A social analyst, Soyoye Ekundayo, is the Convener of a right organization, Progressive Volunteers (PV), has taken a critical look at the Land Use Charge Review of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu and arrived at the conclusion that, there are lot of socio/economic advantages for the citizenry in the policy.
Ekundayo in a statement entitled, ‘Socio-Economic Benefits of Land Use Charge Review,’ pointed out that, going through the review, it appears that it has some service driven ingredients, that if utilized would bail the residents out of financial crisis.
According to him, Sanwo-Olu has made it abundantly clear that, governance is not absolutely about making money at the expense of the welfare of the people reminding that, with the review, the state has lost up to almost N6 billion.
The loss was as a result of the review, by the Lagos State Government’s cancellation of the 2018 land use charge and reversion to pre-2018 land use charges thereby reducing some financial and economic burden the review has put off the head of the property owners in the state.
The Government’s review was recently communicated to the people by the state Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Rabiu Olowo, at a press conference in Lagos through where Olowo disclosed that he government has also waived penalties for land use charge for 2017, 2018 and 2019, which according to him, translated to a loss of revenue amounting to N5.6bn for the state.
It is on record that, in 2018, during the immediate past administration there was an outrageous increase up to 400 per cent in the Land Use Charge rate as well as the method of valuation of properties that had a sporadic increase in Land Use Charge payable by property owners.
The outrageous increase that Sanwo-Olu has reversed to the pre-2018, according to Ekundayo, led to upholding the affordable payable amount of the pre-2018 and 2018 method of valuation.
Ekundayo stated emphatically that, it is against this background that, Sanwo-Olu has made a strongly convincing statement that governance is not all about making money and profits, but an art of making provision for the wellbeing and welfare of the citizenry without expectation of monetary gain in returns.
The youthful analyst is of the strong conviction that, if individual, corporate groups, market men and women and transportation managers also play their roles well in reciprocity to the good gesture of the governor, the expected relief the policy was target to achieved would become a reality.
The concerned activist therefore urged all the stakeholders in the state’s economic affairs to play their require roles for the benefit of all saying, “we all owe it as duty to assist the government in its onerous quest of making life meaningful to the citizenry.
Giving instances, Ekundayo asserted that, if the land/property owners, who are the direct beneficiaries of the policy contribute their own quotas by making their tenants to have the feel of the Sanwo-Olu’s magnanimity by reducing their rents, the largesse would reach the grassroots.
He said “since to who more is given, more is expected, we challenge the land lords to also shelve some of the rent burden their tenants are currently bearing.” asserting that, “a listening and responsive administrator like Sanwo-Olu deserves to be reciprocated adequately by those who are direct beneficiaries of the largesse like the Landlords.
Citing more instances, Ekundayo also aligned with pro-workers organization, Labour & Workers Welfare Advocacy Centre, that tasked the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), to reciprocate the Lagos State Government’s good gesture over the review of the Land Use Charge by cooperating with it in its positive policies on workers’ welfare.
The activist agreed that, if the twin Labour outfits assist in bringing down prices of essential commodities and cost of services to commensurate with the governor’s largesse, the purpose of the review would not be lost on the populace, pointing out that, what togetherness in governance could do cannot be over emphasised.
According to him, the step taken on the Land Use Charge by Sanwo-Olu has proven that the governor is a listening and responsive administrator who deserves support because of his awareness of the public plight, urging the Labour Unions and all their affiliates to show understanding towards government’s policies that are always people’s oriented.
In the same vein, the PV boss also added that, support and cooperation of the market leaders and all the artisans for the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu over the recent review of the Land Use Charge would further give more relief to the residents and create an enabling environment for commerce and economic boost.
If all the stakeholders across all the sectors of the economy like the artisans and market men and men also play their parts to complement the governor’s efforts at reducing the powerty level of the citizenry, Sanwo-Olu’s aim of addressing the yearnings of his people would be felt across board.
“With their maximum support, the people’s purchasing power would move up the ladder. If the land/property owners reduce rents, the transport workers reduce fares, farmers reduce prices of their products and market operators and artisans reduce costs of their commodities and services, Sanwo-Olu’s largesse would in no time percolate to the grassroots,” Ekundayo quoted from another group’s statement.
According to him, if leaders impress it on their followers the need to avoid hoarding and profiteering that could add to the problem of the citizenry rather than ameliorate it, the society would be better for it, asserting that, governance is not a sole responsibility of those in office but a collective responsibility of all well-meaning people of the state.
He therefore urged the artisans, market operators Labour Leaders, Trade Unions and other commercial associations to exhibit the highest standard of patriotism and reciprocate Sanwo-Olu’s good gesture by assisting in bringing down the prices of their commodities and services for the benefit of the generality of the citizenry.
In conclusion, the frontline analyst said, if Sanwo-Olu does not have the love of his people at heart, he would not have incurred a debt of over N5bn to procure happiness and financial stability for them through the review. He also did it in a way that there are windows for economic and commercial activities for the residents while art of governance that keeps the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) stable and increasing. This, Ekundayo said, therefore calls for reciprocity from the side of the people as appreciation for a job being well done by a responsible and responsive administrator.