Lekki corridor meant for farming, not housing, says Lagos govt

Lagos State Government, yesterday, revealed that many who acquired agriculture lands in the state often use them for real estate purposes, saying the entire Lekki corridor was zoned for agriculture but was taken over by housing development.

It also said the Lagos food market is worth N9 billion in daily transactions and N5 trillion yearly Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, disclosed this during the ongoing yearly ministerial media briefing marking the first year of the second term of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

She said the government is committed to ensuring that land for agriculture is used for the intended purpose; becoming an organised food system and value-chain destination; and achieving its aims and objectives of a five-year Agricultural and Food Systems Roadmap (2021-2025), as well as Food Security Systems Policy Document.

The commissioner said the state was able to regulate prices of goods through food hubs and intervention programmes. According to her, the governor also approved seven additional food hubs.

She disclosed that the state launched the Trader Money initiative for market men and women, embarked on an agric business support initiative, and built farms across Lagos.

Olusanya said through collaboration, the government supported more than 23,986 farmers in the rice, fish and poultry sectors. Also, Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Oluwarotimi Fashola, said the government, through its rice mill initiative, partnered with different states in Nigeria to sustain the availability of paddy production.

He disclosed that the state’s rice mill currently has access to less than 10 per cent of the capacity it needs. Fashola said the Lagos government is already working with different partners, including sub-nationals, to raise the level of paddy being supplied to the mill.