The Nation Newspaper

Category: Transportation

  • Roads: Overcoming the funding challenge

    Roads: Overcoming the funding challenge

    The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is a critical project. So also are the Second Niger Bridge and the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja road. But work may be stalled on these roads because of the slashing of the funds for their execution by the National Asssembly. The lawmakers have since denied the charge against them by Power, Works and Housing Minister Mr Babatunde Fashola. Where can alternative funds be sourced for these projects? ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE asks.

    FOR many, the planned repair of the Apapa Ports access road by some private concerns and the Federal Government came as a cheery news.

    The road has been in a bad state for years, leading to a gridlock in which motorists suffer for hours and even days. But the nightmare may soon be over.

    Trending now, is the allegation that the National Assembly has slashed funds for some critical projects. These are the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Second Niger Bridge and the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja road. The Lagos-Ibadan road has been under repair for 15 years.

    With the slashing of the funds for the projects, where lies the hope for their completion? Could it be in Public-Private Partnership like the arrangement for the Apapa Port road or are there other alternatives?

     

    Genesis

    The Lagos/Ibadan expressway is the artery of the nation’s economy. As a major link to the Apapa seaport and other parts of the country, the road. No doubt, it is Nigeria’s major international trade road. Since the twilight of the ’80s up to late ’90s, the road had been begging for remediation. And that was despite the huge revenues coming from the three toll-gateways at Lagos, Sagamu and Ibadan, that served then as its cash points.

    But the state of the road got worse at the turn of the millennium, when theObasanjo administration,ordered the closure of the toll gates because of corruption.

    As an alternative, the government established the Federal Roads Management Agency (FERMA), to directly intervene in road repair and rehabilitation across the country. It worked, but only for a short period.

    Few years after, the road “practically collapsed,” as it becomes the deathbed of many unfortunate victims of avoidable accidents as the Lagos/Ibadan journey that was hitherto one hour, became unnecessarily long, lasting between 10 and12 hours, adding to the trauma and stress level of many travellers on the road.

    Concerned about the state of the road, the government in 2004 concessioned it to Bicourtney Construction Company to Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) platform of the Public Private Partnership, an initiative that enjoyed  international support at the time.

    Despite the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) loaded with  promises to deliver a 10-lane world class road network that would confirm Nigeria as a serious nation, the contract could not fly until it was revoked by the late Umar Yar’Adua administration. It was fine-tuned by the Goodluck Jonathan administration and later re-awarded for repairs after much national outcry to the present contractors – Julius Berger and Reynolds Construction Company (RCC), which divided the repair into two lots where Lagos to Sagamu becomes the first lot, and  Sagamu to Ibadan becomes the second lot, between Julius Berger and RCC.

     

    Aborted dream

    Interestingly, one of the projects inherited by the Buhari administration and slated for delivery by May had been the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Anxious Nigerians who have been wondering the reasons behind the delay now have a clearer picture. Like Patrick Adenusi succinctly puts it; “the National Assembly is clearly out to cripple the nation’s economy and complicate life and living for Nigerians.”

    Adenusi, a safety expert, was reacting to the stormy revelation from the Minister for Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola, alleging that the National Assembly had slashed a whopping N21 billion from this year’s allocation for the repair of the road. “Contractors are now threatening to leave the site,” Fashola declared last Friday.

    He said while the ministry’s budget for the project is now N10 billion, the contractors were owed N15 billion. “We owe the contractors about N15 billion and they have written to us that they are going to shut down,” he further disclosed.

    With a N10 billion budget, the minister was expected to perform near magic, a deed Fashola claimed he is not most suited for.

    From his revelation, he was not only meant to pay off contractors, he is expected to do much more. Despite inheriting 200 projects in various stages of completion, the National Assembly handed to him 100 fresh ones, even as he is expected to deliver on the second Niger Bridge.

    Fashola said most of the 100 new road projects, are without engineering design. This is beside requests for the construction of primary healthcare centres and boreholes.

    The slash of the allocation of the ministry is not limited to the Lagos/Ibadan expressway as disclosed by Fashola, also affected was the second Niger Bridge from which the National Assembly slashed a whopping N5 billion from N15 billion hitherto, while the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja road budget was also reduced by N3 billion.

    According to the minister, these inexplicable manipulations by the National Assembly were the reasons behind the prevarication of the Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo in signing the appropriation bill, despite being passed by the National Assembly since May.

    The National Assembly denied the allegation on Saturday. Spokesmen for the Senate, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, and that of House of Representatives Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas said the Works budget was slashed because the road had been on a private finance initiative.

    “It was agreed that we should give the Private Finance Initiative a chance to complement government’s resources in the delivery of critical infrastructure assets across the country,” Abdullahi said.

    He said the Federal Government cannot continue to fund through direct allocation the repair and maintenance of the 34,000 kilometres of road network in the country.

    Namdas regarded Fashola’s revelation as “a calculated mischief and an attempt to blackmail the legislature and portray it as insensitive to the plights of the Nigerian people.”

    Citing recent court pronouncements, Namdas said the legislature has powers to alter the appropriation bill presented by the executive.

    They both insisted that as a critical stakeholder in the task of fixing Nigeria, the National Assembly acted in national interest, and had an understanding with the Acting President to meet any shortfall in the allocations, including that of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by the instrument of variation.

     

    Inexplicable

     

    Without attempting to be malevolent, Fashola’s disclosures have raised same issues that experts and concerned stakeholders in the transportation and logistics sector have continued to harp – need for fresh funds dedicated solely to repair, maintenance of roads, and other road infrastructure such as bridges, and road infrastructure.

    A cross section of experts said at the weekend that the nation would continue to suffer such convolutions year-on-year- out for as long as it denies the obvious – need for the creation of fresh avenues to raise funds to address the deplorable road crisis.

    A former university don, Dr Joseph Shojobi, said the low pitch to which the Lagos/Ibadan expressway as well as other projects in the country as exemplified by the minister has fallen was a clear fallout of policy inconsistency.

    Fashola just touched a pinch of the impunity with which the nation has been starched over the past decades, Shojobi, a former Unilag teacher said. Even when the allocations were not touched by the lawmakers, were they expended as allocated, he queried.

    “Time there was when we had a toll regime, then for whatever reason, government cancelled it, decided to embark on a tortuous lane of concessionning, only to return to the drawing board and tinker with returning the toll. Inconsistency rings out loud as a major bane that I can see here and it affects every sphere of our life as a nation.

    “To fix our roads, we must begin to get serious and be consistent. We must return to the toll regime. High roads are not to be maintained with yearly allocations, but with funds generated from users of such roads. Such tolls must be managed by a statutory body different from the ministry and these must be peopled by incorrigible people,” he added.

    Similar thought was shared by Dr Tajudeen Bawa’Allah. Bawa’Allah, the pioneer dean of the School of Transportation, Lagos State University, said government needs to address the issue of policy inconsistency if it wants to solve permanently, issues of bad roads in the country.

    “I will support tolling. If they can return to the regime of tolling some of these roads and ensure they utilise the funds generated positively for the repair and rehabilitation of same, I can say Nigerians would begin to experience good and long lasting road repairs. Doing otherwise would run counter to global best practices. Highways are among roads that are usually tolled to generate funds to fix them regularly’’.

    Like Shojobi, Bawa’Allah equally feared the operators. “Nigerians must come to the realisation that we need to be truthful. Because those who are going to man the tolls would be Nigerians and not foreigners. We need to fix our values and address why we are mindlessly after illicit wealth and corrupt enrichment over free money,”

    He said while the Federal Government should not be afraid to return to tolling, an agency must be established to manage the revenue that would be generated therefrom.

    He said the nation must make use of the lessons it learnt from the failed Bicourtney’s concession arrangement, for the purpose of achieving the best for the nation as according to him, concessionning remains one of the platforms to bequeath good road infrastructure to the people.

     

    Way out

     

    Both Bawa’Allah and Shojobi agreed that the new bill – National Roads Funds Bill which was almost shut down by a national outcry when it passed a second reading at the Senate early June remains the way to go.

    They urged the government and the Senate to be bold to bring back the bill as it remains the way to go. The bill among others seeks to provide tolling and other avenues to generate fresh funds to finance the regular needs of the road networks in the country.

    To address the ever growing needs to fix the roads and avoid national embarrassments that issues raised by Fashola in his recent diatribe against the National Assembly, there may be need to shed the weight to the consumers/users of the road.

    They agreed that apart from the Road Fund Bill, which seeks to introduce a N5 fuel tax increase on every road user, the country needs a roads funds bill that is meant to bring bring into one basket all initiatives aimed at bequeathing motorable roads across the country.

  • Embracing natural gas as fuel

    Embracing natural gas as fuel

    Nigeria has a huge gas reserve which it is not using. Rather than flare the gas, experts say it can be used for vehicular mobility. Welcome to the age of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    It is becoming fashionable to see  vehicles bearing CNG stickers in the nation’s metropolis. This is more pronounced in Benin City, the Edo State capital, and Lagos, where the nation’s flagship gas downstream retail outlet NIPCO Plc has presence.

    CNG is accronym for the Compressed Natural Gas, and it means those vehicles have been converted to  use gas as fuel.

