Insecurity: LASPARK To Collaborate With Security Agencies To Ensure Safety At Gardens, Parks

By Akinwale Kasali

The spate of insecurity in the nation has seen Parks and Gardens in the Center of Excellence as Lagos State is called, experience low turnout of fun seekers.

But giving fun seekers a sense  of relief and strengthening the security apparatus of the Lagos Parks and Gardens, the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency, LASPARK has reiterated its commitment to collaborate with security agencies for the safety of Lagosians across the State.

The General Manager of LASPARK, Adetoun Popoola, stated that the reason for the creation of the parks is to promote recreation and leisure where people can relax and enjoy the scenery without fear from anyone.

“If the Gardens are beautiful and people can’t use them as a result of nefarious activities of miscreants, then the purpose for which they are created is defeated”, she said.

Popoola asserted that the mandate of LASPARK is to establish and maintain public parks and gardens in Lagos, adding that the agency will continue to live up to this responsibility by taking over contaminated and incidental open spaces, setbacks, roundabouts and transform them into leisure and entertainment spots.

Speaking further, the General Manager disclosed that LASPARK has an in-house monitoring and enforcement team that goes around daily to ensure the sites are free from criminal activities.

“Other units within the agency such as Operations, Vegetal, Tree Planting, Maintenance and Greener Lagos Managers (GLMs) spread across the six zones in the State, complement the efforts of the enforcements officers by raising issues spotted on-site and ensuring they are escalated to the appropriate authority”, she added.

Popoola emphasised that the agency will continue to collaborate with security agencies, whose duty is to maintain peace and order within the State to make parks and gardens also safe and secure for public use.

She, however, enjoined Lagosians to support the agency by reporting all untoward activities of hoodlums or miscreants noticed at any of the gardens through the agency’s social media platforms for a prompt response.