Repositioning institutions in Lagos with super-structures, upscale facilities
Though its complex nature tends to diminish efforts at building a model state befitting its dream mega city status, the Lagos State government has, in the past six years, taken steps that will attest for the state planners and managers in years to come that they served out their time well.
Besides the infrastructure upgrade and environmental transformation/renewal, the state has also built, remodeled and repositioned institutions not only with super structures, but also modern and upscale facilities.
By the last count, about 10 maternal childcare centres (MCC)—some completed and others at various stages of construction, many palaces for the traditional institution, and some schools including primary, secondary and tertiary institutions have had their buildings remodeled or replaced with new ones.
The Lagos State University in Ojo, popularly called LASU, is one institution in which the state government has made heavy investment in building super-structures which, according to the state authorities, are aimed to reposition the university as a citadel for human capacity development.
Hopefully, in about 17 months from now, precisely by the end of 2015, the state government shall have succeeded in repositioning the university, making it an enviable citadel of learning with a wide range of super-structures and top grade amenities.
Facilities being put in place in the university include a modern central library, a befitting senate building, a functional radio station that will be operating from the school’s main campus and many other facilities that are already at advanced stages of construction.
“These structures are strictly financed by the state government and are aimed at meeting the physical needs of the students”, Obafemi Hamzat, the state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, disclosed to newsmen during a tour of the construction sites at the main campus of the university.
Other structures expected in the school include students’ union arcade, a lecture theatre for law students and a prototype of two and three bedroom apartments of the state’s Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (HOMS) house types.
In his assessment of these facilities, Hamzat said, “we have purposely opted for these super-structures because we aim to deliver facilities that can withstand the test of time—lasting as long as 200 to 300 years with maintenance as our only source of concern after delivering the structures.”
The modern central library which can host about 800 students simultaneously reading will be delivered on four floors. Currently, the pilling work, substructure, frame structure on ground and first floor level (first phase) is already completed, while work on its second phase has commenced with February 2015 set for its delivery.
The senate building which can be described as another architectural master piece will be delivered in six floors, with about 65 percent of work done already. It would be delivered in the third quarter of 2014.
Amongst facilities expected to be delivered in the near future is the radio station building which is already on the completion stage. The station will avail mass communication students a platform to praticalise what they have been taught and also serve as a transmission outlet for the school’s radio station.
Other efforts by the state government to raise the school above its peers include the renovation of a three-in-one theatre for the faculty of education which currently boasts of modern lecture rooms and a conference room.
The School of Transport which was also recently delivered to the school consists of a lobby, collapsible lecture rooms, offices for administrative staff and lecturers. The construction of the lecture theatre for law students which will come on two floors boasts of a twin lecture hall and offices has reached 75 percent completion rate.
Chuka Uroko