By Adegboyega Adeleye
Former Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo, has attributed the state’s growing population and pressure on public infrastructure to its perceived success, saying people continue to move to Lagos because “things are working.”
Taiwo, who represented Ajeromi-Ifelodun Constituency and served as Majority Leader in the Assembly, said this on Vanguard’s Politics Hub, where he discussed why the All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to govern Lagos since 1999 despite persistent challenges.
Explaining why Lagos continues to experience population growth and infrastructure pressure, the former lawmaker said the situation partly reflects the state’s success, which has continued to attract people from different parts of the country.
“The problem in Lagos is a result of the success, and when you are successful, there are some things that will happen to you that, if you are not careful, it would look like it is consuming you,” Taiwo said.
He further argued that the state’s growing population had increased the pressure on infrastructure and public services, noting that Lagos had grown from about six million people in 1999 to an estimated 20 million today.
“What was the population of Lagos in 1999 compared to the population of Lagos now? 20 million. What was the population of Lagos then? It was around than 6 million,” he said.
Taiwo argued that people naturally move to places where they believe opportunities and public services are better, adding that Lagos’ appeal had contributed to the pressure on its infrastructure.
“Anywhere there is a good thing, people will move there, and that is what is happening; people are moving towards Lagos because things are working,” the former lawmaker added.
“We need a place to put our heads, and there is no government in Lagos that did not do one housing project or the other.”
The former Deputy Speaker maintained that successive administrations in the state had undertaken housing projects, insisting that Lagos was making progress despite residents’ concerns aboutits development challenges. “Lagos is improving,” he noted.
Taiwo also addressed complaints about refuse collection and waste management, arguing that the increased attention being paid to the problem reflected a change in residents’ awareness and willingness to speak up when public services fell short.
“The reason why people are complaining more about refuse now is that their consciousness is very high,” he added.
“In those days, the refuse situation was worse than this but nobody sees it. But now, if you ever see a small thing that is not working well, you will see somebody who will say something.”
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