    It also means that gradually, Nigeria is joining the list of developing nations using their gas reserve for fuel. As at the last count, the world has over 23 million such vehicles in 86 countries. Of these, Nigeria, despite its huge gas reserve estimated at trillions of cubic metres, has about 5,000 vehicles with converted engines. This means the government is lax in fashioning policies that could promote this new, cleaner fuel option via the adoption of policies encouraging importation and vehicle assembly plants now dotting the country.

    While successive governments battle subsidising the huge cash differentials in fuel import, the gas sub-sector with its huge potential to power a cleaner, safer and more environmental friendly economy hibernates.

    But this wasn’t supposed to be so. Since it was licenced in 2009 by the Obasanjo administration to pioneer gas downstream retailing, the Nigerian Independent Petroleum Company (NIPCO) Plc, an association of local major oil marketers,  has continued to strategise on getting Nigerians to embrace CNG’s use for vehicle fuel.

    Between Benin, where it began its pilot scheme and Lagos, NIPCO has raised 5000 new users of the cleaner fuel, with 4,500 users operating within the Benin axis alone.

    Though NIPCO would boast that CNG, which remains its core focus has come to stay in Nigeria, as it aims at not only providing alternative fuel to petrol and diesel, its targeted is hazardous carbon emissions that have negatively impacted on the environment.

    In the last eight years, NIPCO has pioneered the innovation of powering vehicles by gas.

    Nigeria is joining other developing nations, such as Iran, China, Argentina, Pakistan, Brazil, India and Bangladesh in powering vehicles with a cleaner energy source in which they were hugely blessed. The difference is that while Nigerians continue to prevaricate, other countries continue to break new grounds, with Iran (4.1 million), China (3.9 million), Pakistan 3.7 million), Brazil (1.9 million), India (1.8 million) and Bangladesh (0.2 million) vehicles.

    With its abundant resource, Nigeria has enormous potential to grow more CNG vehicles even as NIPCO said it  has 10 CNG refuelling stations nationwide.

    In Lagos for instance, NIPCO world- class filling station at Ibafo, Ogun State, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, has continued to witness impressive patronage of commercial local and intercity buses, light and heavy duty trucks and private vehicle owners.

    Some factors, chief among which is the cost profile sources, said may however, impede widespread of CNG.

    Findings at NIPCO showed that conversion of petrol or diesel vehicles to CNG compatible costs between N200,000 and N300,000 depending on the choice of kits. The good news is that the conversion comes with a flexible instalment repayment package.

    Under the package, motorists pay an initial deposit of N20,000 for the conversion kits while the balance is deducted through subsequent purchase of gas refill. As good as this may sound, the opportunity is dogged by mass ignorance. “Poor awareness is one of the banes of the CNG use,” a lawyer, Mr Andrew Adewale, who took his vehicle for conversion at NIPCO station at Ibafo said.

    He claimed he just got wind of the conversion opportunity, despite being a regular user of the road and seeing the CNG station for as long as it has been sited there.

    Besides poor awareness, absence of national policy on natural gas utilisation, especially as a vehicular fuel, may be another major hindrance, just as the inability of NIPCO and the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) Joint Venture to develop new flow lines across the country may be a fatal flaw that may inhibit the CNG spread.

    A safety and logistics expert Mr. Patrick Adenusi noted that the lack of; a bold and far reaching gas policy, poor infrastructure architecture, pricing and government support will continue to negatively affect Nigeria’s CNG expansion.

    Experts said CNG is cheaper on a mile-to-mile basis than petrol by as much as 50 percent and more than 80 percent compared to diesel. While the price of PMS per litre is N145, a metric cube cost of CNG is N95 in Lagos and N90 in Benin.

    Because it is a clean fuel which burns with low carbon deposit, natural gas leaves no lead or benzene on the engine. The lead fouling of spark plugs is also eliminated.

    The CNG kits and systems are sealed, which prevents any spill or evaporation. The use of natural gas eliminates the need for expensive oil refineries, improves energy choice flexibility, reduces movement of heavy tankers on roads resulting in reduced improved energy security due to local availability. Also, it reduces the importation of petroleum products, which saves foreign exchange, stimulates local industry and creates employment opportunities for the production of conversion kits and components, such as the manufacturing of cylinders, and other kits, establishments of vehicle conversion and maintenance workshops and the reduction in health hazards through improved air quality.

    NIPCO’s Managing Director Mr. Sanjay Teotia, x-raying the challenges, the values and the future of CNG at a gas summit last week in Lagos, said Nigeria cannot be an exception because there has been an increased global support for natural gas transportation. He said the policy and regulatory support were, however, needed to create incentives that would be at par with other fuels.

    Teotia noted that to underscore the global relevance of natural gas as a sustainable transportation fuel, light duty vehicles, such as cars and SUVs, as well as heavy duty vehicles, were being produced by major vehicle manufacturers.

    He said embracing CNG would reduce dependence on imported oil, save valuable foreign exchange, reduce subsidy burden on the government and ensure better utilisation of Nigeria’s domestic gas.

    With one million vehicles on natural gas, the government, he noted, would save $1.5 billion, which could have been used in buying four billion litres of PMS yearly. Between 2012 and 2016, Nigeria, he further disclosed, saved about $10 million by GGL.

     

    Recommendations

     

    Teotia said some regulatory reforms might be required to stimulate fresh investments in the gas sector. This, according to him, were aimed at generating clear strategic plan that would ensure that the government increased the share of natural gas in the fuel mix, and the establishment of a strong regime of the government commitment liberal licensing for setting up CNG dispensing stations, investments in widespread availability of natural gas through a well-established pipeline distribution network, a waiver regime of customs duties on natural gas vehicles (NGVs), subsidy to owners  on vehicle conversion.

    Other regulatory frameworks that would encourage NGV are the introduction of NGV in public transportation system – taxi fleet, mass transit buses and the mandate to use NGVs in all ministries, departments and agencies of government whether local, state or federal.

    Experts said for a CNG policy to be effective, CNG-dispensing stations have to be tied to the gas pipeline network which exists only in the South, that is, East and West domestic gas network and conscious efforts should be put by the government to ensure gas pipeline availability across the country.

    Teotia said the government might also need to put a price cap range to encourage gas use. According to him, a price gap of six to 37 per cent difference between petrol and CNG does not appear to be compelling, as the subsidy on petrol erodes the long-term economic benefit of CNG.

    He called for the adoption of CNG to be market operator-set, where price per energy would be equivalent of a litre of petrol, in a manner to encourage conversion, along with a dual pricing structure similar to Argentina, where credit lines cover conversion costs, to be repaid with savings from the use of CNG.

    Motorists said the CNG was economical, if the cost of conversion was addressed. Jimoh Akinsanmi, a commercial driver, who has been using a CNG commercial bus since 2013, said it saves money and it is cost effective.

    Outside the cost of conversion, he spends N2,600 on liquefied gas to shuttle between Lagos to Ibadan. Hitherto, that distance cost him N7,000 on petrol.

    Solomon Ola, a heavy duty truck driver said he had known some peace since the fleet operator of the truck he  drives switched to CNG. ‘’I can take a full tank, which comprises eight large gas compressors to Kwara State and back. This costs on the average N25,000 compared tp the N45,000 we  spent on diesel on same route,’’ he said.

    A commercial driver, Paul, who shuttles between Lagos and Mowe, in Ogun State, wants commercial operators to convert to gas because it is “a cheaper alternative compared to petrol.” For him, “CNG is a bonanza, especially for commercial motorists.”

    Daniel Obasa, a truck driver who has been using CNG for one and half years, said he spends N6,500 on CNG to Ibadan, from the N21,000 spent on diesel.

    Teotia said these testimonies were encouraging the government to do more. He said it could do more by encouraging the importation of at least 20 percent of CNG-compliant vehicles and reduce import duties on conversion kits.

    He urged a slash in the wholesale and retail price of gas by the NGC, a development, which is having a negative effect on the operational cost of the firms, such as, GGL, which markets the CNG.

  • Mega roads for a mega city

    Mega roads for a mega city

    With the delivery of 83.92 kilometres of roads in one year and another 99.147 kilometres ongoing, the Lagos State Government it seems is stoutly battling traffic congestion, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    n just 19 months, Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has demonstrated that he is a man of his words.

    Within this time, he has delivered on his promise to improve Lagos roads. “We are committed to seeking comprehensive solutions to traffic congestion. We are ready to implement any tough recommendations you may come out with,” he told a league of consultants and experts at the Lagos Traffic Management and Transportation Summit on November 26, 2015.

    Then, many could wager a bet, and even  laugh at him. Reason:  The bleak economy, a lean purse and crass under estimation of his rugged determination.

    Despite the huge investments by past administrations and the enactment of the Lagos Traffic Law 2012, the gridlock remains.

    The ease of travelling, using affordable, reliable and safe means of transportation, which is critical to the governor’s smart city dream governor is becoming a mirage.

    “We need to go back to the drawing board and agree on how our transportation sector can be effectively and efficiently operated to support the kind of trade and investment we want to continually attract.

    “We owe it to the people to ensure that Lagos works and tackling traffic is a good place to begin the significant change that the people expect from us,” he said at the summit.

