Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has formally flagged off registration of Lagos residents by Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA), saying that it would provide demographic data for efficient planning and proper allocation of resources in the state.
The governor, who said this yesterday at the flag off ceremony of the exercise said that it had become imperative for the state to conduct the exercise and get the database for the residents living in the state in order to be able to plan adequately for the people in the state.
Fashola maintained that developed countries in the world like India, Britain and America have a database which enable them to plan for both citizens and residents living in their countries, saying the exercise has become a watershed in the history of Lagos as this is the first time a state in the country will be embarking on this type of exercise.
“This is our biggest initiative that will lead the state to providing the required infrastructure for the residents of the state. Today is a watershed in the history of Lagos State. It will enable the state government register and collate the data of all the residents in the state.
“Those who are indigene of the state who live in other states aren’t eligible for the registration because the state they reside will cater for their demands, but anyone who live in the state or is coming to live in the state for over 6 months”.
The idea for the exercise began in 2003 during the administration of his predecessor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who was then the commissioner for works and infrastructure.
Fashola also said: “there is a lot of data in the country over the years but there are still many gaps. And we intend to use this exercise to fill the gap. For instance the number of vehicle owners in the state but not all the residents of Lagos own cars. And we also know the number of the pupils in the public schools but not all of them attend school and how will the state know the statistic for the state. All these showed that there is a gap required to be filled.
He added that the exercise has created about 1,455 job opportunities for unemployed people in the state.
Source: Leadership
