By Lukman Olabiyi
Lagos State Government has restated its commitment to ensure provision of sustainable electricity for all the residents by the year 2036.
The State Commissioner for Energy, Mr. Olalere Odusote shared this vision with stakeholders while speaking at the 3rd Lagos Real Estate Market Place Conference and Exhibition, organised by the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA).
The commissioner also emphasised the need to collaborate with private investors to actualize the project through decentralisation of energy.
Speaking on the topic; ‘Enabling the Lagos State Real Estate Industry through a thriving energy market in Lagos’, Odusote said that one of the key areas that the state is focusing is to ensure it achieved the Sustainable Development Goal 7, which is the provision of adequate sustainable space for people to exist.
He stressed that the state is being proactive to ensure necessary infrastructures are in place to cater for the growing population.
“Lagos plays host to 13% of Nigerians and at the last count, we received about 750,000 migrants into Lagos on annual basis.
And when people move into Lagos, they are in slums, and as they start to find their footings, they move into single dwelling areas which is created by the government.
“So, Lagos must provide infrastructure from housing and energy as we are fighting over a limited budget to provide electricity, health, roads, housing, transportation for an increasing number of people, It makes sense to start looking at alternative means of funding.” he said
Odusote stressed that one of the key concern of the real estate development is the energy and provision of renewable energy for the people, stressing that before starting a process of the energy transition, there must be access to electricity.
According to him “We are looking at cheaper means of generating electricity and we are reaching out to the private sector to create a framework to ensure that everyone in Lagos, by 2036 should have electricity.
“What we are trying to do is to give a realistic timeline for the universal access to electricity in Lagos and we are committed to this course because we must make Lagos a 21st century economy.
“We are doing everything to ensure alternative energy and clean up the air in Lagos and we are not just making promises, we are also looking at steps to make it achievable, so in the next few years, we will start to see the difference in the energy sector in Lagos.”
He maintained that there was a need for transitioning from heavy polluting temperature equipment to the lower and non polluting generation equipment
