Your Excellency,

What is your administration doing to create more job opportunities for Nigerian youths in Lagos State?

It will interest you to know that my idea of starting a digital marketing firm in Lagos almost died off the moment I realized the outrageous cost of getting a decent place of business in the City. Without a doubt, this scenario is applicable to other young entrepreneurs in the state.

Getting an office apartment in Surulere, Ikeja or Lekki costs over N1m whereas it could cost more than N500,000 to get decent rented offices in Iyana Ipaja, Isolo, Ejigbo, etc. These huge rents must have put off many young investors in the state.

I, therefore, implore you to consider creating the 'Lagos SME Business Hub' in order to provide low-cost business apartments to SMEs across the state.

In this case, we are not talking about lockup stores.

The 'Lagos SME Business Hub' should be designed to provide a conducive and affordable business environment for SMEs such as recording studios, photographic studios and film production.

The laundry and dry cleaning ventures, beauty and makeup salons, catering & confectionery ventures, decoration & event management ventures are businesses that will benefit from the 'Lagos SME Business Hub' initiative. The list is endless.

Your Excellency, a decent place of business is germane to every enterprise. Interestingly, this presents good economic opportunities to the Lagos State government in the following ways:

1) creates business and job opportunities.
2) improved income.
3) improved standard of living.
4) improved revenue to the government through rent and taxes.
5) improved security.

It is my earnest prayer to you to consider this initiative given the significance of Lagos State to our nation's industrial growth.

The wave of agitations, specifically the #EndSARS protests, across the nation means that your government must look beyond road construction and toll gate administration as a panacea for economic growth.

Finally, I implore you to consider appointing more youths into public offices in the state. The youths are pivotal in achieving our common goal of a prosperous and indivisible entity.

Thank you as I hope that you will take appropriate measures to address the issues raised in this letter.

Francis Onyema.

Well written