ANOTHER step was taken yesterday by the Lagos State government in its determination to free the former federal capital of traffic gridlock and enhance security of lives and property.
But this time, it was a collective decision of stakeholders as the state government and residents of locked streets agreed that they should henceforth be opened from 5.30 a.m. to midnight.
At the stakeholders’ meeting where the decision was taken, the parties agreed that the gates should be manned by members of Neighbourhood Watch while hired security personnel caught for extortion should be relieved of their duties.
Speaking at the parley held at the State Auditorium in Alausa yesterday, Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) ordered that all streets with gates should be opened so that traffic can flow better.
Fashola lamented that the security purpose for which most of the gates were erected in the first instance had been defeated since it had not reduced the spate of armed robbery in the areas.
He, however, promised that the state government would provide necessary and adequate security for the affected streets.
He said: “Everybody became prisoners or victims of fear with the introduction of barricades within and without the home. With time, residents moved from burglary bars, erection of fences to gated compounds and streets. Estates have now graduated to multiple gates, keeping only one manned by a security guard while others remain locked. Personal and community security now constitute common bond between various neighbourhoods.
“It is understandable that no one will prefer to live where his family will be vulnerable to crime. But then, do the gates really guarantee security? I am afraid; the answer is an emphatic, No!”
He pointed out that rather than the gates bringing the desired protection from criminals, they have become traps where several sick people being taken to the hospitals died as a result of locked gates.
The governor made specific reference to pregnant women who sometimes bleed to death when the street gates could not be easily opened in the night.
“These gates constitute in most cases, serious obstacles to the efficient management of the built environment and in particular to vehicular and pedestrian movement along roads that are funded and maintained from our commonwealth, which is the tax-payers’ money,” he said.
Fashola continued: “Experts have told us that street gates constitute a major constriction to traffic flow and that the removal will surprise us how positively impactful the outcome will be on our transportation efficiency and our lives.”
The meeting was attended by monarchs, members of Community Development Associations (CDAs) and representatives of armed forces, among others.