The Nation Newspaper

Category: Transportation

  • Managing land, waterway traffic by radio

    The start of train movements and waterways coverage, among others, on Lagos Traffic Radio last week may have set a paradigm shift in traffic planning that may help resolve gridlocks, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    The addition, last Monday, of waterways and train movements reporting by Nigeria’s premier traffic radio station, Lagos Traffic Radio 96.1, established by the Lagos State Government, may have set a new tone in managing traffic patterns and movement advisory in and around Lagos, the nation’s economic nerve centre.

    Lagos State, with its 26.6 million people, is Africa’s fifth largest economy. Traffic gridlock on its roads, caused by over- concentration on vehicular movement for goods and passengers have thrown up the need to deploy technology and information in managing the traffic pattern.

    According to experts, road advisory by the radio station is meant to provide real time information on traffic situation to Lagosians and over the last seven years, virtually all residents of the state have had to rely almost exclusively on the state’s traffic radio.

    A resident, Akintayo Thomas, said only Google Map, an advisory platform, presently beats Traffic Radio in terms of timely information to road users, commuters and motorists about traffic situations, which in recent times, have become a nightmare to many residents.

    The station’s General Manager, Mr Tayo Akanle, said Traffic radio started seven years ago, with traffic coverage across the five divisions of the state.

    He said the station started broadcasting simultaneously in Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island and Epe, in 2011, adding that having won the hearts of Lagosians on vehicular transportation, extending its reach to the waterways, train and shipping advisory, seven years after its establishment, is to consolidate on its status as the pioneer in this specialised mode of radio broadcasting.

    Giving insight into how the new journey began, Akanle, who resumed at the station in September, last year, said after reviewing the station’s mandate, which clearly stipulated the coverage of all modes of transportation–road (vehicular, train), waterways and air, decided to extend its coverage to the other modes to further extend its coverage and “to offer our listeners a higher value for their time”.

    Coming, as the government is tinkering with transportation policy for the state, which among others recommended sensitisation and aggressive enlightenment operations, the radio may be pioneering the idea of using data and feedbacks to manage traffic patterns and gridlock across the state.

    At various fora, stakeholders have argued on the need for the government to take over the transportation industry from charlatans that populates its helms.

    Giving an insight into the origin of the journey, Akanle said: “After conceiving the idea, we invited the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA). We deliberated on how we can begin to create that awareness. We came up with the first step to train water guards and we trained water guard supervisors from 24 jetties and five terminals.”

    The training was to provide basic communication skills for those guards, who in turn are to provide basic information on movements on the waterways with boats and ferries that are privately owned, but regulated by LASWA.

    “After the training, we commenced the broadcasting with letting the water guards provide us with basic information, such as the number of boats or ferries available at a particular jetty, their destinations, their safety preparedness against hazards, and awareness creation to the waterways as a faster alternative of commuting.

    “All these information are being provided on all the jetties in Lagos State, so you can imagine that a boat from Ikorodu to Ebute Ero can spend between 15 to 20 minutes, whereas opting for road transportation may cost you between two to three hours. By creating the awareness it would help reduce vehicular movements or decongest our roads, and enhance their productivity. The operation started on February 25, they have started doing it the way we wanted them to do it,” Akanle said.

    He continued: “From 6am to 8am, the water guards would call into our station live, and report traffic activities on boats that are ready to move to different locations. For instance, from Ikorodu, boats move to Falomo, Apapa, Ebute Ero, CMS and Ajah, all from one location at Ipakodo Jetty. In Ikorodu, we have Ipakodo, Baiyeku, and Offin jetties. So, moving from that part of Lagos to other parts is now being covered live. And the feedback is that with enhanced travel time, productivity has improved from patrons as they can now achieve more than they could hitherto do.”

    Akanle said although the initiative is just a week old, the feedback has been very positive, as indication has showing bthat many who never knew about it  were showing interest in patronising the waterways.

    Akanle said: “For us, the bigger picture of water movement is through the development of all these other modes, so that when government eventually tapped into these sectors, our effective coverage would be seamless. People can move from Badagry to Apapa, from Badagry to Apapa, from Ipakodo to Apapa, from Baiyeku, Offin, all the way to Ebute Ero, Ebute Ojo and Falomo. We would like to see the deployment of barges on our waterways to address movement of goods and vehicles. The government has shown readiness to key into the water sector by building jetties and bringing ferries. Our initiative is to increase the people’s awareness that these options are available and are working and that government is working at making it more comfortable. We have also by this tried to optimise the value that we give people, not only on the road, but on other modes of transportation.”

    Added to this, according to Akanle, is rail coverage. Trains movement from Kajola, Ijoko to Apapa and the time of departure are being reported daily. The programme, which started the penultimate week, was as a result of healthy relationship with the Nigerian Railway Corporation, which supplied the station with the information being relayed to the people. “They gave us the fare, the originating train and destination and the time of movement, which gradually is helping Lagosians, who love to use the train to plan their travels. We relay live commentary of movement of train and this also started in February. We run it concurrently with flight schedules, we now do more of local flight schedule from Lagos to other parts of the country. We do these four times a day. We are trying to broaden our outlook and with this we have gained more audience and more revenue to our coffers,” Akanle said.

    Asked if the traffic radio have capacity to deliver on its mandate, he said the station believes it has, adding that the station would continue to work on its synegies with transportation related agencies to bring more exciting travel experience to Lagosians, using any of its modes of transportation. The station, Akanle said, is reaping massively from its collaboration with LASTMA, adding that it is looking ahead of greater success on the waterways as the waterguards would be performing similar roles covering the waterways for the station.

    He added that the station would continue to train all those to be deployed on reportorial skills, either on the waterways or train services. “We have even delved into shipping position to give information on the kinds of ships that would be berthing, even the kinds of commodity that they are bringing into the country. So that people would be aware of what is coming into the country. We are trying to cover all the modes that are within our mandate, not necessarily digressing and we are doing in concert with all the connected agencies. We have become a household name and we want to leverage that credibility. People rely on us to move around the state,” he said.

    Transportation and logistics stakeholders have said it is high time the state began to exploit its comparative advantage in waterways transportation. With over 70 per cent of its landmass covered with water, creeks and lagoons, Lagos, which is said to have about 143 kms of waterways, they argued, is better positioned to be a leader in waterways transportation.

    “On our water reporting, we are even trying to generate data, and we are seeing that the capacity of the water way is very massive if fully tapped. Our correspondents are also looking for the compliance to security measures on the waterways,” Akanle said.

    Industry watchers said more collaboration between LASWA and National Inland Waterways Agency (NIWA), could only be to the benefit of Lagosians, who both agencies are meant to protect.

    With the construction of modern jetties, the plan to dredge the waterways, bring in new ferries, and the massive removals of impediments on the waterways, there is no doubting where government focus is in terms of the development of the mode.

    Besides, Traffic Radio, Akanle, said is becoming the fastest growing community on social media, using the multi-platform approach. “We are bent on creating more awareness on how to achieve safer movements across all modes of transportation. We keep on increasing; we have done more than 100 per cent followership increase in the last six months.

    To put an end to gridlock, which he traced to impatience, Akanle said motorists and other road users should use the road responsibly. “If there’s traffic we should have the patience to follow through rather than jump lanes and drive against the traffic. One way of beating impatience is to leave your house early so that you can get to where you want to go to on time. There is also lane indiscipline and general bad driving attitude of commercial drivers. If all these are put on checks, Lagos roads may return to the days of old when roads are very pleasurable as reckless stopping at illegal places to drop and pick passengers, thereby constituting hindrance to free flow of traffic, would be a thing of the past. The only thing is a nagging doubt whether only radio campaign for attitudinal change alone can drive the change required to bring sanity to the road and the waterways.

  • Resolving gridlock on Lagos roads

    Will a formal policy improve transportation architecture in Lagos State? The government says yes, writes
    ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    THE huge financial cost of gridlocks on Lagos roads was grimly painted by Patrick Adenusi, Founder, Safety Without Borders.

    According to Adenusi, if only 100,000 vehicles are held up in traffic and each driver buys N1,000 fuel, they would have spent N100 million daily. If this is done for just 20 days only, no less than N2 billion would have gone into extra fueling alone in a month, and N48 billion in a year.

