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Tag: Lagos-Ibadan

  • Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: Sad twist in the tale

    Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: Sad twist in the tale

    In the last few days, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has become a nightmare for motorists. That should not be if the immediate past federal administration had kept its promise to Nigerians who remain the victims. OLUKOREDE YISHAU reports that, aside the broken promise, a secret concession arrangement was entered into after the controversial cancellation of another. 

    Ask residents of Arepo, a community on the 127.6-kilometre-long Lagos–Ibadan Expressway connecting Ibadan, the Oyo State capital and Lagos State, what the highway means to them. Ordinarily, they should say it is the means to and from their homes. Their answer these days will be that the highway represents hell, no thanks to government’s failure.

    Their reason: a journey from the Journalists’ Estate in the community, which should take less than 20 minutes to the popular Berger Bus Stop in Lagos, now takes eternity. They share this fate with residents of other communities on the 37-year-old expressway. Those using the route to access the Southeast, South-south and northern parts of the country also have sad tales to tell.

    •Flood takes over Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
    •Flood takes over Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

    But what really is the cause of the gridlock? Potholes, which have turned into craters, dot the road from Berger to Warewa near the Arepo Junction. The potholes have created several bad spots which force motorists to stop when they get to any of those spots. The effects of these frequent stops are traffic bottlenecks which stretch a long distance.

    Though the bad spots from Berger to Warewa seem much, the bad spots on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway stretch further. But this should not be for this major route to the northern, southern and eastern parts of the country.

    In July 2013, the then President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan inaugurated the reconstruction of the road. This was after the controversial termination of a concession agreement between the government and Bi-Courtney Highway Services. Ex-President Jonathan had promised that the road would be ready in 48 months. It is over 50 months now.

    The contract was awarded to Julius Berger Nigeria and Reynolds Construction Company Limited (RCC) at a cost of N167 billion. The expressway was divided into Section I (Lagos to Sagamu Interchange) and section II (Sagamu Interchange to Ibadan) between the two companies.

    •Gridlock on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (2/6/12)
    •Gridlock on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
    (2/6/12)

    The N167 billion reconstruction cost did not include bridge overpass and underpass, which the N89.5 billion terminated concession agreement had promised. Also, the N89.5 billion concession agreement with Bi-Courtney was expected to build a world-class road with all necessary infrastructure.

    There were plans to build a flyover at the Redemption Camp to ease the occasional congestion in that axis, provide dawn lightening powered by a gas-fired plant, improved and new interchanges, new drainage system, recessed service areas, lay-by emergency parking areas, trailer parks, footbridges in heavy pedestrian areas, weighbridges, electronic traffic control and informative signs.

    The revocation of the initial 25-year concession agreement with Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited took effect on November 19, 2012.

    But what has come as a shock to close watchers of the developments on the road  was a concession claim last week by a firm, which identified itself as Motorways Assets Limited (MAL).

    It said it was working on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The claim was contrary to statements by government officials in the Jonathan administration that there was no concession, and that the project had only been given to two contractors, Messrs Julius Berger and Reynolds Construction Company (RCC), at a cost of N167 billion; out of which the Federal Government had paid N50 billion.

    Another N23 million was voted in the 2014 Budget for the hiring of consultants on Private Public Partnership (PPP) scheme.

    MAL said it was in the final stages of negotiation with lenders to raise N150 billion for the second tranche of funds to complete the project.

    The emergence of MAL is raising dust, because it is seen as a violation of Private Public Partnership (PPP) laws and laid down procedures. The project ought to have been advertised for competitive bidding by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). It was not; making it appear as a back door arrangement.

    Significantly, section 2.1 of the Nigerian Public-Private Partnerships Manual says: “The project is usually initiated by a Ministry, Department, and/or Agency (MDA) of the government. In select cases, the project could be initiated by the private sector as an Unsolicited Proposal under a transparent and competitive process, which will also be managed by an MDA.

    “The first step for the MDA is to develop a project concept to be approved by the National Planning Commission (for projects of the Federal Government) or other relevant state authorities.

    “The project concept will usually be based on a Pre-Feasibility study or Outline Business Case, and if it is approved, will allow the project to be included in the 15-year Master Plan (or National Implementation Plan for the Federal Government) which sets out the government’s infrastructure investment strategy covering all forms of procurement, including projects that will be financed in whole or in part from the federal budget.”

    But, in the absence of any public tender, Oyinloye was quoted in a newspaper report on November 4 as saying: “Motorways Assets Limited has been given consideration for the project. The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission has to give the concession certificate, while the lenders and investors have to ensure that all the details are properly worked out. We have now got all the relevant approvals.”

    The troubled story

    Speaking at the inauguration of the road, Jonathan said: “We have made adequate funding arrangements to see the project all the way through to completion and by the special grace of God, we are certain to deliver on our promise and pledge on schedule.”

    It did not take more than five months to show that the statement was political. On September 12, 2013, the Managing Director of the Infrastructure Bank Plc, Mr. Adekunle Oyinloye, reportedly announced that the Federal Government had mandated the bank to raise the N167 billion required for the reconstruction of the dual carriageway.

    This was followed up by another manoeuvre on January 8, last year, when the Director of Information, Federal Ministry of Works, Mr. Bisi Agbonhin, said: “Investors will provide N117 billion for the road through a private sector-led project finance; infrastructure finance facility with the Federal Government of Nigeria providing 30 per cent of the project cost (i.e. N50 billion) while the balance of 70 per cent would be provided by the investors and financiers to the project. This arrangement will enable completion of the project on time and on budget.”