     

    A governor at Work

     

    Ambode has shown the capacity to accomplish his dream. In the last 20 months,the government has been rehabilitating, planning, designing and implementing road infrastructure that can meet the state’s future needs.

    It is doing this through short-medium and long term remediation strategies in synch with its strategic masterplan which has been on stream since 2001.

    The short term strategy is the regular-year-round maintenance of existing roads, assigned to the Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC).

    On this platform, inner city roads across Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island and Epe, the state’s five administrative divisions, are  constantly being worked upon. The medium term strategy is the sustainability of existing roads through rehabilitation, upgrading and expansion of secondary carriage ways, in order to increase their capacity and functionality in soaking up the traffic congestion, while the long term, deals with the expansion of highways and the construction of new bridges across the state.

    Under these strategies, the government completed 83.92 kilometres of roads in one year.

    The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works and Infrastructure,  Temidayo Erinle, said another 99.147 kilometres in the rural and urban areas will soon be delivered.

    Seeing the importance of road to the economic prosperity of the state, the governor, according to Erinle, approved the construction of more roads to ease traffic.

    This year alone, the government completed five pedestrian bridges totalling 0.47 kilometres, aimed at improving the safety of pedestrians  while three are ongoing at various locations in the state.

    He listed some of the completed roads to include the Ajah Flyover/upgrading of the Freedom Road to Admiralty Road in Eti-Osa Local Government, the Abule-Egba flyover, upgrading of arterial/inner roads in Epe, Ayetoro Road in Alimosho, Ishefun, Camp David New market roads in Alimosho as well as the laybys and slip roads at Ojodu Berger.

    Other completed pedestrian bridges listed are the Anthony-Gbagada foot bridge by TREM, the rehabilitation of Mile 12 foot bridge, and the construction of the Steel Bridge at Ojota to complement the existing one that became insufficient due to the barrier mounted on the road and the ongoing reconstruction of the Cement Bus Stop foot bridge on the new Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

    The Ojodu Berger pedestrian bridge, which strides across the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Ogunnusi Road has a total span of 98m with illumination. It has 150m length of laybys on both sides of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, 500m length of retaining wall with varying height ranging from 3.5m to 7m to separate the infrastructure of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at grade with Ogunnusi, PWC and Olowora roads.

    Other features of the projects include two multi-bay bus park/bus laybys on Ogunnusi Road with public convenience and a food court.

    The upgraded roads in the projects are 650m slip road from Oando Petrol Station by Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to Omole/Olowora Junction, 700m Ogunnusi/Wakatiadura dual road from Kosoko Road junction to Lagos-Ibadan-Expressway, 250m PWC Road to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

     

    Streetlight and signals

    Also included in the projects are streetlights, meant to improve security infrastructure and travel experience across the state. Others are the introduction of laybys and ultra modern bus terminals. This would be further complemented by Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) signalisation network that would further enhance the security, regularity and reliability of public transportation.

    Government said its road projects are laid out to enhance the socio-economic development of both Lagos and its sister states, as it would reduce the huge man hour loss and ensure safety of lives, especially that of pedestrians with the construction of the flyovers.

    LSPWC, Erinle said, worked on 807 roads, delivered over 532, adding that work was ongoing on the others.

    Among other roads Ambode awarded are: the rehabilitation/upgrading of Ebute-Igbogbo road Phase 2, The strategic arterial/inner roads in Epe Phase 2, the dualisation of Bisola Durosimi Etti/Hakeem Dickson in Lekki, the rehabilitation and maintenance of Lekki-Epe Expressway, rehabilitation of Alhaji Akinwumi Street, Mushin, upgrading of Obagun Avenue Mushin, dualisation of Irede Road in Amuwo-Odofin, construction of Aradagun-Iworo, Ajido Epeme Road with Bridges in Badagry. Others are the Igbogbo-Igbe Road in Ikorodu Local Government, Ilaje Road, Odunsi in Shomolu and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road, which the government planned to be upgraded into a 10-lane supe highway with side roads, laybys and two flyovers, all part of the regeneration and urban renewal agenda of the government.

     

    Fourth Mainland Bridge

     

    Another signal that Ambode can take tough decision to change the congestion on the roads is the cancellation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the consortium of contractors for the Fourth Mainland Bridge.

    Mr Adebowale Akinsanya, the Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure, who oversees the Works and Infrastructure ministry,  said the government, had to cancel the contract over the delays in its take-off.

    The government, Akinsanya said has gone ashopping with bidders already streaming in from Japanese, Chinese, American and British conglomerates to fast-track the bridge that would be the signature project that will redefine the state’s robust transportation strategies.

    Akinsanya said contrary to speculations making the rounds, the government had not cancelled the Fourth Mainland Bridge, but was merely looking for new partners to actualise it with the least pain to residents.

    With 22 million population and home to three of every vehicle in Nigeria, Lagos, according to experts require more than the antiquated single-lane roads that were its lot until recently.

    The removal of the entire roundabouts along the major junctions, residents said have brought sanity to traffic on the axis.

    A Plant Projects Limited source, (the firm which handled the removal of roundabouts on the axis), confirmed that the road failed principally because it failed to capture future developments patternms along the axis, despite the rush by developers and the mushrooming of residential estates in the area.

    The source who did not want to be named said the road, built to cater for 50,000 vehicles daily in the 80s now carries 750,000 vehicles, resulting in the congestion.

    “What the removal of the roundabouts have done is to expand the road’s carriage, thereby improving its functionality,” the source said. He said appropriate signalisation would further reduce travel headache.

    An indigenous contractor, who also requested not to be mentioned, said much of the traffic crisis in the state could be addressed with adequate signalisation and signages.

    Harping on the need for Intelligent Traffic Systems (ITS), to be incorporated into the transportation architecture of the state, the contractor said with ITS, road users, especially motorists, would make better use of the roads with the least encumberance.

    The source said Lagos is big enough to adopt the best international practices added that much could be achieved with intelligent redistribution of traffic than by constructing bridges.

    The pace of developments in the state in the past year seemed to have earned  Ambode a soft spot in the hearts of his people. For him, there is no slow down until traffic congestion is tamed.

  • Transportation: From old to new order

    Transportation: From old to new order

    Transportation was in a shambles when the Buhari administration came on board over two years ago. Since its coming, there have been some orderliness and strenous efforts to get rail back on track to impact macro-economy, ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE writes.

    FOR years, transportation has been a worrisome sector. Successive administrations found it a hard nut to crack. But within two years, the Buhari administration seems to be getting a hang of the sector.

    The sector which in 2013, contributed 4.1 per cent to the  Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and dropped to less than two per cent a year later, was symptomatic of the bigger crisis facing the macro-economy.

    With a population of nearly 180 million, which relies mainly on road transportation, the government knew that changing the narrative is paramount to changing the sector.

    Thus President Muhammadu Buhari  resolved to deliver an efficient and effective inter-modal transportation in which rail plays a pivotal role with the other modes; road, waterways and aviation, complementing one another.

    To achieve this, the government invested in the construction of new roads projects, constructing and rehabilitation and expanding of old ones, repairing rutted rail tracks, re-fleeting of railway rolling stocks, dredging of the inland waterways and retooling airports nationwide, among others.

    The concentration on road transportation over the years has left a tell tale sign- many are dilapidated.

    It also left a negative collateral effect on the economy. For instance, while the transport sector contributed N217, 313.24 million to the GDP in 2016, the aviation industry alone in Dubai, contributes about 27 per cent to the GDP of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    Unlike the UAE, rather than witnessing growth, the contribution of the transportation sector to the economy marginally shrank last year, compared to N229, 523.13 million in 2015.

    Institute of Directors (IoD) President Mr. Yemi Akeju, said Nigeria may not be close to having a fine transportation system until it answers these questions: Why do Nigerians prefer to clear their goods from the neighbouring countries? Why is it  that what works in other countries does not work in Nigeria? Why is there dominance of foreign-owned and foreign-crew vessels in coastal shipping trade and there is no Nigerian flagged ocean-going vessels? Why is it that there is no national carrier in the aviation sector?

    To address some of the sector’s challenges, the government decided to put in place a national policy to drive all its initiatives and interventions in the sector.

    The government sent some bills, among them; the National Transportation Commission (amendment 2001) Bill, National Road Fund (establishment) Bill, National Road Authority Bill, and the Nigeria Railway Corporation (Repeal) 1954 Act, to the National Assembly.

    Of these, only the NRC Repeal Act 1954, has been passed by the Senate. It awaits concurrent passage by the House of Representatives.  Others are  at either the committee or second reading level at both chambers.

    Power, Works and Housing Minister Mr Babatunde Fashola, has turned the nation into a work yard, with the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads across the six geo-political zones.

     

    Rail Amanda

     

    But by far the most audacious impact of the administration’s resolve to change things could be felt in the railway sector.

    The government inherited the 25-years National Railway Masterplan, which was envisioned by the Obasanjo administration in 2003.

    With 11 years remaining to the full actualisation of the dream to bequeath a fully functional and modernised railway system to Nigerians, the Buhari government knew it could no longer delay the delivery of a functional rail system.

    This shift in perspective, according to a highly placed source in the Ministry of Transportation, informed the speed of delivery of the Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge train, which had been in the pipeline since 2006.