    Adenusi said: “Such amount spent to sustain traffic daily, in Lagos, is wasted.” He canvassed that the government take steps to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians by attending to all the factors that promote gridlocks, such as bad road networks, the completion of ongoing road expansions, the declaration of a state of emergency on the roads and the activation of the public bus reform being  worked on by the Akinwunmi Ambode government.

    Under the bus reform project, 5000 buses are slated to be injected into the transportation system in the next five years. Already, 850 medium and large-capacity buses acquired by the government to kickstart the public transportation system would roll out next month.

    Adenusi, who spoke at the presentation of Lagos State’s draft transportation policy, earlier in the month, urged the government to be firm on enforcement of traffic regulations.

    The safe road campaigner said Lagos is home to the most brazen undisciplined drivers, as a result of poor enforcement.

    He said no union should constitute itself into a lord on the road, if law enforcers are not compromised.

    “The government should stop giving excuses for their failures to sanitise the roads. No driver or union should constitute himself or itself into a law on the road; otherwise, the government should fold up and allow self-help by all road users,” Adenusi added.

    Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) official Mr Babatunde Ruwase at another forum  shared some thoughts on road regulations enforcement as a major panacea to gridlocks in the state.

    Ruwase, who was represented by Mrs Johanna Maduka, said the government should place high premium on the quality of drivers on its roads.

    “A trained driver is key to safer roads and reduction of crashes on our roads. He is also critical to driving the transportation sector in the age of smart city where almost everything, including transportation, is driven by technology,” Maduka said.

    The LCCI’s position on driving sanity into Lagos roads was strongly canvassed at the workshop on “promoting road safety in a smart city through continuous driver education,” which the Ministry of Transportation held for drivers operating in the state in collaboration with the chamber.

    Unveiling the transportation policy document, the chairman and lead consultant to the project, Prof Kayode Oyesiku, said the policy was in draft form to enable more robust contributions by all stakeholders in the transportation industry, looking at the gamut of the sector – road, rail, water, air, and pipeline transportation.

    He said: “Though the document had been put together by seasoned experts and technocrats of over three decades, whose expertise spanned all the modes of the sector, they have thrown the outcomes open for more debate, to get more input from other operators to make the document more robust.”

    He expressed the view that when the document is eventually adopted, it will ensure that all the sectors comply with international security and safety standards.

    One of such experts, who have spent over 50 years in the state’s transportation sector, is Dr Tajudeen Bawa’Allah. He described the draft policy as a landmark, and thanked God for permitting him to be alive and for being part of the five experts who put the document together.

    Bawa’Allah, who said Lagos’ transportation system began as a family business, said a handful of operators had been on the scene until the coming of the Osinowo Transport, and the Elias Transport in 1915 and the coming of the Sapaz family Transport in 1926.

    He added that the Lagos Town Council later acquired the Sapaz Transport, thereby signifying the state’s and Nigeria’s first transport service named Lagos Municipal Transport Service.

    “When Lagos State was created in 1968, the Lagos Municipal Transport Service was changed to Lagos Transport Service Limited (LTSL), which later became Lagos State Transport Corporation (LSTC), and then Lagos Bus Assets Company, operators of the LAGBUS.

    Bawa’Allah said the new policy, which sought to streamline all transportation modes also seek to regulate the sector. According to him, not only was the use of motorcycle outlawed as a means of public transportation, adding that they are regarded as para-transportation system.

    He said one of the initiatives of his team in the document is the recommendation of the creation of Lagos State Transport Authority (LSTA), the regulator of transport systems and operators in the state.

    Bawa’Allah insisted the LSTC Building being used by the LASTMA be renamed Transport House, adding that all agencies as well as the regulator of the transportation sector should have an office.

    The LSTC house was built by Bawa’Allah in 1983 when he was the LSTC Managing Director.

    Presenting his input into the rail system Dr Alade of the University of Lagos said though the until recent modernisation initiative of the Federal Government, the nation’s march in the railway sector had been rather sluggish (since 1898, when the British started the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan railway line), said with a population of over 26 million, Lagos has a  huge cargo and passenger traffic on which a viable railway system could thrive.

    He said though the state’s journey into the rail metroline system, which was kicked off by the Alhaji Lateef Jakande on July 16, 1983, was aborted, by the Federal Government, the state has continued to suffer gridlocks as a result of its poor inter-modality of transportation.

    He listed as challenges that must be frontally tackled, poor integration of its land use and the poor integration of transportation systems.

    On Pipeline Transportation Dr Bolaji Olaseni said Lagos, with five  percent of the 5,200 kms of Nigeria’s pipeline, said Lagos could raise its stake in pipeline transportation to about 15 percent as an oil producing state.

    On the Aviation Transportation, the team said the state, which is coming up with its own airport on the Lekki corridor, has the potential of becoming the hub for economic activity in the sub-region with a technology driven airport for passenger and cargo services.

    According to the team, the airport could effectively compete with the local airport owned by the Federal Government.

    Lagos State University School of Transportation Studies (LASU STS)  Dean Prof Samuel Odewunmi, whose team worked on Institutional Framework for the new policy said the government must work on synchronising all the operations of  agencies in the transportation industry.

    Odewunmi argued that a seamless operation of all agencies and the coordination of transportation activities in the state, under a regulatory agency LSTA, would help bring sanity to transportation in the state, as well as deepen the its strategic transportation masterplan, which must continue to be coordinated by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transportation Area (LAMATA).

    Transportation Commissioner Ladi Lawanson, who described the event as “a new dawn,” said the forum was to enable the consultants working on the document to collate the stakeholders’ opinions of the policy.

    “The document is in tandem with the government’s avowed commitment to continual improvement of the citizens’ welfare as it touches on other modes of transportation, hitherto, unfathomed in the state’s transportation subsector.

    Lawanson said the policy designed to address the challenges plaguing the transport sector occasioned by the rapid population growth and migrants from other parts of the country, was vital to the growth of the state and will ensure the development of the transport sector in light of the realities of the global/national economy and state fiscal situation.

    According to him, transportation plays a significant role in shaping and growing economies and in this case the Lagos economy.  He said the policy will set the state on a better course.

    He said the document would provide the framework within which transport infrastructure and services in the state can be used efficiently utilised.

    “This will lead to a safe and environmentally-friendly manner of operations capable of buoying the private sector’s confidence to invest in,” he said.

    Ministry of Transportation Permanent Secretary Dr. Olufemi Salaam said it would complement the initiatives being put together by the government to promote safe and affordable public transportation.

    He also stated that the Ministry is  negotiating with Industrial Bank for the Transport Trust Fund to help transporters meet set standards.

  • Posers as Fed Govt flags off speed train

    Are there pending issues with the Lagos-Ibadan speed train? Many Nigerians would readily say yes. ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE writes.

    When the Federal Government had a test run of the speed train from Iju, Lagos to Abeokuta the penultimate week, it was with a promise to offer free commuter service to Nigerians for three months.

    Fielding questions from reporters after the  test run, Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi, who performed the function, accompanied by Ogun State Governor  Senator Ibikunle Amosun and the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, promised Nigerians a free ride for three months.

    But checks as at last Saturday showed that nobody has benefited from the free ride on the corridor, and no Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) official is willing to offer explanations on why nothing has happened on the much publicised line since February 6, when the test run held.

    Where are the trains?

    A tourist, ‘Lanwa Adeyemo, who wanted to spend some time at the Olumo Rock in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, could not hide his disappointment last week, after three fruitless shuttles to Iju. He had to proceed to Abeokuta by road with a colleague.

    “Where is the free train? When will the shuttle leave Iju? And how can we board it?” he asked.

    Adeyemo is not alone. Many Nigerians who had looked forward to boarding and enjoying a free ride in the air-conditioned  first class coaches, which are expected to run the Lagos-Abeokuta corridor, were disappointed.

    To them, it is frustrating that the train was yet to begin the promised shuttle. “When they knew they were not ready for service why then did they promise?”one of them reasoned.

    On the contrary, the NRC Lagos District Manager, Mr Jerry Oche,  who is in-charge of the new operation , said the Lagos-Abeokuta line is working.

    “The Lagos-Abeokuta line is working, but just couldn’t run on  Friday. It would resume on Tuesday,” Oche assured.

    Although the District manager could not provide much information on  how many passengers had boarded the train since the test run, he was optimistic that more people would patronise  it as they become aware of its operations.

    According to Oche, the line, when fully operational, would be oversubscribed, given Lagos proximity to Ogun State.

