appeals for reimbursement of N51bn spent on federal roads
Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has asked the Presidency to support efforts to rid Apapa area of Lagos of its chronic traffic challenges by getting the contractors to which the contracts for the trailer park opposite Tincan Port and the Liverpool flyover were given to return to sites to complete the abandoned projects.
The two projects are critical to ameliorating the gridlock in Apapa. The trailer park awarded to Borini Prono in 2010, which is about 90 percent completed, was finally abandoned in 2014 after about four years of sluggish work. Officials of the Italian firm had blamed the slow delivery of the project on poor funding by the Federal Government under President Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking during his second inspection tour of Apapa, Oshodi and Ladipo, and other traffic prone areas in Lagos, Governor Ambode said the non-completion of the project put more pressure on Apapa and its environs.
“What we have done today is to continue the monitoring that we started about three months ago. In Apapa, we have seen some semblance of improvement, but we are not satisfied yet. I believe strongly that the Federal Government needs to accelerate the need for the contractor to come back to site.
“Yes, it is true that the Federal Government is owing Lagos N51 billion, but also the Federal Government is saying that some conditions must be met, and some part of the money is actually under contention. But the part that is free from encumbrances, which is about N30 billion, if the Federal Government gives that to us, we will be able to do more roads.
“But the most important part of these federal roads is the Muritala Mohammed Airport Road to Oshodi. On our own part, we believe we would meet all the conditions, and where the Federal Government does not do it early next year, we would do it.
“We are pleading with the Federal Government to make sure that Julius Berger returns to site and alleviate the challenges that motorists are facing. But so far so good, we have seen some parts of Apapa that are now motorable. We believe strongly that once the bridge is completed, the container terminal will be put to use. The container terminal can take like 1,000 trucks, and that in itself will improve on the traffic gridlock in Lagos.”
The governor, who also inspected other projects like Isolo Road, said the contractor was on site, assuring that the projects could be completed in the next nine months.
Speaking about Ladipo Market, he said the market was a major area that Lagosians were concerned about, saying, “we have seen some of these traders carry out illegal activities around the canal that is endangering their lives and also creating challenges for us.
“We believe strongly that if all of us agree on the way out, but again, every trader must be ready to comply with the rule of the state.”
On effort to make traffic flow, the governor said the Lagos Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) was fully back to the roads to ease traffic, adding, “in the last two weeks there have been major improvements on our roads. Truth is that this is a cosmopolitan state with 21 million people, but we would continue to apply all our resources and our strength to make sure that we make life more comfortable for the people.”