    Transportation Minister Mr Rotimi Amaechi at different occasions had assured of government’s readiness to accelerate the development on the railway.

    The Buhari government identified 16 new routes that would be actualised via the standard gauge, across the country. Among them is the Calabar-Lagos coastal line that is slated to begin by last quarter this year.

    In February, the Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, flagged off the construction of the $1.5 billion Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge, the segment II of the Lagos-Kano standard gauge rail project. The project has been penciled down for delivery by December next year.

    “Unlike what Nigerians have known of projects of this nature that takes years to accomplish, I intend to bring Mr President to ride on a speed train on standard gauge from Lagos-Ibadan by December next year,” Amaechi told reporters last month.

    “The vision of President Muhammadu Buhari,” Amaechi added, “is to deliver modern railway system as the bedrock of its transportation agenda.”

    While the Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge runs seamlessly, the government is set to deliver on the Abuja light rail, even as it sets the last quarter of the year for the delivery of the Abuja-Itakpe standard gauge project (which services the Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mills), which incidentally had been on the drawing board since the early 80s.

    While the government charts the new speed train template and is aggressively pursuing it, it is also striving to develop new ways of sustaining the tempo of maintenance on its old narrow gauge system.

    It concessioned the rehabilitation and re-fleeting of the entire 3,500 kilometres of the West and Eastern rail lines to General Electric – an American industrial giant lately.

    Under the arrangement, tactically approved by the Federal Executive Council last month, the firm, would not only rehabilitate the rutted rail lines, but supply all rolling stocks – 20 locomotives and 200 wagons that would reposition the railway and enable it re-occupy lost grounds in the mass transit initiatives of the government.

    The GE is also expected to establish a Transportation University with Faculty in Railway Engineering, to develop requisite manpower needed to sustain the  revitalisation of the railway sector.

    With the arrangement, the railway, according to the Minister, would shore up its stake from a paltry 1.2 million passenger traffic and about 100,000 metric tonnes of cargo freight yearly to over 10 million passenger traffic and 100 million metric tonnes of freights yearly in the short to medium term.

     

    Waterways

     

    Last week, the Transportation Minister disclosed that the government would spend $186 million to acquire helicopters, gun boats and other vessels needed to combat sea pirates and fortify and safeguard the nation’s waterways.

    This, according to him, will send the right signals to criminals lurking on the highseas of government’s determination to smoke out pirates from the nation’s territorial waters and make the nation safe for sea faring vessels on the international waters.

    On the inland waterways, the government using National Inland Waterways has begun the dredging of River Niger and would continue to address this twice yearly in order to clean the silts and make the river deep enough for businesses along its banks, while it will also continue to collaborate with other coastal states to ensure that the waterways are cleared of all encumbrances that may impede safe water transportation.

     

    Aviation

     

    Like the railway, the concession talks have also dominated the aviation sector, with plans afoot to revisit the actualisation of a national carrier.

    Government have gone ahead to appoint transaction advisers for the concession of four major airports; including the Murtala Mohammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano and Port Harcourt International Airport, Port Harcourt, Rivers State despite opposition from workers.

    Nothing dominated the public space in the past year than the rehabilitation of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja for its runway rehabilitation and its attendant diversion of air traffic to Kaduna, a project it delivered on schedule after six months to the admiration of Nigerians.

    Experts said government needs to apply same zeal into delivering other projects in the transportation sector as contained in its roadmap.

    The concession of the airports and the revival of a national carrier top the list of outstanding projects needing government’s attention. Aviation experts contend that Nigeria continued to be at the receiving end of international carriers and local operators because it stopped to actively play in the sector over a decade ago.

    They expressed indignation that a country of close to 200 million people cannot boast of a national carrier.

    But experts are advising the government to thread with caution in coming up with the national carrier. Many have warned against starting the carrier on a shaky note while private sector should be allowed to take charge.

    As experts and industry players await the model of the national carrier to be suggested by the transaction advisers, it is expected that the momentum would yield positive results and ultimately culminate in a more profitable aviation sector.

     

    New Order

     

    After two years in the saddle, the government has left no one in doubt of its readiness to evolve something new out of the old order. It is committed to make the sector work.

    With two years left to the end of its first term, can the President do much? Amaechi believes he can and urges Nigerians to support him.

  • Lagos roads: Turning a nightmare into delight

    Lagos roads: Turning a nightmare into delight

    With the construction of 83.92 kilometres of roads in one year and another 99.147 kilometres in the pipeline, the Lagos State Government has left no one in doubt of its commitment to battling traffic congestion, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    In just 18 months, Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has shown that he  does not waste words.

    Within that time, he has delivered on his promise to improve Lagos roads. “We are committed to seeking and funding substantial and comprehensive solutions to traffic challenges, we are ready to take tough recommendations you come out with,” he told participants at the Lagos Traffic Management and Transportation Summit on November 26, 2015.

    Then, many could wager a bet, and even laugh at him. Reason: He didn’t look like one with the Midas touch.

    Despite the huge investments by past administrations on deepening road infrastructure, and the enactment of the Lagos Traffic Law 2012, the gridlock remains intractable.

    Traffic congestion was the norm across the city centre, the satellite towns and communities, making travel time hellish for residents. Lagos was practically swimming against the tide of sanity on the roads, leaving its economy tottering on the brink of collapse.

    The ease of travelling using affordable, reliable and safe means, which are critical to the state transportation have taken a flight, and despite strict adherence to its strategic planning, transportation remained largely intractable. That was the dark cloud hovering over Ambode’s promise.

    “We need to go back to the drawing board and agree on how our transportation sector can be effectively and efficiently operated to support the kind of trade and investment we are poised to continually attract,” he told the gathering.

    He charged them to think out of the box and bring out innovative solutions that could help the state, adding that he had his mind set on delivery better institutional framework and quality transportation infrastructure that could support his vision of a smart city state.

    “We owe it to the people to ensure that Lagos works for all. Tackling traffic is a good place to begin the significant change that the people expect from us,” he enthused at the event

     

    Construction theatre

     

    Between then and now, Lagos simply became a huge construction site with work going on everywhere. The government was busy planning, designing and implementing road infrastructure that can meet the future needs of the state.

    Working under the mandate to develop motorable roads, and increase their capacity to ease traffic congestion and reduce travel time within the metropolis, the government embarked on a short-long-term remediation strategies with the short term being the regular maintenance of all existing roads, an assignemt discharged by the Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC), the medium being the sustainability of existing roads through rehabilitation, upgrading and expansion while the third is the expansion of highways and the construction of new bridges.

    The strategy paid off handsomely, as the government completed 83.92 kilometres of roads spread within the state in one year.

    At its ministerial press briefing last week, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Works and Infrastructure,  Temidayo Erinle, an engineer, said the roads were spread around the three Senatorial districts.

    To complement these are another 99.147 kilometres in both the rural and urban areas of the state. The governor, according to Erinle, has approved the construction of more roads to ease traffic and improve the economy of the state.

    Also completed in the year are five pedestrian bridges totalling 0.47 kilometres, aimed at improving the safety of pedestrians on the roads, while three others are ongoing at various locations in the state.

    He listed some of the completed roads to include the Ajah Flyover/upgrading of the Freedom road to Admiralty Road in Eti-Osa Local Government, the flyover at Abule-Egba, Upgrading of strategic Arterial/Inner roads in Epe, Ayetoro Road in Alimosho, Ishefun, Camp Davies New market roads in Alimosho as well as the laybys and slip roads at Ojodu Berger.

    Other completed pedestrian bridges listed are the Anthony-Gbagada foot bridge by TREM, the reconstruction of the Cement foot bridge, the rehabilitation of Mile 12 foot bridge, and the construction of the Steel Bridge at Ojota to complement the existing one that became insufficient due to the barrier mounted on the road.

    The Ojodu Berger pedestrian bridge, which strides across the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Ogunnusi Road has a total span of 98m with illumination. It has 150m length of laybys on both sides of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, 500m length of retaining wall with varying height ranging from 3.5m to 7m to separate the infrastructure of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway at grade with Ogunnusi, PWC and Olowora roads.

    Other features of the projects include two multi-bay bus park/bus laybys on Ogunnusi Road with public convenience and a food court.

    The upgraded roads in the projects are 650m slip road from Oando Petrol Station by Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to Omole/Olowora Junction, 700m Ogunnusi/Wakatiadura dual road from Kosoko Road junction to Lagos-Ibadan-Expressway, 250m PWC Road to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

     

    Street lighting

    and Signalisation

     

    Also included in the projects are streetlighting on all the roads and the multibay bus parks with signalisation of all junctions.

    The government said the project was expected to enhance the socio-economic development of both Lagos and other neighbouring states as it would reduce travel time on the road, man hour loss and ensure safety of lives, especially that of pedestrians with the construction of the flyover. It would also have a positive effect on the health of road users who would no longer be subjected to the stress associated with the road in the past.

    The Public Works Corporation charged with repairing the roads, Erinle disclosed, worked on 807 roads, delivered over 532, aading that work was ongoing on the others.

