Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development Idris Salako has announced that the state is providing 260 housing units for players in wood business at Timber Ville in Owu-Ikosi, Agbowa.
Speaking during an inspection tour on Tuesday, Salako said the housing units were expected to be ready by September.
He noted that Lagos State government was carrying out the project in partnership with First World Communities.
In a tweet from the Lagos State government official Twitter account on Tuesday, the government said it was meant to ease the relocation process of Oko-Baba Plank Market to Agbowa Timber Ville, thereby providing settlement for the sellers.
The project has been long time coming
The recent relocation of the residents of the Oko-Baba plank market by the Lagos State Government was formally set in motion in January 2020.
The commissioner had, according to a report, said “the relocation of residents of Oko-Baba Sawmill in Ebute Metta to Agbowa- lkosi will kick off before the end of first quarter of 2020.”
This relocation process is, however, ongoing.
Hopefully, not about to be another abandoned project
In December 2019, assurance was given to traditional ruler of Owu-Ikosi Oba Nelson Olayomi Aderemi Ogunlaru that “the planned relocation of the sawmill to Agbowa-Ikosi would not become an abandoned project,” in a tweet by the Lagos State government.
However, the project preceded the current administration as it was initiated by former Governor of Lagos State Babatunde Fashola in 2014.
The old sawmill at Oko-Baba had experienced a fire incident, according to a report by The News Nigeria, which displaced thousands. In April 2021, another fire accident was reported to have occurred at the same site.
Salako was certain the housing project was going to be realised.
In his words, “as the movement of the plank market from Oko-Baba to Agbowa Timber Ville becomes a reality, we can rest assured that the physical environment at Oko-Baba and Agbowa will benefit from optimal land use to engender a livable, orderly and sustainable environment.”