    Although the test run was a little above an hour between Lagos and Abeokuta, when the speed locomotive finally arrives the 54-kilometre ride would  be made within 45 minutes .

    Oba Gbadebo expressed joy that with the stoppages at all the stations, travelers would be able to make Abeokuta, from Lagos or return within 45 minutes when the service begins fully.

    To the monarch, whose great grand- father rode on the narrow gauge when it was test run in 1906, witnessing the take-off of the speed train is epoch-making.

    The prognosis had pointed at the possibility that many travelers would opt for the train because it is cheaper and safer.

    Amaechi  said he has directed that two more coaches be diverted from Itakpe-Warri line, which they presently shuttle, to Lagos-Abeokuta and ultimately Ibadan, when it is finally delivered.

    “We anticipated that more people would like to patronise the trains on the Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan line and I have directed that two coaches be brought from Itakpe-Warri line to bring the one on this line to four. These four lines would serve this  line until more coaches arrive,” Amaechi said.

    The test run

    Many had wondered why the government would promise three-month free ride window to Nigerians on the Lagos-Abeokuta corridor.

    Proffering an answer in one of the monthly routine meetings, Amaechi said the free ride is to ensure that Nigerians enjoy the speed train while the tracks are being put to test.

    To him, it is better than freely burning the fuel on shuttling the locomotives on the tracks during the test run.

    The contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), had given a commitment to deliver the rest of the 156 km project with a running bill of $1.6 billion within 90 days.

    Within the period, the CCECC would start working on delivering on the 10 modern railway station meant for the corridor.

    While four of these stations – Apapa, Lagos, Agege and Agbado, are in Lagos State, to be sited in the western districts are Kajola, Papalanto (Itori), Abeokuta and Olodo stations, in Ogun State, while the Ibadan end of the project would have Ibadan and Omi-Adio stations.

    All the stations are to have facilities such as conveniences, shopping malls, police posts, and a park and ride option and round the clock service when fully on stream.

    Although work has begun at the new Lagos station (known as Ebute Metta Junction EBJ), located at Alagomeji, in Yaba, all other stations are yet to take off.

    Between Iju and Abeokuta, where the tracks presently terminates, are eight stations, and stakeholders are already expressing doubts that some of them may not take off, not to talk of materialising in the next 90 days.

    Speaking at the test run event, Amaechi  indicated that the stations may actually take longer, adding that the government expects them to come on stream within a year.

    “We are happy the third standard gauge in Nigeria, which is Lagos-Ibadan line, has taken off. Itakpe-Warri is the first while Abuja-Kaduna is the second.

    “The line also brought the first standard gauge tunnel in Nigeria to Ogun State. This train will run free of charge and I will compel them to do about three trips a day so that more persons can go to work in the morning and come back in the evening.

    “We are also trying to build our stations and in a year’s time, we would have finished the stations and everything will be running normally and then you will be paying for your tickets.”

    Amaechi’s position has left many to wonder what happens after the three months free ride, especially since the stations, which are to provide passengers with the requisite comfort when they want to obtain their tickets and wait for the train, are yet to be in place.

    “Worst case, Nigerians may have to make do with temporary arrangements to purchase tickets and platforms to board and disembark from the trains at each of the stations,” said the railway corporation’s Managing Director Mr Fidet Okhiria.

    But while Nigerians await clearer directive from the corporation on the modalities for operations, Governor Amosun has lauded the project.

    The governor said the Federal Government must be commended for bringing life-changing infrastructure closer to the people.

    “This is a life-changing event for us and I congratulate all Nigerians because this infrastructure will take Nigeria to the comity of emerging markets and nations.

    “There is no way there can be any socio-economic development without modern transportation infrastructure. What we are doing today will revolutionalise Nigeria in a very special way. The travel time between Abeokuta and Lagos has drastically reduced and that will affect so many things and the  way of life of our people. It will affect prices of agricultural commodities as our people in Abeokuta and environs can take advantage of the ready market in Lagos, and those trading in other commodities can also readily go to Lagos to trade and return on time. It would also affect the housing stock and burst the high rent rate in urban metropolis of Lagos as many people can live in Abeokuta and its environs and commute to their work place in Lagos, without stress,” he said.

    The governor, who stressed the import of the event, which he described as historic for the state, said: “This is not a political forum, we are not window dressing, we are simply working our talk and not campaigning.”

    The governor also said the commencement of the ride will reduce the pressure on most roads, boost productivity and create more employment.

    He said: “With this ride, pressure on our roads will reduce and goods that used to take days through the roads to get to their final destination will get there in good time and in good condition. Burden will be off our roads.

    “This will also create employment and transfer of technology by the Chinese to our people, who are about 90 per cent of workers on site since the construction of the project began.”

    Chairman Senate Committee on Land Transport, Senator Gbenga Ashafa hinted that the project has the potential to open jobs to qualified Nigerians, adding that over 11,000 workers had already been employed by the NRC and about 2,000 others are presently undergoing study in China ahead of full operation of the rail line.

    To Ashafa, the railway is the way to go if the nation is to tackle traffic gridlocks that are taking over all the nation’s urban centres.

    Without a functional intermodal system, the nation, according to him, will continue to grapple in the dark for solution to the transportation crisis that has continued to debase the country.

  • So far, so fair

    In its determination to unlock the economy, the Buhari administration is tackling headlong the challenges of transportation, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    The sector witnessed unprecedented activities across all the modes – road, water and air – last year.

     

    State of roads

    The Federal Government took off  last January by reviewing the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, approving N134 billion to accommodate more features on some sections of this critical artery in the road architecture. The government announced the extension of the deadline for the delivery of the road from 2018 to 2020. The repairs started in 2006.

    The Federal Government pursued the completion of 44 highways, 66 interstate roads and 45 bridges scattered across 34 states, which were awarded in 2017. But last year, it awarded close to 60 roads, bridges and highways, which cut across 12 states – Yobe, Adamawa, Benue, Kwara, Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Enugu, Borno, Anambra and Sokoto, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.

    The ministry had a N555.9 billion budget last year; out of which N295 billion was earmarked for key capital projects, and the funding of road construction, expansion and maintenance.

    The Federal Government also approved N5.44 billion for the construction of the Otukpo (Benue State) and Enugu road, as well as N348.59 billion for the Akwanga – Jos-Bauchi – Gombe road expansion which cover 420.6 kilometres.

    The road, according to Fashola, completes the integration of the Northcentral with the Southeast and the Northeast.

    “Council had previously approved the Abuja-Keffi Road and the Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Road – all in the Northcentral.  In May, Council had also approved Nineth Mile, Enugu to Makurdi road that connected the Southeast to the Northcentral.

    “That completes the spine of the major movement of agro produce and other related produce,” Fashola disclosed.

    The ministry in October received N100 billion proceeds from Sukuk bonds subscription to fund repairs of 25 key economic road projects across the six geo-political zones.

    Fashola, who disclosed that the worst road networks in the country were located in the Southsouth and Southeast geo-political zones declared that the Federal Government would change the narratives and deliver these road projects on time, in view of the high traffic usually recorded at the end of the year.

    These are apart from the $1.5 million African Development Bank loan approved for the Lagos-Abidjan road project, which, according to the Minister of Finance Zainab Ahmed, was Nigeria’s allocation of the $13.5 million approved for the multinational highway, which involves Benin Republic, Ghana, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire.

    According to Fashola, this is outside the N63.023 billion approved last November by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the construction of the Lagos-Badagry-Seme border Expressway and the $575.5million awarded to Julius Berger, for the construction of the 11.9 km link road to the second Niger Bridge.

    Fashola said the government had embarked on massive rehabilitation and construction in response to the critical situation of the road network.

    Though Nigeria has 108,000 km surfaced roads as at 1990, largest road network in West Africa and second largest, south of the Sahara, it has battled decaying infrastructure.

    The minister believes the administration is doing so much with much less, underscoring the regime’s penchant for prudence in the public sector.

    Waterways

    Though the nation still battles with massive underfunding of the waterways, the government has made appreciable investments in the provision of water ambulance across the waterways to prevent fatalities. The government, through the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), has embarked on aggressive enlightenment to drive home the need for voluntary compliance with regulatory codes by all operators on the waterways.

    But, perhaps, more significant is the readiness of NIWA to begin the operation of its strategic inland ports, such as the Baro River Port in Niger State, the flagship port in the North, which despite the huge investments, were rendered unusable by lack of motorable roads.

