Lagos is metaphorically inside Ogun, the gateway state, reputedly the land of Nigeria’s icons. But on the flip side of this physical geography of the two sister states is their socio-economic architecture. Lagos is the domineering economy, even defining the socio-cultural landscape of the other.
One town in Ogun that illustrates this best is Ota. It is like an extension of Lagos. Ota, the Awori homeland and a bustling town in the Ogun West Senatorial Zone, can be rightly described as the heartbeat of the economy of Ogun State.
Ota is not just home to the largest number of industries in Ogun State. It is also rising to be a haven for quality education with the number of private universities, large followership religious centres and award-winning secondary schools.
Its proximity to Lagos is rubbing off on her as a result of population and economic drift from the former federal capital.
This ordinarily should be a positive development. It should challenge the government to devise policies and programmes that would reduce the impact of urbanization and economic migration on Ota and convert tat proximity to opportunities as it is witnessing a population explosion.
What are those opportunities? Mainly, they are in revenue generation into the state coffers, the corollary to which is that Ota must be a liveable city with encouraging public and physical infrastructure and social amenities, in the quality and network of roads, reliable electricity supply, public water provision, modern markets, state-owned schools and hospitals.
What should this reality have spelt for both states? It should have led to strategic initiatives for development partnership between the two states.
Now Ogun is the loser, soaking the pressures of Lagos rather than making the best of such stress. But to make the best the Lagos stress and pressure on Ogun is so simple.
The government should concentrate infrastructure or develop partnership with Lagos on infrastructure provision in the border or satellite towns.
The recent completion of Osi Ota Road by the current administration in Ogun State, linking Ikola in Alimoso Local government of Lagos is just one example of such initiatives that can earn Ogun more benefits or positive externalities of proximity to the Centre of Excellence and state of aquatic splendour. Needed are more of such projects.
- Abdulwarees Solanke, Lagos.
