Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, performed the groundbreaking of 2,200 Police housing units at Ijeh Police Barracks, Ikoyi, Lagos, saying the move is in line with his administration’s commitment to the welfare of security personnel and safeguarding the lives and properties of the citizens.
He said the housing project, a partnership between the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force, is a step forward in the government’s efforts to strengthen the morale and productivity of security personnel and ensure that they remain focused on their critical role of keeping Lagos safe.
The project will consist of commercial and residential properties, including one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments, maisonettes, and townhouse units, with paved roads, drainages, sewage tanks, a water treatment plant, street lights, a car park, and electrification plants.
The modern housing units will feature state-of-the-art facilities, offering comfort, safety, and a conducive environment for the men and women of the Nigeria Police Force and their families.
In his address during the groundbreaking ceremony attended by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the collaboration brought together the Nigeria Police Force and Lagos State to create a joint venture that aligns public needs with private-sector efficiency and redefines the standard of living for police officers.
He said the redevelopment of the Police Barrack is in tandem with his administration’s broader socio-economic objectives for the development and revitalisation of the state. These objectives include ensuring that quantitative, decent, affordable residential, industrial, and housing units are available for Lagosians in line with his administration’s THEMES+ agenda.
The Governor, who assured that the project would be completed in the next two years to ensure Police officers in Lagos live in a conducive and comfortable environment to discharge their duties efficiently, urged other State governments to emulate the template to rebuild all Police barracks across the country.
He said: “This transformative redevelopment project to provide 2,200 modern housing units at the Ijeh Police Barracks, Obalende, is part of an intervention aimed at bridging the housing deficit and providing modern, safe housing and a conducive living environment for the officers of the Nigeria Police Force and their families all over the country.’’
Earlier, the Inspector General of Police, who was excited about the housing project, acknowledged that most Police barracks across the country are in dilapidated states as they were constructed over 50 years ago.
Commending the Lagos State Government for the initiative to boost the morale of security personnel in the state, Egbetokun expressed optimism that the new Police housing units would motivate officers to serve Lagosians more efficiently and promised to supervise the project personally.