    The port, which is being equipped with top of the range cargo handling equipment, would soon be inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari. The inland port would reduce the pressure on Lagos ports as cargoes for the Northern parts of the country may find their way there quickly.

    NIWA Managing Director Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora said he was determined to steer the agency towards the path of efficiency as he is determined to improve NIWA’s effectiveness as the regulator on the waterways. He expressed readiness to work with other state agencies in driving sanity into all operators on the waterways in order to reduce the level of accidents and deaths.

    He expressed the hope that operators would soon begin to deploy safer and better water craft to the water way to enhance safety, profitability and efficiency on the water.

    Railway

    Though the concessioning of the narrow gauge to the United States’ (US’s) industrial giant General Electric (GE) ran into stormy waters, when  it announced its divestment from transportation, the Buhari government, however, insisted the concessioning remains on course as it has resumed discussion with the GE’s major partner Transnet International.

    The deal is to address sundry issues, such as refleeting of the fixed and rolling stocks of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), which upon the ratification of the concession deed operate as the regulator of the subsector.

    While it firms up negotiations on ensuring smooth operations on its narrow gauge asset, the Federal Government in 2017 began work on the Lagos Ibadan Standard Gauge. The $1.7 billion project, which is the second Lot on the Western line, which is to construct a standard gauge rail line from Lagos to Kano, is penciled to be delivered within the first quarter of 2019.

    When done, passenger and cargo traffic would be able to move from the Ports to Ibadan on a speed train that could connect the two southwest states within one hour.

    The Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, who has been driving the construction, awarded to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), said the government envisages high subscription of the train service, especially as the speed rail cuts across several border towns of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States.

    He said the train service will proceed on the final lot – Ibadan to Kano – once the contractor delivers on the Lagos-Ibadan this year.

    Amaechi, whose ministry disbursed N263.7 billion last year, said the government intends to link at least all the state capitals by rail before 2023, adding that once the government accesses funds, work would also begin on the Lagos-Calabar coastal rail line, even as work, according to him, would also start soon on the construction of speed rail line on the eastern flank, from port Harcourt to Maiduguri. He said narrow gauge train connects up to Gombe, and could have hit Borno, but for the prevailing insecurity.

     

    Enabling laws

    The National Assembly has been instrumental to the increasing government’s activity on the transport sector. No fewer than six inhibiting laws are in various stages of amendments. The Nigerian Railway Corporation Act 1945 amendment Bill, is awaiting concurrent amendment from the House of Representatives, even as others, such as the Nigeria Transportation Commission Bill, which seeks to establish a regulator for the transportation sector is awaiting second reading at the National Assembly, the Nigerian Shippers Council Amendment Bill, and the Nigeria Ports Authority Amendment Bills are also are at various stages before the National Assembly.

    Senate Committee Chairman on Land Transport Senator Gbenga Ashafa assured the National Assembly would strive to remove all bottlenecks towards ensuring that the transportation contributes maximally to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    Ashafa insisted that seamless transportation remains the bedrock of any economy, adding that this cannot be achieved where obnoxious laws, or absence of it impedes the operations of the sector.

     

    Conclusion

    From sustaining the gains of its predecessor on the railway transformation agenda, the government moved towards the reinvigoration of the 25-year railway development policy. This policy not only sustained the rehabilitation of the narrow gauge, but embarks on modernisation of the rail system by standard gauge.

    The development of other transportation modes – waterways, road and air – remains the way to go if the nation is to break the jinx where the sector contributes the least (four percent) to GDP.

     

  • Getting standard gauge of the ground

    Transport Desk Head ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE chronicles the sacrifices of Nigerians who are toiling to make the Lagos Ibadan Standard Gauge a reality on schedule.

    FOR  Taofiq Salami (not real name) seeing his family has become a luxury. He could not see them more than four times this year. And there is no hope that he will see them this Yuletide.

    Salami, whose family lives at Ipokia, an Ogun State suburb, is 57. He is a driver with the Chinese on the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge project. “We have no working hours. We cannot even go home to see our families, because we may be called at any time, to move to site or take our Chinese masters out and there is no telling when you return. Most times, no provision is made for our accommodation. I have had to sleep in the vehicle several times and there’s no feeding allowance for any driver outside your salary,” he said.

    “The job is stressful. We are really suffering. Nigerians working on this project are suffering and those who could not cope with the stress had walked away. The Chinese are too demanding, very rigid, and the language barrier is a major impediment and drawback,” he said.

    He earns about N45,000 (a mere $123 per month). Salami who dreams of being a transporter, looks forward to the day he could save enough to buy a vehicle, but each day, the dream gets dimmer.

    Salami, who works at Station III, with office at Odeda, in Ogun State, recalls the early days of the project, when getting sachet water to quench one’s thirst was as difficult as getting water in the desert. The closest hamlet to the tracks, according to him, is five kilometres, most tracks are farther.

    Working with CCECC has brought its rewards; at least he sees the project’s progress from the front seat. He has seen how technology is turning virgin tropical forests into livable settlements, and how bridges and tunnels are flying over rivers, rivulet and swamps; and how speed rail tracks and access roads are redefining the otherwise forgotten communities.

    Salami is not the only one who has continued to endure the stress of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge project, many artisans, janitors, drivers of earth moving equipment, vehicle drivers, masonry, welders, plumbers and other technicians, have sorry tales of denials and the pains they have to cope with.

    Mathew Ola was one of such artisans. He works as a welder on Section IV (the Abeokuta Ibadan end of the project). He said government needs to take more than a passing interest in the Chinese labour relations, which he alleges, treat Nigerians with utmost contempt and disdain.

    “No attempt has been made by the Federal Government to peep into the working conditions of Nigerians. The government is more interested in delivering the project than protecting the interest of local labour working on the project,” he alleged.

    He said that Nigerians are being molested, harassed, persecuted and maltreated unjustly by the Chinese and called on the government to enforce minimum industrial standards.

    The Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge is not all a bed of thorns. Towns and villages hitherto forgotten may begin to become more prominent. Towns such as Iju, Ijoko, Itoki, Itori, Papalanto, Omi Adio and other such rural agrarian communities would attract a thronging of travellers and settlers. Reason, these communities have become prominent stations, along the new speed train corridor traversing the Southwest’s two most prominent commercial and administrative centres.

    No fewer than 10,000 Nigerians presently work in all the four different sections of the $1.6 billion iconic project that is emerging as the biggest signature project of the ruling APC government.

    When completed, many more workers would be employed either directly, while hundreds more jobs would be created indirectly.

    CCECC’s Public Relations Consultant Abdulraouf Akinwoye, said the gains of the project far outweigh the pains any worker could be going through in delivering the prime project.

    Akinwoye described the project as a giant developmental stride in the history of railways in Nigeria.

    According to him, not only has the Federal Government taken audacious steps to modernise the narrow gauge, which was a British heritage, the construction of a double track standard gauge line from Apapa port in Lagos to Omi Adio in Ibadan, Oyo State, has created thousands of jobs and would create much more upon completion.

    The project, he added, has also opened the doors of “fantastic community relations” to the centennial corporation, many local communities have had their schools upgraded, while many other social amenities destroyed or absent, have either been replaced or provided on the platform of corporate social responsibility by the Federal Government.

    He added that through the project, the Federal Government is directly intervening and providing social facilities in several rural communities in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states.

    “We have also upheld due respect for tradition and customs of the people by ensuring that ensuring that we pay regular homage to traditional rulers along the rail corridor,” Akinwoye said.

    This, according to him, is besides strict compliance of the project to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

    The Project’s Coordinator, Mr Leo Yin, said the CCECC is “committed to turning Nigeria into a modernised nation, by activating speed train. Nigeria, he said, will join other nations using modern rail services as the backbone of its intermodal mass transit transportation system.

    He said the transformation and technological re-engineering going on in the corridor is already redefining the landscape of communities along the corridor, assuring that the firm is determined to meet the present government’s directive regarding the January deadline.

    He added that the project has further cemented a smoother company to governmental relationship, between CCECC and the Nigerian government. Though, the project is meant to be delivered in three years, CCECC, Yin admitted,  he has been under tremendous pressure to deliver within 20 months. He, however, assured Nigerians that the firm would deliver world class project that would stand the test of time.