    Erinle said Ambode had awarded the contract for some roads in the state among which are: Rehabilitation/upgrading of Ebute-Igbogbo road Phase 2, The strategic arterial/inner roads in Epe Phase 2, the dualisation of Bisola Durosimi Etti/Hakeem Dickson in Lekki, the rehabilitation and maintenance of Lekki-Epe Expressway, rehabilitation of Alhaji Akinwumi Street, Mushin, upgrading of Obagun Avenue Mushin, dualisation of Irede Road in Amuwo-Odofin, construction of Aradagun-Iworo, Ajido Epeme Road with Bridges in Badagry.

    The state is proposing to construct and rehabilitate important roads to serve as links for the citizens. Among them are the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road, Igbogbo-Igbe Road in Ikorodu Local Government, Ilaje Road and Odunsi in Shomolu.

    Others are Agric-Isawo-Konu-Arepo Road to link Lagos-Badagry Expressway and the Fourth Mainland Bridge, among others.

     

    Fourth Mainland Bridge

     

    A lot has been said about the government’s revocation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the consortium of contractors handling the Fourth Mainland Bridge.

    The Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure, who oversees the Works and Infrastructure Ministry, Adebowale Akinsanya, said the government, had been disappointed at the pace of work and decided to cancel the contract.

    Akinsanya said the state was shopping for replacements with bidding  coming in from Japanese, Chinese, American and British conglomerates to fast-track the construction of the strategic bridge that would be the signature project that will redefine the state’s robust transportation strategies.

    Akinsanya said contrary to speculations making the rounds, the government had not cancelled the Fourth Mainland Bridge, but was merely looking for new partners to actualise it with the least pain to residents.

    Transportation and logistics experts contended that the state’s roads are quaking with congestion because they had failed to meet the state’s growth pattern. With 22 million population and home to three of every vehicle in Nigeria, Lagos, they argued, required more than the antiquated single-lane roads that were its lot until recently. That explained why efforts were aggressively made to expand the roads to two or three lanes, while efforts are made to construct more multiple lane highways to deflood traffic.

    Outside the listed road delivered in the year, the government was able to tackle transportation crisis that had laid traffic along the Lekki-Epe Expressway prostate over the past decade. The removal of the entire roundabouts along the major junctions, residents said have brought sanity to the axis.

    A source, who asked not to be named at Planet Projects, the contractor handling the junctions improvements along the axis, confirmed that the road failed principally because it failed to capture future developments along the axis, despite the rush by developers and the mushrooming of residential estates in the area.

    He said the road, which was built to cater for 50,000 vehicles daily had hit 750,000 vehicles, resulting in the congestion. “What the removal of the roundabouts have done is to further expand the roads, thereby improving its carriage capacity,” the source said.

    An indigenous contractor, who also requested not to be mentioned, said much of the traffic crisis in the state could be addressed with adequate signalisation and signages.

    Harping on the need for Intelligent Traffic Systems (ITS), to be incorporated into the transportation architecture of the state, the contractor said with ITS, road users, especially motorists, would make better use of the roads with the least encumberance. The source said Lagos is big enough to adopt the best international practices added that much could be achieved with intelligent redistribution of traffic than by constructing bridges.

    Another innovation that has changed the narratives of traffic in the state is the introduction of laybys. With its introcution at Iyana-Oworonsoki, travel time from Lagos Island to the mainland on the Third Mainland Bridge, which used to chalk a minimum of two hours before, had been reduced to 45 minutes, leading to its introduction on the inward Island carriageway.

    The introductions of the laybys and slip roads, which have also been applied to Ojodu Berger with maximum impact on decongestion of the roads have started in Ketu, to deflood also traffic on the Ketu-Ikorodu BRT corridor.

    The pace of developments in the state in the past year seemed to have earned  Ambode a soft spot in the hearts of his people. For him, there is no slow down until traffic congestion is tamed.

  • Expanding the Lagos frontiers with projects

    Expanding the Lagos frontiers with projects

    All over Lagos, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has his imprimatur on one project or the other. To mark Lagos at 50 and his forthcoming second anniversary in office, he opened bridges and roads at Julius Berger, around the Lagos-Ogun boundary; Abule-Egba and Ajah. He says he won’t stop until Lagos gets facilities that befit its status as a megacity. ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE reports.

    Julius Berger, a major transit and entry point into Lagos, has suddenly turned into a tourist attraction. Those who saw the masterpiece are awed by the breath-taking beauty that Ojodu Berger has suddenly become.

    Proudly hanging on the walls of the multiple pedestrian bridges are banners, welcoming travellers to Lagos, even as the one on the exit carriageway bids them goodbye from the city state.

    Only yesterday, what has now become a starry edifice was a rusty, muddy terrain that puts first time travellers off on their first contact with Lagos, Africa’s and blackman’s fastest growing megacity.

    Since Tuesday, Berger has recorded more visitors, wanting to see Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s signature project that has taken Lagos closer to becoming a truly urbanised megapolis.

    Motorists could not but marvel at the innovative solution that has taken care of the traffic gridlock at the old Ojodu Berger. Ordinarily, a shuttle from Agege or Ogba, to Berger either to connect homes or interstate buses that had turned the place to a hub, could take a minimum of two hours. Places like Olowo-Ira Akute and other environs take longer. Normally, without traffic, the route shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes, from Ogba, or 30 minutes from Akute and such suburbs. But at peak periods, morning or night, Berger, loses its peace and innocence and become nightmarish to all classes of road users.

    Besides heavy traffic snare that made the whole area extremely notorious, Berger has also evolved into one of the most unsafe road hub in the state. Lives are lost in reckless abandon to countless accidents most of which go unreported, even as successive governments seem to lack either the will, or the initiative, or both to resolve the traffic crisis at the area. Residents of the area practically have lost a redeeming hope for the area.

    But that was to change at the assumption of Akinwunmi Ambode as Governor. When he promised to turn the face of the place round during a tour of the area last year March, many doubted his resolve. Even those who believed him never anticipated the scale of the project. Both categories of people could only give kudos to the governor for giving the people of the area who did not fall into the super-rich or the blue-blooded business executive a world class project.

    What Ambode handed over to the people last Tuesday, was a new Ojodu Berger that emerged from the rubbles of the ugly past of the area.

    Ambode was also proud to showcase the project as one of the home grown solutions delivered by CCECC, the Chinese construction corporation under the supervision of local experts in the Ministry of Works. Undoubtedly, the Berger project has started changing the narrative of governance and the competence of local expertise in the public sector of the economy.

    Harping on the “thinking local acting global mantra at the opening of the project, Ambode said: “This project is the product of our innovative team of engineers, architects and town planners who have worked hard to create an innovative solution to tackle the challenges of this axis. I say a big thank you to the staff of the Lagos State Ministry of Works and the contractors – CCECC Nigeria Limited for a job well done.”

    That was Ambode at his candid’s best. But he did assure that the transformation will not stop with the Berger transformation.

    “We are working to create solutions to traffic congestion in every part of the state. If your neighbourhood or community is experiencing traffic challenges, be assured that we will soon be there.”

    Ambode’s intractable headache has remained changing the traffic narrative by ameliorating it.

    “What we set out to achieve with this project, Ambode told the ecstatic residents’ was to ensure smooth flow of traffic along the express, safeguard the lives of our people who had to run across the express and project the image of a truly global city to our visitors. Today, we are delighted that we have not only succeeded in transforming the landscape of this axis but with the slip road, laybys and pedestrian bridge, we have given a new and pleasant experience to all entering and exiting our State,” the governor added.

    If what was experienced at Ojodu Berger was ecstatic, the reception that Ambode got at Ajah and Abule-Egba where he delivered a flyover bridge named Jubilee Bridge and a number of critical roads on Wednesday were electrifying.

    To relieve motorists of the nightmare that the Ajah junction has turned into, the Ambode government  introduced a flyover at the junction, and constructed Freedom and Admiralty roads, to ease traffic demographics along the Ajah-Lekki-Epe road.

    The multiple projects were to further take advantage of the junction rehabilitation that had seen the removal of all the nine roundabouts along that arterial road that the government hinted may soon become the new Mecca in the state as a result of the new developments that would evolve due to the Free Trade Zone, deep sea port and new airport projects already taking a firm root in the axis.

    The Lekki-Epe road, The Nation had reliably learnt, were initially meant to accommodate 500,000 vehicles monthly. But at the wake of expansion of the area occasioned by various housing estates and other businesses sprouting on that axis, vehicle count moved from 500,000 to 2.5 million vehicles monthly and an average of 70,000 weekly.

    With the exponential increase in vehicular density, the original designs, which accommodated roundabouts became dysfunctional, thereby constituting more Cogs and traffic gridlocks rather than ameliorating same. But the removal of all the roundabouts, by the Ambode government had, like magic brought sanity to the road.

    Residents until now have resigned to fate. Their happiness was summed up by frontline human rights activist and lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, who took to Facebook on Thursday praising Governor Ambode for working in the interest of the people.

    Adegboruwa, who said he settled down in the axis since 2006, said: “The only access roads then was more of a canal and even with a jeep, you won’t last the whole year before you change your car. When it became unbearable, I had to ove my family out of that axis. But the good news is that the part of Lekki Phase 1, linking Itedo that we used to tag Admiralty flood has been constructed. This is a testimony I cannot ignore coming from the Lagos State Government led by Ambode. How I wish that all roads in Lagos and indeed Nigeria can be this way and truly it is possible with the right leadership.”

