INFRASTRUCTURE RENEWAL PROGRAMS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Lagos currently has a population of more than 18 million people. The United Nations grants megacity status to cities with populations of 10 million or more. Building and preserving a model megacity presents significant challenges. It could be difficult to provide enough infrastructure and other necessities to meet the needs of over 18 million people (Ayeni, 2008).
Officials and population analysts agreed that by 2025, the population of the city and surrounding communities, particularly in the Ogun State axis, would have risen to 30 million. Housing, infrastructure, and transportation are among the most pressing issues, particularly in the state’s more than ten local government areas (LGAs), excluding local council development areas. (LCDAs). Furthermore, notorious traffic jams, choking pollution, insufficient supply of potable water, insecurity, and the absence or inadequacy of people’s social and economic needs pose additional challenges. Apart from the government’s efforts through various urban renewal programs, the uncontrolled influx of people from virtually every state in Nigeria, including neighboring countries such as Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, and others, is raising concerns that the next few years will present a daunting task for the authority (Tim, 2003). It has been observed that septics are channeled directly into the drain in some Lagos homes. As a result, the government is challenged to invest heavily in environmental protection through urban renewal programs in order to avoid environmental disasters. abuse and its consequences. People migrate from villages to cities with little understanding of the reality on the ground. Here, culture comes into play, such as open defecation as practiced in the village, public clothing distribution, and cooking exercise in any open space, among other things that frustrate the state government’s efforts to transform the city through urban renewal programs. Officials admit that planned urban renewal is a significant challenge in a developing model city like Lagos (Batley, 2003). Prior to the government’s current urban regeneration efforts, Lagos was referred to as a jungle of various emerging slums. However, a systematic urban development and slum renewal program has since been implemented in collaboration with several development agencies.
place to reverse the trend being a major remedy to combat the menace characterized by urbanization. As a result, various model city plans, such as the Ikeja Model City Plan, the Victoria Island/Ikoyi Model City Plan, and the Lekki Comprehensive Land Use and Infrastructure Master Plan, have been completed, while the Mainland Central Model City Plan, Badagry Draft Master Plan, and Alimosho Master Plan are still in the works. However, in order to provide legal support for the urban renewal program, the Lagos State Model City Development Law was enacted in 2009, and the State Urban and Regional Planning Law was signed on July 7, 2010.
According to Lindan (1993), a megacity requires a stronger financial foundation. The sheer magnitude of funding required to sustain a A megacity is something that a government cannot provide on its own. To that end, Kadiri believes that both the federal and state governments should assist Lagos in meeting the challenges that come with being a megacity through urban renewal programs. According to Ogunleye, the fact that many of the old slum areas are not in remote locations makes it easier for the government to include them in urban renewal programs. The formation of new slums is prevented, but the influx of people is uncontrollable in Lagos State, despite the fact that there is no legislation that discourages migration to the city. However, the government will do well if it establishes new settlements with the necessary infrastructure.
put in place. Despite this, the government has begun infrastructure renewal projects such as the light rail scheme from Orile to Mile 2, the redevelopment of the Lagos-Badagry expressway into ten lanes incorporating BRT lanes and light rails, the ongoing reconstruction of the Mile 12-Ikorodu road incorporating BRT lanes, the recently commissioned Ejigbo-Ajao Estate link bridge, and the recovery and redevelopment of loops previously used by criminals. Despite the importance of these projects, it appears that much more needs to be done to meet the needs of millions of commuters on a daily basis.
The state of the environment also poses a significant challenge to the Lagos megacity. city. Lagos, for example, generates 10,000 tonnes of waste per day, nearly three times more than Ghana as a whole. Furthermore, the level of industrial pollution in Lagos is unparalleled in the country. Another major challenge for the Lagos megacity is maintaining law and order. Though a city is granted megacity status as a result of population growth, creating and maintaining a model megacity is not easy, as evidenced by the Lagos experience. In the case of Lagos, however, a major challenge is coping with the city’s ever-increasing population and the consequences for infrastructure.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This study considers an effective urban renewal program as a solution to the challenges of Lagos megacities characterized by urbanization. This strategy aims to provide housing, environmental policies, and planning strategies that are appropriate for dealing with the challenges of urban growth and development. According to the United Nations, a megacity is a metropolitan area with a population of more than 10 million people. Some definitions also specify a minimum population density (at least 2,000 people per square kilometer). Depending on the definitions and boundaries used, a megacity can be a single metropolitan area or multiple metropolitan areas. However, the researcher will provide an overview of the urban renewal program as a solution to the challenges of Lagos Megacity.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following are the study’s objectives:
To investigate the megacity of Lagos’s challenges.
To identify the urban renewal programs implemented by the Lagos State government to address Megacity challenges.
To assess the efficacy of urban renewal programs in Lagos State.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What are the challenges of the megacity of Lagos?
What urban renewal programs has the Lagos State government put in place to address Megacity challenges?
What is the effectiveness of Lagos State’s urban renewal programs?
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The following are the study’s objectives:
The findings of this study will inform the general public about how effective urban renewal programs can address megacity challenges. This will also raise awareness among policymakers about the importance of instituting an urban renewal program to address issues related to megacity problems in their jurisdiction.
This research will also serve as a resource base for other scholars and researchers interested in conducting additional research in this field in the future, and if applied, will go so far as to provide new explanations for the topic.
1.7 SCOPE/LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This study on infrastructure renewal programs as a solution to Lagos megacity challenges will cover all of the programs established by the Lagos State government to address infrastructural challenges caused by the megacity. This study will also look at the issues that are causing the state’s infrastructure to deteriorate.
LIMITATION OF STUDY
Financial constraint- Inadequate funding tends to impede the researcher’s efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in the data collection process (internet, questionnaire and interview). Time constraint- The researcher will conduct this study alongside other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.
REFERENCES
B. Ayeni, “Lagos: Problems and Planning in Third World Cities,” St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2008. “Political Control of Urban Planning and Management,” R. Batley, Managing Fast Growing Cities: New Approaches to Urban Planning and Management, 2003. London: Longman, pp. 176-206. F. Halla, “A Coordinating and Participatory Approach to City Management,” Habitat International, Vol.18 No 3, pp. 19-31, 1994. E. Linden, “Megacities,” Time Magazine, 11 January 1993, pp. 141-2. M. Tim, “Cairo Megacity,” Travel Guides Hotel Reviews, virtualtourist.com, 2003.