    To achieve the Minister of Transportation’s directive to get the track ready before January 5, Yin said CCECC’s workers are now working day and night, every day of the week, especially between Iju, Agbado and Ijoko railway corridor.

    According to him, while the Iju to Abeokuta rail corridor would be ready by January, Abeokuta to Ibadan may have to wait until  the end of January.

    He traced the delay to the change of the track’s alignment in Abeokuta, which forced the government to acquire more properties lying on the project’s right of way.

    The slow down on the Lagos corridor between Iju and Apapa, according to him, was due to the relocation of basic infrastructure, adding that though work has started along the corridor, it cannot be said to be at the same pace as between Iju to Abeokuta, where the project has suffered the least encumbrance.

    The Minister for Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, said the government is envisaging high traffic on the corridor once it begins operation.

    He said President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to achieving commercial operation along the corridor by January. He disclosed that the Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo and a number of ministers would ride on the train by January 5, 2019 after which further test run would commence with the train taking passengers from Lagos to Abeokuta and vice versa.

    Amaechi said the government has fully paid 100 percent of the counterpart funding for the project, adding that nothing should endanger the delivery of the project on schedule.

    “We have given CCECC our expectation which was the period within which we think they can complete the project. Though the project was for 36 months, we have asked them to see how they can achieve this within 18 months and even though we couldn’t achieve this, but we are confident we are almost at the point of riding on the tracks,” he said.

    He said he has scheduled a meeting with the CCECC’s MD, after the Christmas to resolve the grey areas that would ensure that the tracks get to Ibadan on schedule by January.

    Amaechi also disclosed that he had directed that the construction work on the 10 stations along the corridor be stopped. Also to be put on hold, is the construction of the double lane tracks. He asked that all attention should be put on delivering of the tracks, to Ibadan, while work on the second lane should commence only thereafter.

    He said Lagosians would have to bear with the government as the tracks would only be flagged from Iju, adding that taking the tracks to EbuteMetta and to Apapa may take a while longer, because of the delays experienced at the take-off of the project, which he put at the doorstep of the state government.

    “If the Lagos State Government had responded on time, we would have witnessed same speed even on this section of the project as we are seeing elsewhere,” Amaechi added.

  • Tackling traffic gridlock with technology

    Can sanity ever return to Lagos roads? The state government, experts and transportation stakeholders say it is possible if motorists comply with traffic regulations, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    These are ‘mad’ times for motorists and commuters in Lagos State. For many residents, hell has been let loose in the state, no thanks to traffic gridlocks across the metropolis.

    According to the Bureau of Statistics, the state lost over two billion man-hour to traffic in 2016. This figure, motorists believe, will be doubled by the time this year’s data is computed.

    Although residents and visitors to the state have been coping with traffic snars since, the current traffic pattern has increased their pains, anguish, tears and sadness.

    “Many, these days, dread to be on the roads in Lagos,” a top government worker, who craved anonymity, admitted to The Nation.

    Transportation Studies teacher Prof. Samuel Odewunmi blamed the traffic mayhem on “government’s planlessness.”

     

    Lockdown

    Odewunmi, who is Dean, School of Transportation Studies, Lagos State University (LASU), said the state got into traffic crisis because it embarked upon massive reconstruction of virtually all its arterial corridors at the same time, against the grain of urban transport planning.

    He said: “The massive reconstruction of all the major highways into the state simultaneously violates the principles of urban transportation planning. If you have three or four major arterial roads to your state, you cannot work on two at the same time. Doing that will lock down the city. What is recommended is that you embark on them one after the other.”

    He said the almost permanent lock down of Apapa-Oshodi, Marina-Mile 2 -Badagry Expressways, which is the state’s busiest corridor, the construction of the Agege flyover bridge, and the Abule-Egba to Oshodi BRT median corridor, on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, contributed to the gridlocks, made worse by the vehicular density in the state.

    Read Also: Lagos set to unlock 60 major traffic gridlock areas Inbox

    Odewunmi, a member of the state’s Transportation Policy drafting team, said the first step was for the government to admit that it has a traffic emergency on its hands. He also urged the government to adopt other measures, among which are: work on the collated reports of perennial traffic dark spots by LASTMA; profile each of them to know the causes of traffic and provide solutions to such;  and fix bad roads, whether highways, major or minor roads, as they are major impediments to free traffic flow.

    Admitting the government’s good intentions, Odewunmi said because most of the contractors have scant knowledge of roads specifics, most  roads they constructed or rehabilitated hardly last two rainfalls.

    Observing that traffic congestions are localised, Odewunmi called on the state to involve the 20 local governments and 37 local council development areas in road maintenance and developing traffic solutions in their domain, rather than having them as onlookers.

    According to him, council chairmen could be mandated to hold regular meetings with transport union leaders on how to achieve constant free flow of traffic in their respective domain.

    “Traffic management is local and governments must be involved and not just be mere onlookers. It is also important to bring road transport unions on board. They should not just be collecting revenues that are not being shared by the government,” he stated, adding that, most importantly, the government must continue to place high premium on enforcement.

    Corroborating Odewunmi, Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) Corps Marshal Boboye Oyeyemi said any transportation management policy without enforcement was a picnic. He argued that to drive sanity back to the roads, the government must be stern on enforcement.

     

    Enforcement

    Transportation Commissioner Ladi Lawanson said the government would continue to pursue aggressive awareness campaign on compliance with the state’s traffic laws. He, however, assured that the government would, henceforth, enforce to the letter the Traffic Law 2018, adding that the state’s traffic management agency (LASTMA) has been primed to ensure sanity on the road and among motorists and other road users.

    “Among other things, we are extending the working hours of all our traffic officers, as the governor has approved that they can now run three shifts, especially on perennial traffic prone corridors. The governor has also directed security cover for them against assaults and molestations in the course of their duties, while the Ministry of Justice has been directed to set up more mobile courts to try traffic offenders,” he said.

    Lawanson further disclosed that the government had approved the establishment of special traffic intervention force, which would operate on motorbikes, to enable them get to traffic prone areas on time. He also revealed plans for traffic officers to be armed with body cameras, to further reduce conflicts with motorists in the event of being apprehended for traffic violation.

    He said: “The bodycams, which would be on the traffic officers, would be deployed to further reduce human interaction and use technology to further drive sanity and enforcement of traffic on the roads. The body cams, which work like the CCTVs, would capture the details of the offending motorists and such would be ticketed and, in case of default, such a culprit could be prosecuted.”

    Lawanson also said the intermodal transportation plan would begin on a sure footing next year, as the government would take delivery of two new watercraft, making its ferry acquisitions it would use to announce its entrance into water transportation four.

    He said with the take off of the new bus scheme, and the channelisation of the waterways for increased patronage, there would be a reduction in road traffic.

    Commissioner for Information and Strategy Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan  sued for Lagosians’ patience as the government battles with the intractable traffic situation.

    Bamigbetan, who identified impatience and motorists’ attitude as the bane of the traffic bottlenecks, said if drivers were patient and obeyed  traffic regulations, sanity would be restored on the roads.

    Bamigbetan said besides bodycams, the automated number plate capturing equipment (ANPR) would also be mounted on roads, especially areas prone to traffic, so cameras would pick the number plate of the offender, process the picture on the database and deliver a ticket to the culprit’s address obtained from the database.

    Bamigbetan   said the government was determined to rid the state of gridlocks. he added that no stone would be left unturned in the task of making travel seamless in the state.

    A former Transportation Commissioner, who craved for anonymity, while applauding the application of technology to enforcement, said LASTMA should do more as it has the wherewithal to resolve traffic snarls.

    The ex-transportation chief said there were traffic snarla everywhere in the state because of the absence of a transportation management plan by the agency established to ensure free flow of traffic.

    “Everywhere you go what you see now is crippling traffic. It now takes about three to four hours to move between Ikeja and Oshodi, and you may end up not been able to get to honour any event which you are invited if you did not leave home early. When you finally get ahead of the traffic, you will see nothing but the abdication of responsibility by LASTMA.

    He said what needed to be done to tame the nightmarish traffic was to give purposeful leadership and direction to the agency as it remained the only one that could help resolve the crippling traffic.

    “The traffic bottlenecks in Lagos require a more focused and aggressive solution beyond the cosmetics being applied by the government,” he said.

    According to him, traffic in Lagos is simple and easy to manage and as such does not require complex applications.

    He said: “In the past 16 years, we have never had transportation this bad. Except for traffic engineering solutions, which require more cash inflow to tackle, traffic control should not be beyond LASTMA.