    That Adegboruwa is now singing the praises of the government is the best thing that could happen to this administration. A vitriolic critic of the last two administrations in the state, Adegboruwa at a time, mobilised opposition to the LCC tolling initiative on Lekki-Epe corridor, took the government to court for same, insisting that a toll regime on an existing road is high handed and extortionist.

    Another happy resident, Belinda Chinwe, who described the traffic pattern in the axis as crazy, said the two roads, Admiralty roads and Freedom roads would drive sanity to the axis. “This is a very nice initiative and we hope this would be taken to other areas in order to fully change the of in this area. The bridge is 780 metres long and it was fully delivered with drainage ducts, street lights and pedestrian walkway.

    The Ajah Jubilee Bridge, according to the governor, is meant to bring relief and reduce travel time within the axis by about 50 percent of what it hitherto was, while the two roads are strategic as it would provide easy access to areas like Itedo, Eti-osa, Lekki and Epe.

    Ambode said the Freedom road will open access to the Orange Island and Lekki Foreshore and would be a precursor to the commencement of construction of the regional road, an eight kilometre long initiative that would be executed on a Public Private Partnership initiative and would further open up the axis as a truly liveable metropolis.

    He said the bridge would eliminate the traffic jam usually experienced on the road while the Freedom and Admiralty roads, which he also commissioned, would provide an alternative route to the Lekki/Ikoyi Bridge, thereby easing traffic at Lekki Phase 1.

    “We had to give this project priority because of its strategic importance to the economic growth of the Lekki Free Trade Zone and the Ibeju-Lekki-Epe axis. This axis will play a key role in the future prosperity of Lagos State as the home to many multi-billion naira private investments in the Lekki Free Trade Zone as well as the upcoming seaport and airport.

    “As a government, we are irrevocably committed to making Lagos State an investment haven and we have made it a duty to put in place top class infrastructure that will facilitate movement of people, goods and materials. We are confident that these initiatives will boost commercial activities in this axis, support economic growth and significantly reduce travel time as well as other costs associated with traffic challenges,” the governor said.

    Beyond the bridge, Ambode said his administration was already looking into activating the Badore jetty in its bid to begin reforms in the state’s water transportation.

    Government will create a bus route from Badore to Langbasa and Ajah axis, rehabilitate Badore Road and also create alternative routes through Oke-Ira to the Epe expressway, while the slip road which motorists used while the construction of the bridge lasted, would be closed to accommodate a new bus terminal.

    The government in partnership with the private sector would commence construction of  eight km regional road to serve as alternative route to connect Victoria Garden City (VGC) from Freedom Road.

    At Abule Egba, Ambode, said the bridge was a result of the government’s engagements with the people of the axis and his administration’s desire to make life easier and better for the people.

    “This bridge is one of the interventions we embarked upon to ensure free flow of traffic, stimulate commercial activities and create opportunities for our people.

    “Lagos means business and today, Abule-Egba is open for business. This bridge signposts the beginning of a new era of development that would enhance the standard of living of the people in this axis with the provision of this infrastructure,” Governor Ambode said.

    The governor said the construction of the bridge was the beginning of a process to transform the axis to the new economic hub of the state, assuring that the ongoing Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) lane from Oshodi to Abule Egba would be followed by another BRT lane from Abule Egba to Ogun State border.

    Also to be repaired are all the adjoining roads disrupted in the course of the construction of the bridge, while a shopping mall would also be constructed opposite the Oke-Odo Market to further boost economic activities.

    The Epe axis of the state also got Ambode attention in what has become a bouquet meant to address the infrastructure deficit and move Lagos towards a smarter city-state.

    At Epe, Ambode said as he delivers on the completed projects, work has started on the second phase of road expansion within Epe and its environs.

    “We have commenced the Phase II of this project from Oke-Oso-Araga-Poka and Epe-Poka-Mojoda road while the proposed Phase III will take us from Mojoda to Ijebu-Ode junction with the collaboration of Ogun State government.” He also disclosed of plans to deliver eight-lane Ikorodu-Agbowa-Itoikin-Ijebu-Ode and Itoikin Epe projects through a PPP model. These roads, according to him, will provide alternative to Lekki-Eti-Osa-Epe expressway which will witness increased vehicular movements occasioned by the industrial activities at the Lekki Free Trade Zone.

    As Ambode himself agreed, these bouquet of projects, which cut across all senatorial districts would open the road for a more prosperous state. But beyond that, as many of his silent admirers seem to have agreed, they are strong enough to silence any opposition and seal the “silent achiever’s dream of a second term.

  • Breaking the railway concession deadlock

    Breaking the railway concession deadlock

    Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) workers are kicking against the planned concession of the corporation’s narrow gauge. But the government says concession is the only way to revitalise the corporation, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    WITH the Federal Executive Council’s (FEC) approval of negotiations with American industrial giant General Electric (GE) on the concession of the narrow gauge all seemed set to go. But no, that is not the case. Railway workers are kicking against the concession, which they claimed contravenes the provisions of the 1954 NRC Act. Although they said they were not bothered by how the government chooses to dispose its properties, they asked it to tread slowly.

    But is the government acting in haste? Last Monday, at a Town Hall meeting in Lagos, Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi told stakeholders that concession remained the only way to revitalise NRC.

    The planned concession journey towards concession was promised by President Muhammadu Buhari during the campaign.

    Although a renewed commitment to the railway started in 2003, successive administrations since ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo have keyed into the 25-year masterplan for the railway drawn by that government. However, the Buhari administration appears more committed to the project.

    As it battles to untie the corporation’s umbilical cord from the NRC Act, which  impedes other levels of governments and private operators from injecting fresh funds into the sector, it has demonstrated the will to complete the seemingly intractable standard gauge, signalling the take-off of the third and final phase of the railway, which is modernisation of the system.

    Committed to connecting the country with speed trains, the government has renegotiated with the Chinese government the loan package for the construction of the standard gauge on the major corridor – Lagos-Kano route, which was broken down to segments for easy financing.

    As the government crossed that hurdle, it resolved to finance the existing narrow gauge through private investment, a move that was approved by FEC last Wednesday.

    The transaction advisors are to begin talks with GE and the government’s consultants, on those areas already agreed to by both parties, among others. These according to Amaechi, include the number of locomotives and wagons to expect from the American giant within the short to medium term.

    Amaechi, who held another meeting with the GE Africa, last Monday, said among others, that GE was committed to bringing 20 (though it promised 200) locomotives and 200 wagons, before May 29, this year.

    It also agreed to establish a University of Transportation, with a Faculty for Railways, which would permanently address the manpower crisis in the sector, apart from establishing a railway manufacturing plant in Nigeria to service the West African sub-region.

    The GE, according to Ameachi, will drive a very efficient narrow gauge system that for now, is ‘dead’ in the country.

    The American firm, which the Minister said would manage the narrow gauge corridor for 25 years to recover its cost, will rehabilitate and invest on other railway infrastructure in the country.

     

    The advantages

     

    Bringing in a private investor is in line with global practices, Amaechi said. Globally, while the government owns the rail tracks, investors are encouraged to own the rolling stocks. This brings efficiency and removes nepotism and other ills that had bedeviled the sector since the late 60s.

    The government, he said, was focusing attention on the narrow gauge because of its centrality to the nation’s economy. With existing links to the nation’s productive centres, the narrow gauge, Amaechi said, “will assist the agriculture, mines and steel development in the transportation of extracted minerals from the production centres across the country to the sea for export”.

    What is more? The rehabilitation of the entire narrow gauge will be at no cost to government. Outside Lagos-Kano route, which include; Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan,  Ilorin, Kano, Funtua, Zaria, and Kaura-Namoda, the GE would also take over the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri route, which includes Port Harcourt, Aba, Umuahia, Enugu, Makurdi, Jos, Gombe and Bauchi to Borno State.

    To him, the rehabilitation of the two corridors would help activate freight movement. “The narrow gauge will essentially encourage freight movement. We have over 30 million tons worth of freight on the Lagos-Kano route for which presently we are moving slightly above 1000 tons. While the Port-Harcourt-Maiduguri route is currently moving nothing, we are anticipating 11 million tons on that route,”he said.

    He foresees an upsurge of passenger and cargo traffic on the entire narrow gauge spectrum as the rehabilitation will encourage movement of cargoes and passengers.

    The new proposition is a clear departure from what obtained with the narrow gauge under the management of the NRC. Intercity shuttle, as presently run, is epileptic with the rusty, rutted coaches, driven by equally aging locomotives that takes no fewer than 72 hours travel time between Lagos-Kano.

    “This is absolutely unacceptable. The railway system will not be able to attract any quality passenger traffic with such tradition. We must look at fast tracking things at the railway,” Amaechi said.

    Concessionning

    the corporation, according to Amaechi, remained the way out of the rot in the railway, adding that for Nigerians to embrace the railway, they must see improved services.

     

    The issues

     

    Short of labelling the workers as responsible for the existing rut that has almost crashed the NRC, the minister said a staff audit conducted by the GE showed that only 20 percent of the present population are qualified and could be engaged by the narrow gauge’s new operator.

