Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday led members of the state cabinet to commission the 20-unit two-bedroom Love Garden Apartments located on Olorogun-Allen Street, Surulere.

The opening of the mini-housing scheme was greeted by spontaneous jubilation in the neighbourhood as residents trooped out en-masse to receive and commend Sanwo-Olu for transforming what used to be a criminals’ hideout into a cozy residential asset.

The suspended twin three-storey development sits on 2,719.30m square land belonging to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

The Love Garden Apartments, an elegantly designed residential development in Surulere, was built by the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC).

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Besides, the Governor also opened a vocational training centre built by LSDPC on Owolewa Street in Surulere.

Sanwo-Olu said the redevelopment of the abandoned land had not only provided accommodation for residents, noting that a major security threat in the area had also been solved.

Saying that the transformation further reiterated the commitment of his government to urban regeneration and infrastructural renewal, Governor Sanwo-Olu commended the two agencies for the collaboration that led to the development.

“The land on which this project is sited used to be a security liability for residents of this neighbourhood. It was previously a massive school compound before the school was moved out of the site. The land was taken over by people of questionable character, who committed all sorts of atrocities and constituted threats to the residents’ peace. We had a conversation with SUBEB about the conversion of this fallow asset into a living asset.