    “The problem is that there’s lack of a transport plan. The Police should be involved in not more than the provision of security, but not for LASTMA to surrender traffic flow to them. Same for the FRSC, they can only collaborate. The only agency that is saddled with traffic management in Lagos is LASTMA. That mandate is very clear. Right now LASTMA has over 6,000 officers.

    “Let the leaders talk to people, who understand the problem, and let them develop a robust intervention plan that can address the challenge that traffic is currently posing to Lagosians.”

    He also carpeted the use of mobile courts, saying those who contravene the law must either be ready to pay the fine or be prosecuted. “There should not be anything like mobile courts. Let anyone who does not want to pay face the music. Enforcement must be hard and firm,” he argued.

    As the roads get busier due to the year-end activities, Lagosians could only hope they will begin to enjoy some respite on roads, as only this can save them from the ‘hell’ they seemed to have been sentenced.

  • FRSC to drivers: Drive safely, arrive safely

    Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, in conjunction with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), has rolled out a campaign –Drive safely, arrive safely – aimed at reducing accidents on the roads during the Yuletide.

    Officials of both organisations spoke at an enlightenment campaign at Mazamaza, on Badagry Express Road, Lagos, where commercial drivers were enlightened on safe driving culture, especially on the need to drive safely into the new year. This was a continuation of the safety campaign by the organisations, which kicked off at Owena Park, Ojota.

    Tagged: “Safe driving, safe arrival”, the initiative, according to Managing Director, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Mr. Lanre Jaiyeola, is to create awareness among road users, especially as the festive season approaches, to be very careful and mindful of other road users, especially commuters.

    Jaiyeola, who was represented by Head, Innovation and Corporate Communication, Mr Lanre Da-Silva, said: “We always partner FRSC to ensure that people are safe at all times, especially during the yuletide, to observe all the safety procedures required at this time.”

    Addressing a large number of commercial transporters at Mazamaza, representative of Lagos State Sector Commander Mr. Joseph Ojerinde assured that the commission has put  in placemeasures that would reduce crashes on the roads and improve response time.

    Ojerinde, advised motorists to avoid vices such as drunk driving, over speeding and disregard to general safety rules, saying safe driving will lead to safe arrival.

     

  • Easing commuters’ pains with speed train

    The Lagos-Ibadan speed train, which may take off in February, next year, will open windows of opportunities for the people, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE.

    LAST Tuesday, Transportation  Minister Rotimi Amaechi was at the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) workyard at Adumbu, Papalanto, Ogun State.  His mission: routine inspection of the work on the Lagos-Ibadan speed train.

    After the inspection, he took a decision that would change the narrative of Nigeria’s transportation history. Amaechi directed the Project Co-ordinator, Leo Yin, to provide rail cars on December 18, so he could take a ride on the track from Lagos to Abeokuta with his team.

    At the pre-inspection meeting earlier, Amaechi and his team had decided to tour the project, using cars. But, seeing the kilometres of tracks laid, he opted for rail cars.

    The ride will undoubtedly signal the beginning of test running the track before it is certified okay for commercial operation by February 2019.

    The $1.53 billion, 156 kilometre-long Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge, was initially awarded to CCECC in 2012. The project, now known as LOT II of the Lagos-Kano Standard Gauge Project, which was a modernisation of what is celebrated as the Western Line (Nigerian Railway Corporation’s most lucrative train route), was not flagged off until March 7, 2017, with a 36-month cycle.

    On May 15, 2018, Amaechi signed a $6.68 billion contract with the CCECC to complete the remaining segments of the Lagos–Kano Standard Gauge Railway. Construction is expected to take two to three years based on the availability of funds. Sections to be addressed in what is to be known as LOT III are: Ibadan-Ilorin (200 km); Ilorin-Minna (270 km); Minna–Abuja and Kaduna-Kano (305 km).

    The railway modernisation is in continuation of the Federal Government’s programme, an extension of the master plan that started 16 years ago with the repair and rehabilitation of the old narrow gauge tracks constructed on the same corridor a little over a century ago, and the repair of the rolling stock-wagons and coaches to improve its operations.

    What the Buhari administration, which came in 2015, has added to the mix is the speed of the concession of the narrow gauge to America’s General Electric, within its first year in office (a deal it has ditched), and the more determined pursuit of the modernisation of the railway’s fixed asset, beginning from Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge.

    Under the arrangement, while the old arrangement was to link the Apapa Port by rail, the government expanded the sidings to all the five terminal operators in the ports are linked up right by the quay by rail for easy movement of all cargoes in and out of the port by rail.

    That a speed train now runs through Lagos to Abeokuta, Ogun State, two of Southwest’s most critical states, which is 85 kilometres of the entire 156 kilometres rail tracks, which terminates at Omi Adio, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, is a testimony to Amaechi’s doggedness.

    Since he took charge of the project June last year, Amaechi had given CCECC 18 months to finish the project. This initially destabilised the contractor, who had thought it would be business as usual on a contract originally slated to end in 36 months.

    To underscore the seriousness of the administration, Amaechi moved the theatre of operation to Lagos, visiting monthly and leading the monitoring team, which comprised officials of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), CCECC, Team Consultants, (technical advisors to the Federal Government), Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), the Armed Forces as well as state governments.

    The team inspects the site once a month, and may increase the frequency to twice monthly, beginning from this month.

    At its last inspection, all but two of the 20 bridges, three tunnels have been completed. Largely left out are the railway stations.

    Briefing reporters on this, Amaechi said he had directed the contractor to concentrate on earth and civil works, and track laying to beat the time. He said in the interim, passengers wishing to make use of the train service can board the train to their various destinations, using railway platforms that would be constructed at each of the proposed stations.

    He said: “Our concern is first to ensure that we deliver a project that makes transportation sense before December 18. This means we want to ensure that by February, Nigerians can move from Lagos to Abeokuta, and back to Lagos on the standard gauge. We are striving to ensure that Ibadan too is delivered by February, but if not, we are all working to ensure that Lagos to Abeokuta is a reality.”

    The express track gauge is designed to have 10 ultra modern train stations all of which have park and ride facilities. While four of these are in Lagos; (Apapa, Ebute-Metta, Agege, Agbado), three are in Ogun (Kajola, Papalanto, Abeokuta), and three in Oyo (Olodo, Omi Adio and Ibadan).

     

    Hindrances

    The project lost much ground first to the natural elements and the inability to secure its right of way early enough. Almost the whole of last year was used to settle issue of right of way as the Federal Government battled with payments of compensations directly to affected families and provided the essential logistics – security for the contractor’s personnel, who have to access the thick rain forests and slippery terrains of Ogun State to take off with the project.

    By September last year, the CCECC had established its presence at Adumbu, Papalanto, from where work coordinated inward Lagos and outward to Ibadan in Oyo State.

    Attempts by the contractor to begin work early this year were foiled by the inclement weather, which made accessing the project site difficult. Much work was, however, done during intermittent breaks. The result was that, as at August this year, the project, according to an engineer, who craved anonymity, was only 30 per cent completed, a development, which forced the government to direct that the contractor to employ more labour and work three shifts to meet monthly workflow schedules.

    At the Ibadan end, the sub-contractor, China Rail Construction Company (CRCC), is at sea with hostile communities on the project’s right of way. Their hostility, The Nation gathered, slowed down work on that corridor, especially between sections three and four.

    Besides Ibadan, Lagos until lately also proved problematic. Due to its built up environment, establishing the right of way, according to a top NRC source, was problematic. Obstructions among which are: water main, gas and petroleum products pipelines, bridges (at Costain and Yaba) and hundreds of houses from Iju to Apapa, were major issues. Also problematic were the relocation of affected institutions such as the Nigerian Army Ordinance Corps at Alagomeji, Yaba, NRC Lagos District headquarters and staff quarters and a number of public institutions such as churches, mosques firms and industrial concerns, forcing the committee to recommend that Lagos be last fixed.

    Reviewing the work plan last month, Yin said the firm would meet the February deadline. Yin, who commended the pragmatic approach of the Minister of Transportation, said but for his persistence the project would still be at the drawing board.

    Lamenting that the contractor did not seem to have the requisite time needed for a project of such magnitude, Yin said he was certain that the CCECC would deliver  world-class speed train system to Nigerians, adding that the CCECC had to employ more hands, especially artisans, buy more equipment, such as track laying equipment and work round the clock  to ensure that monthly timelines were met.

