The signing of a Build Operate
and Transfer agreement between the Lagos State Government and a few private
developers has come under serious scrutiny by the State Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party, Engr. Adedeji Doherty.
Doherty said that the agreement
only showed that the state government was not sensitive to the needs of the
students of LASU or genuinely interested in the progress of education and human
capital acquisition and development in Lagos State.
He wondered if any due diligence was
carried out on the project and expressed concern that the BOT agreement was
shrouded in secrecy as no details were provided about the private investors
involved. The greatest worry he said, is about the effect of such an agreement
on the 26,000 already over-burdened students of LASU.
Doherty recalled that LASU was
built over 30 years ago and should have gone through various phases of project
development, which should have included the construction of student
accomodation. He wondered what happened to the master plan of the institution.
In a statement sent on Thursday, Doherty said: “I advise that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu reverses
this decision as it will only subject students to more hardship and educational
pressures. Mr Governor should know that Education is the backbone of societal
development and must be made available and affordable to all.”
He added that the agreement would
only make the developers exploit the good students of LASU and subject them to
economic hardship and psychological torture, as they were sure to become
victims of exploitation in the hands of capitalist developer-landlords.
The PDP chairman said that a
better option in the absence of funds would be to work with a banking
institution to secure a long term loan which could run for 20 – 30 years, adding
that this would certainly reduce the burden by making the accommodation more
affordable.
The party chairman said that
Lagosians will recall that the Lagos State Government led by Batunde Raji
Fashola, received $95m from the World Bank between 2009 and 2013 and an
additional $42m in March 2014 specifically for Education. It is therefore
baffling that till date, Lagos State cannot boast of a single world class
educational institution and this may explain the lack of trust that many
Lagosians feel for the APC led administration.
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