The Lagos State Government through its Parastatals Monitoring Office on Tuesday said 20 of its parastatals were affected by the EndSARS destruction in October 2020.
The Special Adviser, Parastatals Monitoring Office, Mr Afolabi Ayantayo, made this known in Ikeja, during the 2021 Ministerial Briefing in Commemoration of the Second Year in Office of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Ayantayo said the state suffered a huge damage to critical public property which affected it economically.
”Following the unfortunate EndSARS protest and the attendant heavy destruction of public and private properties, the state suffered a heavy damage to critical public property and this nearly brought the state to a standstill economically.
”The parastatals were not spared; their assets were either stolen or destroyed,” he said.
According to him, to determine the level of the damage, the office carried out on-the-spot assessment of destroyed and stolen assets of the state’s parastatals.
The adviser who listed the parastatals added that the report of the assessment had been forwarded to Gov. Sanwo-Olu.
”It is pertinent to mention here that 20 parastatals were affected in varying degrees, and they are as follow: Lekki Concession Company; Motor Vehicle Administration Agency; Lagos State Fire Service; and the Lagos State Public Works Corporation.
”Also, the Lagos State Material Testing Laboratory, Lagos State Metropolitan Area Transport Authority; Lagos Bus Service Ltd; Lagos Television; Lagos Internal Revenue Service; Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, and the Lagos State Agricultural Inputs Supply Authority.
”They also include the Lagos State Multi-Door Courthouse, Citizens Mediation Centre, Ibeju-Lekki; Lagos State Resilience Office; Lagos State Printing Corporation; and the Lagos Drivers Institute, Oko-Afo, Badagry.
”Also affected are the Lagos State Building Control Agency, Lagos State Physical Planning Authority (Ibeju Lekki/Mainland Office); Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps; and the Lagos State Safety Commission,” he said.
Ayantayo said that to enhance the visibility of the parastatals and government-owned companies, the office introduced the ‘Lagos Parastatals Quarterly’.
He said that ‘Lagos Parastatals Quarterly’ was a magazine produced by the PMO to publicise the activities of organised private sector, the parastatals and agencies of government.
According to him, the first edition has been published and it is already in circulation.
”The publication is to stimulate drive for performance by the parastatals (through carefully crafted contents), and assist the monitoring duties of the PMO through cost-effective inter-parastatal communication.
”The magazine is to create and own an effective media platform that can serve the government’s purpose rather than rely wholly on independent media and to give optimum exposure to the parastatals and agencies amongst its strategic stakeholders,” he said.
Ayantayo said that apart from internal circulation, the magazine would be made available to the grassroots.
He said this would be done through the local governments, market associations, CDAs and CDCs, embassies, international missions, consulates, Lagos State Chambers of Commerce and Industries, the organised private sector, media houses, among others. (NAN)
