When the only international airport in Lagos State; Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), was built, Ikeja was a suburb of Lagos and not the bustling commercial centre it is today. All the neighbourhoods and communities around the airport, like Oshodi, Isolo, Mafoluku have become heavily built up and highly populated. These lead to sporadic and disruptive traffic congestions. Despite the fact that the Lagos State government has made heroic efforts to make the Oshodi access to the airport better by clearing the Kaiyero Market area, there is still traffic leading up to the airport itself, especially at peak hours in the morning and evening.
This scenario and several other factors like the number of passengers flying in and out of Lagos (5million per year) have made the need for another airport in Lagos State imperative, in anticipation of further economic growth in the state. The Lagos State Government established the Lagos Airport Development Company (LADC) solely for the purpose of managing the development of the proposed Lekki Airport with a primary objective of complementing and supporting the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA),
Forward thinking as usual, the Governor through
the state Ministry of Commerce and Industry is developing a masterplan for the new international airport to be built by the state in Lekki. The new airport is expected to cost $600million and will be built adjacent to the 16,500 hectare Lekki free trade zone to further catalyse the ongoing development of the southeast region of the State.
The Lekki corridor is considered one of the most dynamic future growth areas in Nigeria. The new airport will provide much needed facilities for air passengers travelling to or via Lagos and also ease congestion at the MMIA.
The Lekki Airport is a complex project, which is why the state government engaged the best international consultants available to develop the Lekki Airport Master Plan. The study will be completed in four (4) separate stages and each stage requires approval from the Lagos State Government before proceeding to the next level.
The first stage comprises of the client’s brief; establishment of the project team; visit to the proposed site; air traffic analysis and critique for passengers and cargo; planning parameters and key facilities; yardstick measurements and airport schematics; development of airfield layout options and evaluation options and assessment.
During the second stage of the master plan, the team wrote about the passenger terminal sizing; concepts and assessment; preferred airfield and terminal options; architectural treatment options; conclusions and recommendations; development budget estimate; strategic programme options and procurement options.
For stage 3, the team will develop selected options; landside access – road & rail; prepare phasing strategy, amongst others.
The fourth and last stage will include the creation of a 3D model; presentation material; final master plan report and presentation to Governor Fashola and Lagos State Government team and the Master Plan study approval.
The Master Plan is currently at stage 3 is due to be completed by June this year. The Governor expects the airport to be operational by 2013.
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The peculiar nature of Lagos State as a former Federal Capital and the economic hub of the country has led to continuous influx of people into the metropolis. Some of the migrants are young and others are families with young children. Either way, there has been an immense increase in the youth population of the state, which has led to a lot of pressure on the social facilities available to them.
The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Development was founded to address these issues. Some of the objectives of the ministry include interfacing with the Ministry of Education to lay a solid foundation for our youth through functional education curriculum with a strong moral and civic content; promoting the New Face of Lagos Youth- Educated, Clean and Upwardly mobile and re- orientation of the Youth to redirect their vision and goals to give them hope for sustainable self development.
Regarding youth education, the youth empowerment initiative of the present administration in the state has commenced the rehabilitation of technical and vocational schools. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), inaugurated the pioneer Board of Technical and Vocational Education, to facilitate the empowerment of the youths and the eradication of poverty in the State. Over the last three years, a lot of work has been done to improve the conditions of the five vocational and technical schools that exist in the State by law. The first step was to rehabilitate the schools into functional, attractive and comfortable learning institutions and to restore the equipment and libraries to an acceptable level. The State is also pairing up Lagos Technical and Vocational Schools to similar vocational schools in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world for the benefit of the youth.
The youth empowerment programme gives the youth in Lagos State the confidence to help themselves and each other. Many non-governmental organizations (NGO) are being initiated by the youth of the state. One of these is the Youth Empowerment Foundation (YEF). YEF started a Nigeria HIV/AIDS telephone hotline. The primary target of the hotline is youth between 15 and 24 years and using a form of access that is universal in Lagos. Everyone either has a phone or can use one for a nominal fee. Awareness of the hotline was done through the television and radio at the peak periods and also in the print media and billboard adverts. Posters were placed in markets and bus terminals where out-of-school youth work or congregate. It was (and still is) imperative that the information about the hotline reaches as many young people (between 10 and 24years) as possible because the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria is twice that of the rest of the world.
These are only two of the many programmes embarked upon by Lagos State to ensure the empowerment of the youth of Lagos State.
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