The Lagos State Government said it had begun a four-day verification exercise towards the relocation of Oko-Baba Sawmillers to the Timberville, Owu-Ikosi purpose-built facility, early in 2022.
This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by Mr Mukaila Sanusi, the Spokesman of the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.
The Commissioner, Dr Idris Salako, according to the statement, inaugurated the verification exercise in Alausa.
Salako said during the inauguration that Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s government was serious about relocating the sawmillers and would leave no stone unturned in ensuring smooth execution of the initiative.
Salako said that the verification exercise, which began on Dec. 12 and ends on Dec. 16, was to update the stakeholders’ register and ascertain their level of readiness for the intended movement.
He said that to facilitate the relocation, the government had provided the required basic amenities, enabling working environment, accessible roads, adequate power supply and security in and around Timberville operational area.
He pointed out that the state government embarked on the relocation of the sawmillers to protect the environment and create a more conducive and desirable location for business activity.
“It is incontrovertible that we have since come to terms with the fact that the present location of your Sawmill in the waterfront of Ebute-Metta, popularly called Oko-Baba, is no longer sustainable for the business, given the huge environmental cost which is unimaginable and unpardonable at this time and age,” he is quoted as saying.
The commissioner said that some of the environmental impacts include water and air pollution, carbon emission, destruction of aquatic resources and creation of blight, among others.
He disclosed that the vision of the state government was to transform the Oko-Baba sawmill into the largest in the country.
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Salako said the relocation would turn the Timberville, Agbowa into a major Agriculture Processing Zone, and also to make it a hub of value addition for the timber and construction industry within the Ikorodu-Epe sub-region of the state, while leveraging on public-private collaboration.
Explaining the strategic plan for the relocation, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs Abiola Kosegbe, said the government had devised a phased implementation, for the movement of the Oko-Baba Operation to Timberville.
Kosegbe said the introduction of the strategic documentation of the sawmillers was aimed at achieving seamless movement from Oko-Baba to Timberville through a model that would provide an opportunity for big players.
She said more stakeholders would be selected in the first instance for immediate allocation of space, including band saw sheds, sales offices and ancillary sheds for displaying finished wood products.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Urban Development, Mr Ganiyu Ayuba, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on E-GIS and Physical Planning, Dr Olajide Babatunde, also urged the sawmillers to cooperate with the government throughout the phases of the relocation
