Sanwo-Olu swears-n Special Advisers on PPP, Agriculture

…Signs Bills regulating real estate, cooperative societies, prohibiting dangerous animals

. ‘HOS says he has no plan to unseat gov in 2023’

IBRAHIM QUADRI

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has sworn in Mr. Ope George and Dr. Oluwarotimi Fashola as Special Advisers on Public-Private Partnerships and Agriculture (Rice Mill Initiative) respectively.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, who swore in the two advisers during the weekly State Executive Council meeting at the Executive Chamber in Lagos House, Ikeja, on Monday also signed three bills into law.

The three bills were – law regulating the real estate transactions in Lagos State; law to provide for the registration of Cooperative Societies in Lagos State; and law to regulate ownership, licensing and sales of pets and to prohibit and restrict people from having in custody dangerous animals in public places.

Speaking about his new advisers, Governor Sanwo-Olu said George and Fashola are coming into the State Executive Council with a lot of experience in Public and Private Partnership and Agriculture to add value to the system and wish them the very best in their new assignments.

“We believe this addition to our cabinet will further strengthen our ability to deliver all that we promised our citizens because we need people in strategic positions. We need people that have sufficient authority to be able to dispense their responsibilities,” he said.

Governor Sanwo-Olu said the new bills he assented to will strengthen government and citizens’ engagement and relationships and for residents of the State to continue to live in an atmosphere where the rule of law is enshrined for people and to know what is expected of them.

The Governor who commended the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa and the state lawmakers for seeing the need to pass the bills into laws said the government will “continue to ensure that our citizens are happy with us and trust is further deepened in government.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu said the law to regulate the real estate transactions in Lagos State will help to protect the citizens; the unsuspecting Lagosians who fall prey to many real estate professionals, adding that the law will also help players in the real estate sector to know what is expected of them and for government to be able to track who is doing what in the sector.

“It is really about ease of doing business and ensuring that we can continue to attract private sector investments into the real estate space. We believe this law would be the very first in the country that has taken a deep dive into what is happening in that space and it further strengthens our intervention in housing through the Ministry of Housing,” he said.

He said the law to provide for the registration of cooperative societies in Lagos State will make it easy to regulate the operations of thousands of cooperative societies in the State for harmonious cooperation.

The Governor also noted that the law regulating the ownership, licensing and sales of pets, prohibiting and restricting people from having in custody dangerous animals in public places, will further strengthen all the deliverables in the Ministry of Agriculture, especially issues that have to do with pets and animals.

Meanwhile, Lagos State Head of Service, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola has disclosed that the report that went viral over an alleged plot he plans to unseat the State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu in 2023 was aimed to plant a seed of discord between him and the Governor.

In a statement personally signed by him, the HOS stated that he currently pursuing the service of promoting the THEMES agenda of the Governor and had no plan to scuttle his second term ambition.

Recall that the Lagos All Progressives Congress, APC had last week warned the leading opposition party in the State, People’s Democratic Party to stop creating disunity among members of APC.

APC described the call by PDP for Sanwo-Olu to join its party as a Greek gift.

In the latest reaction, the State HOS noted, “My attention has been drawn to several publications linking me with a fictitious race for Lagos State Governor and plots to stop Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term bid. I hereby dissociate  myself from all publications and innuendoes conveying such plots. I reiterate my support for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his administration’s THEMES Agenda – the six-pillar development plan that is the compass for his projects and policies.

“The objective of those behind these publications is obviously to plant a seed of discord between Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and me. Contrary to the statements being published by mischief makers, who are also trying to play the religion card, I am  fully focused on carrying out my duties as Head of Service of the Lagos State Government and taking the Public Service to greater heights