By Moshood Adebayo
The Federal Government yesterday completed the process of handing over the Presidential Lodge, Marina, to the Lagos State Government, 20 years after the journey to actualise it commenced.
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, while speaking during the ceremony, said his administration would put the edifice to good use and transform it into a national monument to boost tourism and grow the economy of Lagos and the entire country.
He said the development was a testament of the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to bring positive change to Lagos.
Ambode particularly commended Buhari, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and staff of the ministry, permanent secretary in the office of chief of staff to the president, and other stakeholders who ensured the transfer.
Ambode said: “We are delighted to be here on this historic day; on a day that finalises the intention of Mr. President to bring positive change to Lagos.
“We want to sincerely appreciate President Buhari, who has graciously approved that the Presidential Lodge be released to Lagos State, which, just as noted by the minister, we have been trying to get in the last 20 years.
“We are pleased that on a day like this, it is my predecessor and present minister of works, who is now doing the final handing over, of which he has also been part of the process to get this asset back to Lagos. But, in God’s own doing, the minister is in the position today to do the final documentation, and we are grateful for that.”
He alluded to the fact that the development was a sign of greater collaboration between the federal government and Lagos state.
Earlier, Fashola congratulated Ambode and the people of Lagos state for the N1.04 trillion budget estimate presented to the House of Assembly on Monday.
He expressed the hope that it would improve quality service delivery to the people of the state.
According to him, the signing of the document which formally vest ownership of the Marina lodge to the state government was in fulfilment of the promise made by President Buhari.
“This is a long journey that has come to an end; a journey that has taken almost two decades when the Lagos State government asked that the property be vested in Lagos but for reasons that remained difficult to understand, it did not happen.
“However, the president of change who is a promise keeper has made it happen,” the minister said.