    With this, the minister said the company insisted on the government handing over a zero-staff system to allow it recruit its staff, while it would give present staffers of the NRC an option of first offer.

    “Those of you remaining have the opportunity of either voluntarily opting out or staying on with our old structure at the NRC, with its paying structure and conditions of service,” Amaechi told the workers.

    Although the minister was able to extract the workers’ consent to proceed with the concession at the meeting, but the leadership of the National Union of Railway (NUR) workers insisted that the condition remained a thorny issue with all categories of workers.

    Speaking last week with The Nation, President of the African Union of Railway, Comrade Raphael Benjamin Okoro said while the union has no issue to grind with how the government chooses to dispose its property, it should proceed with caution.

    He said the workers are worried about the haste with which the government is proceeding with the concession, which contravenes the provisions of the extant laws of the NRC 1954, yet to be fully amended by the National Assembly.

    Until that law is amended, all steps taken to sell railway assets or concession its operations is ultra vires, null and void.

    Okoro said: “Until the law is amended any action taken to unbundle the railway like they did to other national assets will be unconstitutional and if this government wants Nigerians to believe that it is sincere, it must hasten slowly because we have it on good authority that the real reason behind the haste was to strip the railways of its huge asset base scattered across the country.”

    Proffering an alternative to the concession, Okoro, a former President of the NUR, said the government must address the issue of neglect of the sector and ensure that it purchase brand new locomotives and coaches, rather than refurbished rolling stocks.

    He said the antics of purchasing refurbished rolling stocks dated back to the 90s during the late Gen. Sani Abacha’s era. According to him, while Nigerians jubilated when the late Head of State approved the purchase of 50 locomotives for the Corporation in 1995, it turned out that the engines were refurbished and most of them did not last beyond five years.

    He alleged that even in 2013, when the government bought 25 locomotives some have packed up because of the same issues.

    He said though a brand new locomotive have a 50-year lifespan, none of them bought in the past three decades by the government have been able to last beyond a decade because wrong ones are purchased.

    Okoro picked holes at the delivery of 20 locomotives by the GE, when a realistic audit of the system indicated that about 150 to 200 locomotives were needed to adequately service the entire system scattered around the seven districts and administrative centres.

    Okoro, who put the entire work force at about 15,000, however, urged the government to put in place a robust severance plan to address the worries of the workers.

    “Unlike the case of NEPA workers, which numbered about 54,000, the entire workforce in the NRC is about 15,000 and the government should just ensure that all of us are adequately settled before a new regime of concessionning begins at the railway.”

     

    Conclusion

     

    Though the government might have been driven to consider concessionning the railway in order to make the rail system work, the decision is pitched against the workers, who think it might weigh against them despite Amaechi’s repeated assurances. “The president is determined to create jobs and not unemployment. Be assured that if this route will lead to mass lay-off, this government would not sign the document,” Amaechi had assured.

    The workers as at last week had decided to embark on passive resistance to this move. What this means is that there is a gathering storm ahead of the plan. Will the storm be peacefully dispersed?

     

  • Awaiting GE’s 20 locomotives

    Awaiting GE’s 20 locomotives

    To show that it means business, United States (US) industrial giant General Electric (GE), the narrow gauge concessionaire is bringing in 20 locomotives by May 29. The locomotives are at no cost to the government, according to Minister of Transportation Mr Rotimi Amaechi. Better days may be here for the rail system, report Adeyinka Aderibigbe

    It  is the kind of news Nigerians have been waiting for.

    The American industrial corporation, General Electric (GE), the narrow gauge concessionaire,  is to bring 20 locomotives into Nigeria by May 29.

    It seems the biggest signature the Buhari administration needs to convince the world it took the best decision to concession the antiquated narrow gauge to GE.

    The Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, who broke the news at a public forum on fast-tracking ports reforms, organised by his ministry in collaboration with The Nation and Epsilon Ltd., last Thursday,  said the locomotives were free.

    According to Amaechi, it is the  fruit of private sector investment.

    He said the government thought it wise to look for big corporate players to invest in narrow gauge development, while it concentrated on speed trains and standard gauge rail line construction (the flagship of which is the Abuja-Kaduna rail line), the second phase of the 25-year- masterplan which  successive governments have been implementing since 2003.

     

    Indicators

     

    At the heart of the government’s decision is the call for fresh funds to help run an almost comatose  system, due to long years of neglect and ignorance on the relevance and need for the integration of the sector into the transportation architecture that would have been the pivot upon which the diversification vision of the administration would run.

    Buhari’s attention, according to Amaechi, is primed on delivering a standard gauge and premium transportation to Nigerians, who, for a very long time, have yearned for a paradigm shift in public sector transportation that maximises the benefits of the railway for the movement of goods and services.

    At a roundtable organised by the Nigeria British Chambers of Commerce (NBCC) on the role of concession in fixing the transportation sector last Tuesday, the Minister disclosed that GE was actually poised to begin operation with 100 locomotives.

    “GE had agreed to give 100 locomotives free of charge for now, but unfortunately, there are no tracks for the 100 to ply, so they are going to give us 20 by May 29,” he said.

    Amaechi said a revived railway would deliver immense benefits to the people. He said under the administration, the railway has received unprecedented attention, resulting in the revival of the corporation and the attendant discipline instilled in the workforce.

    In the estimation of the Oxford Business Group, as the most populous country and arguably the largest economy on the continent, Nigeria, undoubtably, remains Africa’s powerhouse.

    From the rails, to the roads and to ports, global logistics experts agreed the transportation sector which has long suffered from inadequate investment in infrastructure  is facing an extensive overhall.

    Experts readily agreed that the dearth of a national transportation masterplan that accords a key role to rail system was responsible for the massive failure of the economy, leading to the sector falling short of its huge potential.

    The administration’s commitment to bringing the private sector on board promises to improve the capacity and quality of the transport network. This will create opportunities for the construction industry and service operators.

     

    Opportunities

     

    The over-concentration of the country’s transportation super-structure on road has inordinately hampered trade and increased production costs for manufacturers, importers and exporters.

    This has badly impacted on the economy and business support profile. Nigeria was ranked 182nd of 189 countries on trading across borders by the World Bank in its last year’s “Doing Business” report.

    The cost and time taken to import and export are well above the average for sub-Saharan Africa and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) high-income countries.

    Also coming under the concession agreement is the establishment of a Transportation University to train engineers and other manpower needs of the sector.

    “One of the conditions we gave them was to come here and build a Transportation University and they agreed,” Amaechi said.

    He further disclosed that the government had returned to site at the Itape-Warri railway line, which will also be put under concession in the near future.

    The track will run from Warri to Abuja and is critical for the smooth operations of the Ajaokuta Iron Ore and Aladja Steel Mills, which are receiving the government’s attention as well, the minister said.

    “The good thing about concession is that it saves the government a lot of money which is put to other use to create more jobs in other areas of development,” the minister said.

    GE International Operations (Nigeria) Limited Transportation Business Development Executive  Mr. Eyo Ekpo praised the Federal Government for the political will to put the rot in the rail sector behind it by concession of the spectrum of system – both narrow and standard gauges.

    He said in the next phase and, to get it right, GE had resolved not to cut corners in helping Nigeria to fix all issues on the development of its rail system.

    “We prefer to go through a process that produces outcomes that are, ultimately, sustainable. There is political will, there is process and there is a plan, all put together by the government and if you combine that with what the GE consortium is bringing to the table what you’ll expect is an outcome that is actually credible and sustainable, one that will be beneficial to Nigerians.”

    Ekpo lamented the decay in the rail system and wondered how the nation with population of over 180 million had survived almost exclusively on road mode of transportation, with the rail playing virtually no role in the transport plan.

    He said GE’s plan was to resuscitate and expand the narrow gauge rail infrastructure along the value-chain across the country.

    Giving more insights into the concession objective, Ekpo said the Federal Government was looking forward to the American firm setting up local production capacity for locomotives and wagons, in the medium term, while the long term is the establishment of a Transportation University.

    “The government set out objectives for the rail construction; it wasn’t just about completing a railway line. There was also the other bit, which is set up local manufacturing capacity both for locomotives and wagons, within the country.

    “The second is the training of human resources, which is not just only a university, but a post-graduate training centre and GE is fully and firmly committed in writing to achieving,” Ekpo said.

     

    Respecting PPP

     

    But can the government be trusted to ensure the sanctity of PPP contracts, most of which run on Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) structure and are tenure-tied?

    Though transportation and logistics experts have continued to express fear about “some unreliability of the terms of the contract”, Amaechi again assured that the government was committed to the sanctity of contracts on concession of projects.

    He said the government would not only guarantee its concession agreements, partnerships and contracts, but also implement those it inherited and safeguard them from being truncated.

    The involvement of the private sector itself, especially in railway system, is the outcome of the amendment of the Nigerian Railway Act 1954, which removed the exclusivity of financing of the system hitherto vested on the Federal Government.

    The minister insisted last week that attracting the private sector into the rail system was the only way to go, if the nation must join the rest of the world in deploying modern train systems to resolve mass transit challenges that have continued to bedevil the country.

    He urged critics of the move to have a rethink, adding that he would soon be meeting with the representatives of the workers’ union who have carpeted the Federal Government for handling the national assets to foreign private capital.

