Press Releases

LASG Sends 100 To Singapore, Dubai For Capacity Training

Jun 26, 2009 - The Lagos State Government Friday sent forth 100 professionals from the State’s Public Service to Singapore and Dubai for capacity training on ways and approaches to solving the various environmental and physical planning problems of the State.

The professionals, made up of town planners, architects, engineers, builders and others, will travel in four batches of 25 each on fortnightly bases and will spend a period of five days in each of the cities. The first batch leaves today to Singapore on an Emirates flight from Lagos. The group will return on July 9, 2009.

Addressing the professionals at a short ceremony at the Lagos House, Alausa, to give them their travel documents, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), called on them to be good ambassadors of the State while in the cities saying Lagos State looks up to them to return with positive and effective experiences on how to solve the various environmental and other problems of the State.

Governor Fashola said the choice of Singapore for the capacity training was based on the reason that on his first visit to that country, he was inspired by the fact that though it had the same problems like Lagos; it has been able to solve the problems and to become a reference point in so many areas of life.

“In Singapore, I drew a lot of inspiration from my first visit; because in Singapore, you will see evidence of a country that, barely 30 years ago, had the same problems that we have here – flooding, slums, no roads, no water, refuse management - and about twenty years hence, has become a model of the quality of life that people should live”, the Governor said.

According to him, “It has become a reference point in so many areas of life – urban planning, water delivery, electricity and so many more and I think that if there is evidence, as I saw there, of where they were coming from and evidence of where they are now, it might help to demonstrate to you that it is possible here too”.

The Governor said the choice of Dubai was also based on the spectacular transformation that has turned a desert city into a Tourist destination of the world.

“In Dubai, you will also see how a desert has become a Tourist destination of the whole world; and you will also see men and women there working 24 hours in three shifts, constructing, building, relocating, assembling and planning, and I came away from my first visit that if this can happen in a desert, we are too blessed in Lagos to have any excuse”, he said.

Wishing the participants journey mercies and very successful training period in the two cities, Governor Fashola declared, “It is not about learning anything, it is about seeing people like you and taking away an inspiration that if it can happen there, it can also happen in Lagos. It is the same Engineering, same Physics, same Mathematics, same Chemistry and all of you here are professionals”.

Earlier, in his introductory remarks, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Town Planner Francisco Abosede, said the programme is to enable the participants learn what will be beneficial to Lagos State in the areas of Engineering, the Environment and other development strategies in both cities.

According to the Commissioner, when the first group comes back, the members will be assigned to different parts of the State to do adaptation of what they have seen and prepare a physical development plan, adding that participants are drawn from officers on grade levels 10 to 17.

He thanked Governor Fashola for approving the programme saying the first batch would fly first to Singapore where they will spend the first five days before travelling to Dubai for another five days course.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, leader of the second batch, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, thanked the Governor and the Government for giving them the opportunity to undergo the course, saying they will seek new ways, new ideas and new approaches to solving the various problems of the State.

Igbokwe, who is the General Manager of Lagos State Maintenance and Infrastructural Regulatory Agency (LASMIRA), declared, “We will go as good ambassadors of Lagos State and we will come back and add value to Lagos State. We will go and come back and turn Lagos into Singapore in three years”.