Considering the demolition of houses, numbering about 2,000, that the Lagos-Ibadan-Kano railway lines will gulp in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital, the Federal Government has reviewed the rail project by relocating the railway station within the MKO Abiola Trade Fair Complex in Abeokuta, with a view to building hotels and malls in addition to the rail station.
It will be recalled that the Lagos-Ibadan-Kano rail project which starts in Apapa, Lagos state with stretches to Ebute-Meta -Papalanto-Abeokuta-Ibadan which will ultimately terminates in Kano state is designed to have a station at Papalanto but due to the ongoing Abeokuta Central Business District Project, Ogun state government requested the Federal Government to relocate the rail station to Abeokuta, state capital for easy access and movement of passengers.
Speaking in Abeokuta on Sunday during a working visit to the sites, the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, declared that Federal Government considered the review of the rail project and relocation of the rail station to MKO Abiola Trade Fair Complex in Abeokuta in order to save demolition of thousands of houses that are within the right of way of the rail lines and rail station to be located in Abeokuta.
He said, “We are working well with Ogun state government as well as Lagos state government but just that there are more problems in Lagos state as a result of cosmopolitan status of Lagos state, that is the same problem we have met in Abeokuta as a result of cosmopolitan status.
“But, the problem in Abeokuta is not gas and petroleum pipes. In fact, the land we have acquired for the project appears to have been overtaken by the people who are building houses and then, we have made a decision to move to other location, we believe that we should relocate to a better place for business, people and passengers that is where we are going to now (MKO Abiola Trade Fair Complex).
“What you can see is that we have relocated the station now to a conducive place where the demolition of number of houses will be reduced by more than a thousand. Even, when the governor saw the number of houses to be demolished, he fought and we have agreed to relocate it to MKO Abiola Trade Fair Complex. Now, this is where the station will be. We are building a rail station, a hotel and malls.”
Responding, Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who hosted the Minister of Transport and his entourage in Abeokuta, lauded the Federal Government for the railway lines and Amaechi’s discretion to save thousands of houses on the rail right of way, saying that Ogun state government does not just demolish houses for the purpose of road construction, but does demolish houses when there are no alternatives.
Governor Amosun, who revealed that a total of N8 billion had so far been spent to offset compensation for those whose houses were demolished to pave way for roads construction across the three senatorial districts of the state, adding that compensations to be paid on houses demolished are about N14 billion in totality.
“We met there, and we took some decision together to demolish over 1,000 houses and I said this will not happen under our watch. Yes, we demolish when we don’t have any alternatives, but this one, No. That’s what I’ve said on behalf of 7.2 million good people of Ogun state. For instance in Ogun state, we have to pay about N14 billion on demolition, we have paid in excess of N8 billion by way compensation.
“We are now demolishing MKO Abiola Trade Fair Complex, but the good news is that we are relocating it to a better place, we are going to put it in another place in order to avoid demolishing almost 2,000 houses. Imagine, the number of families and people the demolition will affect and we have said, No. They will now create engineering solution here. The Trade Fair Complex will now be our rail station – Abeokuta Rail Station.”
RAZAQ AYINLA, Abeokuta