    Citing GE’s bold moves to revolutionise activities of the narrow gauge, he said, if one considers that this  was coming at no cost to the government and  Nigerians, then it ought to be supported and the government praised for discovering such willing partners in putting new impetus to the moribund rail system.

    Nigerian Railway Corporation Managing Director   Mr. Fidet Okhiria said the participation of private operators in the system remained the only way the railway could fulfil its mandate of providing cheap, affordable and reliable mass transit services to Nigerians.

    He said Nigerians have the requisite experience and exposure to drive a very efficient and effective railway. He welcomed the bold step to see the government developed local capacity for repairs and production of essential components and hardware needed to run an efficient railway services.

     

    Sign of things to come?

     

    With the coming of GE, there may be improvement in the NRC’s operations with passengers the better for it. But will GE’s presence stimulate the coming of other international players? Will the government be disposed to ensuring competition on a turf that has almost become extinct in the  transportation mode? Time will tell.

  • Ambode allays fear on Alapere Agboyi-Ketu road dualisation

    Ahead of the planned Alapere Traffic Improvement and Management Phase II, Lagos State Government has pledged minimal demolition of structures on the route.

    It appealed to the public to support the Akinwunmi Ambode administration’s efforts at bringing development to the area.

    Under the project, Oluwakemi and some adjacent streets will be developed into a four-lane road from Alapere to Agboyi. It is  planned to carry traffic from Alapere through Agboyi towards Ikorodu.

    Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development TPL Wasiu Anifowoshe explained that the forum was government’s way of ensuring inclusive governance.

    Consultation, he said, had become an integral part of the administration as it attempts to bring development to communities.

    Anifowoshe noted that the initial efforts of the contractor, which was faulted, led to the new consultation.  He explained that a new Master Plan for Agboyi-Ketu will soon be unveiled along with other development plan for the area.

    According to him, the resolution of the traffic hiccups along the axis will signpost economic growth and development of the community, the Physical Planning boss, stated that the Ambode’s Administration is determined to ensure even development across the state.

    He stated that the State Government will address all the neglects of the past.

    In his comment the Commissioner for Transportation stated that finding solutions to the challenges of transportation is a core aspect of the policy commitment of the government.

    He called on the community to rededicate themselves to partnering with the government to ensure promptly completion of the project. He declared the readiness of the Ministry, through the contractor, to promptly complete the project as soon as the Right of Way is established.

    Commenting on the project a community leader, Comrade Joseph Evra urged government to put human face to the project by way of ensuring prompt compensation or replacement of parts demolished. While expressing gratitude to the Governor for his commitment to even development, the Comrade urged Administration to continue to strive for greater development of Agboyi community.

  • Wanted: A national emergency number

    Wanted: A national emergency number

    Time there was when 999 served as national emergency number. The number has since gone into oblivion, leaving each state to devise its emergency number. Experts say it is high time Nigeria developed to save lives, especially during road crashes, ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE writes

    hat is an emergency number? It is a number  that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance, especially during emergencies.

    The emergency number differs from country to country and is typically a three digit number that can easily be remembered and dialled quickly even without any credit on your mobile telephone.

    Some countries have different phone numbers for different emergency services available and this is often identifiable by the last digit on those numbers.

    Statistics showed that about 100 people die on Nigerian roads daily. Given the unreliability of data in this part of the world, where many accidents cases go unreported, the figure could be higher.

    Even despite the spirited efforts the Buhari government is putting in place to improve the state of the roads, the parlous state of most roads in the country remain worrisome and a huge joke as well as a national tragedy.

    Since 1999, a whopping N1.4 trillion ($8.5 billion) has reportedly been spent on construction of new roads or maintenance of the existing ones, with very little to show for it. All the nation’s major gateways across the six geo-political zones of the country are in deplorable disrepair.

    The nation’s roads are death traps. According to the United Nations, Nigeria has one of the most unsafe road networks in the world. And what is worse, over 70 per cent of road traffic accident victims have lost their lives due to the dearth of a working national emergency telephone number to call upon any eventuality of an accident.

     

    Inactive phone number

    Safety experts said the absence of a working national phone number is a major hindrance to the effectiveness of first responders in the event of an emergency on the roads.

    Not that the nation did not have a national emergency number. The real news is that it has been dead for as long as anyone could remember. According to sources, the emergency number for Nigeria is 112. But the National Communications Commission (NCC) has refused to activate it.

    An NCC source told The Nation last  Friday that the Commission is still working on activating the connectivity of the line across all the phone operators operating in the country.

    In the meantime, Nigerians continue to bear the brunt of systemic failure with attendant harvest of deaths on her roads.

    Of all the states of the federation, only one state, Lagos changed the template. For about  a decade now, the state had 767 as an emergency number, to complement the epileptic 112. It went further to establish a control centre where these two lines are domiciled and from which distress calls received from residents of the state could be transmitted to appropriate parastatals or agencies of government for prompt remedial action.

    Apart from Lagos, no other state had an active response control room, neither does the nation have anything close to same.

    What saves the day for many, according to Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), is the FRSC emergency number, 122, which according to him, has been active across the crannies and nooks of the country for the past six years.

    “Anyone under trauma or distress can call our distress line 122 and can be assured that responders would attend to them almost immediately, said Oyeyemi, in a telephone interview on Friday.

    The Corps Marshal said the prevailing environment in the country dictates that travellers travel with any basic form of identification to aid first responders in their rescue and emergency efforts.

    “We have in place a system where details of passengers using public buses are captured in a passengers’ manifest that the FRSC collects conjunction with NURTW. Through this, the basic identities of any travellers are known and if their next of kin needed to be contacted, we  know who to call.

    “For other classes of travellers, what we advocate is for them to travel with basic identification materials, such as identity cards, or driver’s licence. These would have the basic information needed to contact their next of kin in case of emergency,” Oyeyemi said.

    The Corps Marshal said in view of the prevailing insecurity in the country, exacerbated by high prevalence of kidnapping and fraudulent practices, FRSC is against anyone identifying the numbers of any of their next of kin on their mobile phones.

    We have cases of people misplacing their mobile phones, and in the event where such phones got misplaced and got into wrong hands, they could call those numbers and either extort them, or outrightly kidnap them.

    He recalled that cases of fraudsters who call relations of supposed accident victims had been on the rise until lately.

    “Many had fallen victim of people who claim to be FRSC officials and would call someone that their relation had been involved in an accident, demanding money.This did not abate until we embarked on aggressive adverts distancing the Corps from such practice.”

    He said relating even an accident scene to a relation may even complicate matters than alleviate same, he reasoned, cautioning that as much as possible, travellers should carry just enough that could make them identifiable in case of any accident.

    A safety expert, Patrick Adenusi, said a national emergency number is a sine qua non if the nation must move on in the task of reducing traffic accidents across the country.

    Besides this, he said officials manning the control centre also need to be peoperly briefed and must be conversant with the city within which they are to work.

    Relating an experience, Adenusi said he had once witnessed an accident on the Third Mainland Bridge and had called the 767 emergency phone number of the Lagos State, and was shocked when officer at the other end requested for the nearest bus stop to the scene of the accident.

    He said: “Initially I was shocked and angry, with the official who continued to insist I tell him the bus stop closest to the scene of the incident, but I understood that he might just be acting out a brief. Maybe they were trained to take all details that could aid other responders. I had to call other officers of the Lagos Rescue Unit (LRU) and gave them the description of the area before responders could come.”

    Adenusi sided with the Corps Marshal saying the level of insecurity in the country has made other forms of assuring first responders get to scenes of accidents or other forms of emergencies slim.

     

    US example

    In the United States of America and other developed nations of the world where a national emergency numbers are a norm, the numbers are usually GRPS enabled.

    A US citizen confirmed that with the emergency 911, any American resident no matter where he or she is located can have access to emergency responders and immediate evacuation or attention.

    According to him, even a baby in distress once he calls the emergency number merely needs to tell those on the other side where the incident occurs.

    “Even where you do not tell them where you are calling from, the system would have notified the responders your location and within a jiffy, those around your immediate locality would storm the area to effect the needed assistance,” he said.

    Everyone in the United States, according to him, knows the 911 and the number is toll free to call for assistance in times of distress and emergencies, he further stated.

    He, like Oyeyemi, said a victim’s loved ones is not the one to call in times of accident. The number to call, according to him, is the number that would report to the emergency responders who would proffer the right assistance for the victims.

    Underscoring the importance of a nationalemergency number, Adenusi recalled that scores of those who died on the streets and canals of Lagos during the Lagos bomb blast of 2001 might not have died had there been such a number.

    “Those living in the cantonment who knew what went wrong could not call to brief the nation on what was happening. The dearth of information led to the escalation of speculation and this led many to their death.

    “One could only urge that the nation hastens to put this kind of service in place before another calamity befalls the nation. If this is done, we would be closer to living in a saner environment and can safely regard ourselves as a country that is concerned about the lives of  her citizens.”

     

    Conclusion

    Experts said a national emergency number is not only desirable but also a necessity if the nation must begin to get its acts on safety on and off the roads right. For the nation’s roads to be truly safe, there must be intelligent deployment of infrastructure aimed at making lives and property on the roads safe. What they could however not ascertain is when the government can make such a possibility.