Utomi: States sharing boundaries can create connected urban areas to attract growth

Pat Utomi, a professor of political economy and former presidential candidate, says there is a need for states that share boundaries to a megalopolis cities growth pattern to drive development within their region.

This, he said, has been adopted in developed climes where the government maintains discipline to attract venture capitalists to build infrastructures.

Utomi gave this suggestion while sharing perspectives on Ehingbeti, the Lagos Economic Summit.

“Think of Lagos-Ibadan megalopolis, develop in Ogere a beautiful city, go to Abeokuta to develop a beautiful city,” Utomi said.

“People can wake up and in 45 minutes they are in their office in Victoria Island and in the evening, they go back to Ibadan, Ogere, and Abeokuta. This is a megalopolis and you think of the Boston-Houston corridor. But, this needed political will to collaborate with the adjourning state.”

Utomi described the summit as a strategic initiative and planning tool that has significantly driven the development of Lagos state.

“The idea of Ehingbeti came from the need to provide infrastructure and social services to the citizenry after the return civil rule in 1999. Aside from the huge infrastructural deficit, Lagos had issues with the waste management system, social planning and transportation. Everything, in fact, was somewhat chaotic,” he said.

“Government needed to quickly address these challenges, even with its limited resources. With the crop of technocrats drawn into serve in government, plans and roadmaps were easily developed, working with their private-sector colleagues.”

Commenting on the impact of the summit on the development of Lagos state, Hakeem Cole, a retired permanent secretary in the state, said: “Over the last two decades, with Ehingbeti, Lagos has witnessed huge infrastructural development. Most of the major road constructions, bridges, medical facilities and social innovations that made Lagos attractive originated from the discussion at Ehingbeti”.

“It is good that the fourth mainland bridge is on the table now. It was a presentation topic of the traffic management committee of the Ehingbeti in 2004. It was revisited under Governor Fashola and slated for execution by the subsequent administration for better management of traffic in the state.

“Ehingbeti feeds the Lagos Master Plan. It is the private sector setting agenda for the government.”

“So, is the government doing the needful regarding the whole responsibility of megacity, a lot more can be done, more involvement of the private sector is critical in getting that done; as it stands government cannot do all this so much.  But it can be able to play a catalytic role in the flourishing of the private sector which then can creatively drive that growth and development.”

The next edition of the summit will hold between February 16 and February 18, 2021.