What appears to be a disaster in waiting is currently playing out at the FESTAC area of Lagos. A resident of the area, Mr. Oghene
Emma-Egoh, has lamented the poor state of the place, calling it “a
disaster waiting to happen.” Emma-Egoh, a member of the House of
Representatives, on Sunday urged the Federal Government to move in and
save “FESTAC and its satellite towns” in Lagos State.
The lawmaker warned of possible
epidemics in FESTAC owing to the near total collapse of infrastructure,
particularly the sewage system.
FESTAC Town is a federal housing estate on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway in Lagos,
FESTAC means Festival of Arts and
Culture, and the estate was constructed to house the participants of the
festival in 1977. It was subsequently allocated and sold to Nigerians
after the festival.
But Emma-Egoh, who represents Amuwo
Odofin Federal Constituency, complained that in spite of collecting all
manner of rates and levies from residents in the area, both the federal
and the Lagos governments cared less about the decay in the town and its
surroundings.
He recalled that he had earlier moved a
motion on the problem on the floor of the House last week, as part of
the efforts to get the Federal Government to rescue FESTAC Town.
The House, in a resolution, had called
on the Federal Government and its agency, the Federal Housing Authority
of Nigeria, to begin the “immediate rehabilitation of FESTAC Town.”
Emma-Egoh said, “This estate has been
built for over 40 years and as we speak, there are no functional
infrastructure. Today, the Federal Government collects tenement rates
from residents in FESTAC, while the Lagos State Government also collects
land charges.
“There is no single firefighting vehicle in the place. If there is any fire incident in FESTAC, it will be a total disaster. So, given its importance as one of the
oldest housing estates and satellite towns in Lagos, it is important to
rehabilitate the area,” he said.
He noted that the condition of roads in the estate had become deplorable, while residents no longer had access to potable water.
The lawmaker said, “The central sewage
systems in the estate are no longer functional. They now gush out
dangerous wastes into the open at uncontrollable rate and the drainages
are no longer flowing and have become the habitat for giant mosquitoes.
“This situation can lead to the outbreak of an epidemic,” he submitted.