    He listed other challenges being faced by the CCECC to include theft of materials, especially in Lagos and Ibadan, molestation of their personnel and general insecurity, especially at night.

    “At Ibadan and Lagos, our materials especially iron rods and ballast are being stolen, and in some instances street urchins, especially in Lagos, molested our  workers, preventing them from working until they are settled,” Yin said.

    Addressing Yin’s concerns, Amaechi directed that the security architecture around the project be reviewed, promising more proactive security cover for the contractor. He also urged the youths to cooperate with the Federal Government and support rather than disturb the contractor in the discharge of its assignment.

     

    Prospect

    Though the stations might take longer, there is no doubt that a new narrative of Nigeria’s transportation architecture with the rail as its main artery would begin by February.

    Not only would this signal the beginning and emergence of new cities along the railway corridor, it also promises to have a massive effect on transportation patterns especially in Lagos, where the 90 percent of all containerised movements would be made by rail as well as 80 percent of all liquid products. The effect would be more sanity on the road which is facing gradual lock down as a result of the massive gridlocks being faced in the city state.

     

     

     

    But more importantly is the opportunity for new opportunities in housing stocks as more and more workers, tradrs and artisans may opt to live in contiguous states while still working in Lagos.

    With a speed train calibrated at 150 kilometres per hour, it means, Ibadan to Lagos can be achieved within an hour, while from Abeokuta could be achieved within 30 minutes. Nigerians are already upbeat about this huge possibility.

  • Oluwasola Adeolu: An African Talent On The Global Stage

    Oluwasola Adeolu: An African Talent On The Global Stage

    In 2010, a young Nigerian graduate named Oluwasola Adeolu walked into the offices of RATCON Nigeria Limited as a junior procurement officer. The job was hardly glamorous. His desk was stacked with invoices and tender documents. His phone calls revolved around negotiating with suppliers for cement, pipes, and steel reinforcement. Most of his colleagues were older and more experienced. Few could have predicted that within less than a decade, Adeolu would find himself in Qatar, working as a Quantity Surveyor and Cost Control specialist on some of the world’s most complex multi-billion-dollar oil and gas projects.
    Today, as the Gulf state positions itself as the global leader in liquefied natural gas production, Adeolu has carved out a place among the professionals ensuring that these mega projects are not only built to world-class standards but delivered with financial discipline. His rise is as much a personal journey as it is a case study of how African engineering talent is finding its way into global projects.

    Roots in Procurement

    Adeolu’s story begins in Port Harcourt, Nigeria’s oil hub. At RATCON, he was assigned to projects linked to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. Among them was the Flow Assurance Expansion Project at Port Harcourt Refinery, a job that exposed him to the unforgiving reality of cost overruns in the oil sector. He also supported the construction of internal roads within the refinery, work that demanded constant negotiation with suppliers and contractors.

    “Procurement was my first classroom,” Adeolu recalls with a smile. “You learn very quickly that a project can only succeed if the numbers add up. It taught me to respect contracts, to think ahead, and to always protect both the company’s interest and the client’s.”

    The skills he picked up, such as negotiating, cost benchmarking, and documentation, would become critical later in his career. But at the time, he was restless. Nigeria’s construction sector was slowing, while opportunities abroad beckoned. In 2012, he made the leap to Qatar, a country preparing to invest heavily in infrastructure and energy projects as it looked toward the 2022 FIFA World Cup and a new phase of LNG expansion.

    Qatar: A Broader Canvas

    Adeolu joined Horizon Progressive Company in Qatar, where he shifted from oil-linked projects to social infrastructure. He worked on public school and kindergarten construction for Ashghal, Qatar’s Public Works Authority. His role was to ensure that procurement processes aligned with international standards.

    The projects may have been smaller in dollar terms, but they offered a vital perspective. “Working on community infrastructure helped me appreciate how construction affects everyday life,” he says. “You are not just delivering buildings. You are shaping the environment where children will learn, where families will gather. That realization deepened my respect for this profession.”

    Still, Adeolu was hungry for larger challenges. When an opportunity came in 2014 to join Medgulf Construction Company, one of Qatar’s top-tier contractors, he seized it. The move would bring him face-to-face with the world of oil and gas mega projects.

    Stepping Into Oil and Gas

    Oil and gas construction is a world of its own. The projects are vast, often stretching across years and involving budgets that rival the GDP of small countries. They combine technical complexity with geopolitical importance. Cost mismanagement is not an option.

    At Medgulf, Adeolu was thrown into the deep end. He worked on projects tied to Qatar Gas and Qatar Petroleum, including the North Field Expansion and North Field South developments which were central to Qatar’s strategy of increasing LNG production capacity.

    His role was Quantity Surveying and Cost Control (Pre-Contract), a position that placed him at the heart of project feasibility and risk analysis. He prepared cost estimates, analyzed tenders, scrutinized contractor claims, and drafted variation orders. A single error could mean millions of dollars in exposure.

    “Oil and gas projects are unforgiving,” he says, his tone more serious now. “One variation order is not just a line item. It can determine whether a project stays profitable or slips into loss. That weight of responsibility forces you to be meticulous.”

    Mastering the Language of Contracts

    Over time, Adeolu became deeply involved in claims management and contract administration. He attended high-stakes meetings where contractors and clients debated the validity of claims, extension requests, or additional payments.

    On the Flow Assurance Expansion Project in Qatar, he worked on claims documentation that helped Medgulf protect its commercial interests while avoiding disputes that could delay work. His approach was evidence-driven. “You cannot afford to argue emotionally in this field,” he explains. “Everything must be backed by data, by contract clauses, by technical records. That is how you earn respect.”

    Colleagues began to notice his sharp eye for detail and his calm under pressure. To senior managers, he was no longer just a Quantity Surveyor but a contract strategist, someone capable of seeing the bigger picture.

    The Human Side of Mega Projects

    Yet beyond the spreadsheets and legal clauses, Adeolu emphasizes the human dimension of his work. Cost control, he says, is also about protecting relationships.

    “In oil and gas, you work with engineers, project managers, suppliers, and lawyers, often from five or six different countries on the same project. Misunderstandings can easily arise. My job is not just about numbers; it is about communication. You have to explain cost implications in a way everyone understands.”

    That ability to bridge cultures is part of what has sustained him in Qatar’s diverse work environment. With project teams often made up of professionals from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, clarity and diplomacy matter as much as technical skills.

    Investing in Growth

    Even as he built experience, Adeolu refused to stand still. He pursued professional certifications in project management and contract administration, strengthening his credentials in an industry where formal recognition can determine career advancement.

    “Continuous learning is the only way forward,” he insists. “Every project teaches you something new, but structured learning ensures you can apply those lessons more effectively.”

    This hunger for growth reflects his long-term vision. Adeolu is already thinking about how to transition from specialist roles into broader leadership, influencing project strategy on a regional scale.

    The Qatar Oil and Gas Boom

    Adeolu’s rise cannot be separated from Qatar’s energy story. In 2017, the country lifted a twelve-year moratorium on development of its North Field, the world’s largest non-associated gas field. By 2018, plans were in motion to expand LNG production by more than 30 percent, cementing Qatar’s dominance in global energy markets.

    This surge translated into an avalanche of contracts for engineering, procurement, and construction, the very ecosystem where Adeolu operates. “Being in Qatar at this moment is a privilege,” he says. “You are not just working on projects. You are contributing to a nation’s economic strategy, and by extension, to global energy security.”

    African Talent on the Global Stage

    Adeolu’s journey is also part of a broader narrative, the emergence of African professionals in global technical sectors. While African nations are often seen as resource suppliers, Adeolu and his peers are showing that the continent also produces talents capable of shaping projects abroad.

    “It is important to change perceptions,” he argues. “Africans are not just laborers on construction sites. We are engineers, surveyors, planners, strategists. We bring skills that are valued internationally.”

    His words resonate in an era when African professionals are increasingly visible in Gulf economies, where their expertise contributes to everything from stadium construction to pipeline engineering.

    Asked where he sees himself in the next decade, Adeolu pauses before answering. “Leadership,” he says simply. “Not just leading a team, but shaping how projects are conceived, negotiated, and delivered. My journey has prepared me for that, step by step.”

