Lagos Community Leader Seeks More Police Presence In Ode-Omi

. Commends Tinubu, NNPCL Over Olokola LNG Project
ABUJA – The Balogun of Ode-Omi Kingdom, High Chief Shittu Aliu Adeyemi has appealed for more police presence in Ode-Omi to cater for the security needs of the border community with a population of over three million people.

Chief Adeyemi who called on the Lagos State Government (LASG) and the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun to provide them with a Divisional Police Headquarters disclosed that the Police Post in the area with less that five police officers lacks the manpower to safeguard live and property in the area.

The Monarch, however, commended the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the presentation of a draft Ode-Omi Master Plan to the community recently.

He also thanked Dr. Olumide, Abiodun Oluyinka, Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Physical Planning & Urban Development and the Contractor handling the project, Sanni & CO.

The Community Leader while appreciating the governor over his efforts at addressing numerous physical planning challenges in the project area also appealed to the Lagos State Government (LASG) to prioritize the provision of social amenities and security to the border community.

This was made known to newsmen, in a short statement personally signed by High Chief Adeyemi, over the weekend.

According to him the LASG on the 25th of July, 2024, at a stakeholders meeting on Ode-Omi Action Area Plan presented a Draft Ode-Omi Action Area Plan with a view of “addressing numerous physical planning challenges in the project area.”

The event which was attended by all relevant stakeholders in the Community and the representatives of the LASG took place at the Lekki LCDA Secretariat, (Near Lagos Free Trade Zone).

The Balogun stressed that, the community needs a new Divisional Police Headquarters and some basic amenities.

In his words, “The police post we have in Ode-Omi is grossly inadequate to Police the area with a population of over three million people. We need more security deployments to our community to ensure absolute security of lives and property.

“A community of over three million people with just a police post with shortage of manpower is not good enough. We would like to appreciate the Lagos State government for the completion of Master Plan of Ode-Omi kingdom.

“We are pleading with the Lagos State Government and the IGP that, as a border town, we need Divisional police Headquarters, we also need Jety ferries services, Electricity and other amenities in the community,” he said.

The community leader who has consistently called for the revival of the Olokola LNG Projects, however expressed deep appreciation to the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over their resumed discussions with investors towards bringing back to development two long-abandoned Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects — Brass and Olokola LNG projects — with a total cost of $29.8 billion.

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of NNPCL, Mr. Umar Ajiya, disclosed this at the recent 2024 Gas Technology Conference and Exhibition (Gastech) in Houston, United States.

The Olokola gas project is valued at $9.8 billion while the Brass LNG plant estimated at $20 billion are positioned among the largest gas infrastructure investments in Nigeria.

According to the NNPCL, both projects, which were anticipated to boost Nigeria’s gas capacity by over 22 million tonnes per annum, have faced decades of delays due to “unfavourable market dynamics and slow decision-making by the political class in the past.”

Ode-Omi Kingdom is one of the most neglected ancient communities with over 75 villages headed by Baale (lesser Chiefs) on the border between Lagos, ogun and Ondo state with population over three million people.