty markets and illegal motor parks with the collaboration of some unscrupulous government agencies, the remaining portions played host to miscreants. We are committed to reclaiming as many of such public places as possible and put them to the proper use they are meant to serve.

That underscores why the State is currently undertaking an aggressive open space development campaign called the Operation Green Lagos. The campaign is already bringing back the beauty of some parts of the metropolis which include inner and outer Marina, Eric Moore, Airport Loops, Western Avenue Median, 10 loops along Oworonshoki, Victoria Island, Roundabout at Sobo Arobiodu, GRA Ikeja, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Isheri to Oworonshoki Median via Old Toll Gate. Ijora Causeway and Triangular lay bys along Ikorodu road. Others include M.K.O Garden, Ojota, and Ikeja Round about. We have put our hands on the plough and there will be no looking back until we transform the entire landscape of Lagos State into an attractive terrain characterized by beauty, serenity and orderliness.

We are killing several birds with one stone through our greening and beautification projects. For instance, we are creating thousands of jobs for landscape experts, architects, gardeners, horticulturists as well as suppliers of fertilizer, seedlings, sand, gravel and other inputs. The advert branding opportunities for corporate organizations provided by these reclaimed spaces stimulate economic productivity in the advertising, media and creative arts industries.

The greening Lagos project has also served as a rehabilitation programme for scores of boys and girls as most of those working on these sites were once written off as irredeemable area boys and girls who were of nil value to society. Today, they have a new sense of self esteem as they earn a living legitimately by greening and beautifying open spaces for the over all good of the society.

Our space reclamation and beautification works have positive implications for the health of our people as they reduce the number of slummy areas with stagnant water that breed malaria parasites and other disease vectors. Open space protection and enhancement is good for a community’s health, stability, beauty, and quality of life. This new Clover Leaf Park will afford visitors, technocrats, expatriates, ambassadors, retired elders and the young the opportunity to experience the beauty of nature, relax under the stars, moon or sun depending on the time of the day, reel in a winning catch, enjoy picnics, and discover the hidden beauty of the Lagos Metropolis. Every society, every community, needs public non-commercial open spaces where people can take leisurely walks, relax or simply sit and reflect.

I therefore implore Lagosians of all strata to claim ownership of and jealously protect the beautified sites.

It is my pleasure therefore to declare the Clover Leaf Park open for the collective good of Lagos State, the benefit of mankind and the glory of God.

Thank you all and God bless.

Eko o Ni baje o!

Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN)
Governor of Lagos State