  • Motorists traffic blues

    Driving in Lagos seems to have become a nightmare. Intractable traffic gridlocks leading to huge man-hour loss have become a daily occurrence amid the government’s plan to complete the projects expected to bring the public relief. ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE writes.

    A businesswoman, Gladys Onoriowode, shocked other commuters last Friday. As her Agege-Oshodi BRT bus necked into a traffic jam, she began a soulful lamentation, praying to God not to have a repeat of her nightmare the past week.

    According to her, she got to Oshodi at 5pm, and boarded a mini bus (danfo) heading to Agege for N500, having waited in vain for a BRT bus till 7pm. She had to disembark at Ile Zik bus stop at 11pm, when there was no hope of her bus moving forward again. She then  resorted to trekking the rest of the eight-kilometre journey to Agege, from where she would still take another bus to Matogun, an Ogun State suburb where she lives, arriving home at 2am.

    “My husband and children were fast asleep when I got home, and I suffered body ache the whole of the next day,” Mrs Onoriowode recalled.

    Joseph Kolawole, who lives in the rundown part of Agege, a Lagos suburb, had an equally harrowing experience. He had to trek the entire stretch of Oshodi to Agege thrice in the last one week. He said he couldn’t count how many times he did that within the month. Not for lack of transport fare, but due to the traffic gridlock on that axis. Even as he was narrating his experience last Thursday, he wasn’t sure if he would get any vehicle to home, as there was not a single one in sight as at 10pm at Oshodi where he stood.

    Another passenger, Emma Obisirike said he had to move out of Apapa at the height of the traffic crisis two years ago. He is still  unhappy, because he finds it hard getting to his shop at Mazamaza everyday. Returning to  Alagbado, a border town with Ogun State, where he has taken solace, has been another daily nightmare.

    A university don at the Lagos State University (LASU), who prefers not to be named, said he had to exempt some of his post graduate students from coming to classes, as a result of the terrible time they usually had getting to class. “I have to put together a handout, which I make available to them. For feedback, they reach me either through E-mails or Whatassp,” the lecturer  said. The lecturer said they (himself and the students) resorted to this approach to make life easy for the students.

     

    Busy nature of the roads

    With an estimated 23 million people, 12 million of which commute daily on the 9,100 roads and expressways (2009 World Bank estimate), Lagos is the nation’s busiest state capital.

    With about three million private and four million commercial vehicles, Lagos roads record no fewer than seven million vehicular trips daily. This is higher during peak periods, and much more during festive seasons due to the surge in travellers coming from other parts of the country.

    Logistics experts said Lagos State is losing an average of $1 billion yearly to traffic congestion. Gbenga Olorunpomi, in a ROM Transportation Engineering research study in 2010, said the state was losing three billion man-hours to traffic congestion yearly, adding that if that time was reduced by 20 per cent, it would save the state at least, $1billion yearly.

    The attendant cost of the loss such as diminished productivity, wasted energy, environmental degradation and diminished standard of living, imperil the quality of life, ebb away the state’s industrial competitiveness, make it (the state) one with a high cost of living index, all of which have continued to impacted on business and tourism.

    Year after year, Lagos is witnessing a rising pressure on transportation, leading to debilitating congestion. Indeed, traffic congestion is widely viewed as a growing problem of mega cities such as Lagos, because the vehicular traffic volume in many areas continues to increase faster than the transportation system capacity.

    The result is a traffic lock down, which slows down the economy, leading to capital flight as many investors and businessmen are relocating in droves to other friendly climes.

    Beyond road infrastructure expansion, experts opined that the major bane of slowdowns on the roads is lane indiscipline. Drivers’ behaviour, many argued, accounts for over 95 per cent of causes of traffic gridlocks on the roads across the state.

    “Congestion is a fact of life in a mega city like Lagos. The issue is not so much about the congestion, but how we manage to ease the impact of congestion. We must learn to use the roads better, respect the highway codes better, educate ourselves better and be more mindful of the people behind us,” a logistics expert, Patrick Adenusi, said.

    Many road users, especially commercial bus drivers, according to Adenusi, founder of Safety Without Borders (SWB), are impatient and hardly obey traffic regulation.

    In a working paper titled: “The socio-economic cost of traffic congestion in Lagos”,  presented by the Economic and Intelligence Unit of the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget in July 2013, vehicle ownership was identified as another major cause of road congestion in Lagos.

    Data from the Lagos Bureau of Statistics (LBS, 2012) showed yearly increase in vehicles registered in Lagos State from 2009 to 2011 and about three-quarter of newly registered or renewed vehicles, were privately owned. This has grown even more exponentially since then.

    Lagos has continued to experience traffic congestion because many car owners find it more convenient to travel to work by their cars rather than being cramped inside public transport.

    The problems besetting Lagos roads are multi-faceted. While many have said the narrow width of the roads has been inadequate for the volume of vehicles plying them, others insisted that the over concentration of vehicles on a single mode was the greatest headache of the state.

    Dean, School of Transportation Studies, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Samuel Odewunmi said though the state could do with wider road network, attempting to rehabilitate all at the same time, as  being done, has contributed to the traffic lock down witnessed across the state.

    Odewunmi, who, incidentally is a think-tank member midwifing the birth of transportation policy in the state, said if nothing is done urgently, Lagos would be unlivable by 2025.

    According to him, the less-than-one per cent contribution of water transportation to the state’s transportation mix is unacceptable for a state globally reputed for its aquatic splendor.

    He reasoned that though the state targets about two per cent of passenger traffic daily (which is about one million riders daily), when all its policies fully come on stream, the figure is still insignificant, pointing out that it should target a minimum of five per cent before 2019.

    “Water transportation where available, beats other modes of transportation (rail and highway), on carrying capacity, lifespan of rolling stocks, implementation cost, social and environmental cost,” he said.

    In a paper: “Accelerating Integrated Transport System: Rail, Roads and Waterways”, delivered at a public forum, Odewunmi said an efficient waterways would facilitate the decongestion of the roads, especially along the state’s coastal areas, and complement government’s rail line effort along Mile 2, where more than six new jetties could be created.

    He equally challenged the government to accelerate the completion of road projects, adding that a situation where government is spending eternity to deliver on projects it earlier expressed a commitment to deliver within 10 to 12 months, would only be adding to the people’s misery.

    Odewunmi, who described transportation as the physical movement of goods and, or people from one location or point to the other, said “because there is no alternative to the physical movements of people or goods, government must continue to work and rework its systems and expand the basket to ensure that more alternatives are provided to make travels more enjoyable, pleasurable, pleasing and safe the people”.

     

    New Strategy

    The government hinted that a transportation policy, for which a committee was put in place in September, is almost ready. The committee’s report would soon be presented to the state exco for approval.

    It also said a number of initiatives would be released next month to arrest the continuous slide. It said an ‘Operation Violet’ may be ready to drive enforcement of its transportation law, which came into effect in 2012. This is part of a number of initiatives resolved to bring reprieve at a strategy session chaired by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode last Thursday.

    The session, according to the Commissioner for Transportation, Ladi Lawanson, was attended by LASTMA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Chris Olakpe; its General Manager, Mr. Olawale Musa; Commissioner of Police, Mr. Imohimi Edgal and Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Offences Chairman, Mr. Yinka Egbeyemi, among others.

    He said: “The state government has a solution in sight. All we are waiting for is approval to activate the solution. It has resolved to immediately implement the solutions to ensure that Lagos residents can commute across the state with ease.”

    Lawanson said the state government had fashioned out workable solutions to ensure free flow of traffic across the state, especially as the yuletide season approaches.

    He said: “What we have done is that we have got feedback from men and women, who have been on the frontline, mainly traffic officials and then the Commissioner of Police was with us as well to give us the perspective of security.

    “So, most of the issues have been thrown up. We have come up with what we think are solutions to make for better flow of traffic, especially as we enter the ember months and the holiday season.”

    Olakpe, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), said the trailer park at Orile would be delivered very soon. He expressed optimism that it would go a long way to address the issue of trailers parking on roads and bridges.

    He disclosed that LASTMA has recruited 1,000 new officers to be deployed to the road before the end of the year. The agency, he said, has resolved to extend its operations from 5am to 12 midnight daily, while the state government continues to patch potholes. He said LASTMA officials will be on ground to ensure free flow of traffic across the state.

    On rehabilitation of deplorable roads, Olakpe said the meeting resolved to handle it in two ways: day time and night time, promising that there would be palliative measures immediately.