    During an inspection of the road on February 10, last year, Mike Onolememen, who was the Minister of Works, revealed that the Federal Government had secured Private Finance Initiative (PFI) to fund the project. He denied that the ministry was about to re-concession the road.

    “This is very common in the United States and we are introducing it here under this project to make it faster,” he said.

    While addressing the board and management of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) on January 21, last year, Onolememen said: “For these three roads (Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Second Niger Bridge and the approach route of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport), we are bringing vast resources from the private sector to the tune of about N300 billion. The reality in our nation today clearly shows that without the mechanism of Public Private Partnership (PPP), Nigerians will not be able to enjoy real dividends of democracy.”

    The ministry was not done with its excuses on the road. Tony Ikpasaja, Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Works, in a newspaper article on January 29, last year, said: “There are three major funding options that have the potential to provide adequate, reliable and timely financing for key road infrastructure.

    “The first is On-Budget Public Funding; the second funding option is Off-Budget Public Funding, which includes special intervention funds, FGN Road bonds (to be issued in conjunction with the Debt Management Office), Concessionary Loans (e.g. from Nexim Banks). The third funding option, which is Private Sector Resources, comprises Pension Fund, PPP, Long-term Commercial Bonds, Export-Credit Finance, Private Equity and Infrastructure Bonds… Already, the Federal Government has N50 billion from the regular budgetary allocation of 2014 and 2015, as well as from Special Intervention Funds (SURE-P).

    “In addition, the Minister, in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance, is working with key government institutions to raise the balance of the construction cost through FGN Road Bonds and Infrastructure Bonds where private sector funds can be accessed for the speedy completion of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. This makes it a variant of the PPP model, where private sector funds can be leveraged without concessioning the road to a private firm.”

    Onolememen was to introduce another variation while addressing a delegation of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains in Abuja on February 4, last year, saying: “The government can decide how it funds its road projects, and government has made commitments up to N50 billion on that road. And we have decided, as a government and ministry, that in order to fast-track the completion of that road, we are going to be issuing road bonds and infrastructure bonds, where we will raise a balance of N100 billion. We already have government institutions that are also putting money down up to about N17 billion for that road.”

    Lessons from other lands

    Elsewhere, when governments need help to fix infrastructure, they turn to PPP and they follow the rules, which give the private investors the confidence to go the whole hug. The arrangement with MAL does not seem to pass the integrity test. In India, road concession is state policy. No less than 152 roads have been delivered under the arrangement. The state of Uttar Pradesh delivered over 13 of its major roads through that arrangement. In Germany, over 12, 200 km roads have been given out as concession. The United Kingdom has given out 580 km of roads. And in France, 6, 705 km of roads have been done through the PPP.

    Significantly, of the 51, 242 km of motorways in Western Europe, 17,009 km (representing 33 per cent) were done under concession arrangement. Of this, 16, 356km are toll roads; 653km have shadow toll.

    ICRC, BPP and what next

    For the ICRC and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Bi-Courtney was a victim of the bureaucratic bottlenecks created by officials of the ministry, who exploited certain clauses in the concession agreement to frustrate the concessionaire.

    In its annual report submitted to the former President, the ICRC stated that the project failed because the government did not play its part well as a partner in the PPP enterprise.

    It was revealed that, of the three years and six months that Bi-Courtney had the concession, the Federal Government delayed for two years and 10 months. The rains accounted for six months. In effect, in a period of three years and six months, Bi-Courtney only had two months to work properly and it actually commenced the work through Borini Prono on September 23, 2012.

    With last week’s claim by MAL, sources close to Bi-Courtney say a legal battle is afoot. And this raises the poser: how long will Nigerians have to wait if government fails to toe the right path on this all-important project? For now, the Ogun State government has started some remedial work on the road. This certainly will only help for a while.

    What the road needs is a permanent solution. And for stakeholders such as the Afenifere, the Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, this is what is expected: “We insist that the repair being carried out is not sufficient. We ask for a rebuilt road with six lanes on each of the north-bound and south-bound carriages between the interchange at Ojota in Lagos and the Sagamu interchange from where it should continue with four lanes on each side to Ojoo in Ibadan. Anything short of the above is a waste of time.”

  • Motorists, passengers groan on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

    There was heavy traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway yesterday.

    Passengers coming into and leaving Lagos were stuck at Arepo junction.

    They were held in traffic for hours because of the road’s bad spots.

    Motorists following a gridlock stretching as far as the Berger Bridge.

    Some commercial vehicles about to drive against traffic were prevented by combined teams of Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) officials and policemen.

    A motorist heading to Ibadan, Segun Ogunse, told The Nation that the deplorable road was causing long hours of traffic from the Berger Bridge to the bad spot.

    ”I cannot imagine that these bad spots have been like this for weeks without any effort from the state and federal governments.

    “I have spent over three hours on the road since 11am and this is 2pm, I am yet to get to Arepo. A journey that is supposed to last for less than two hours has now turned to five hours. I think this change government should find a lasting solution to the gridlock on this road,” he lamented.

    A resident of Mowe in Ogun State, Kingsley Njoku, who was returning from church in Lagos said: “If we are facing traffic on a Sunday like this, what will it look like on Monday, which is going to be a busy day.

    “There have been a lot of cries from Nigerians about the poor state of the road, but nobody cares to listen because the road is just getting bad and people now spend hours for a journey of 10 minutes. The Ogun State government cares less and the Federal Government seems to have ignored calls from motorists,” he said.

  • Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: The road ahead

    As a metaphor for the journey of life, the road is both interesting and intriguing. Two notable writers were fascinated enough to focus on the road: Nigerian Nobelist Wole Soyinka created a 1965 drama titled “The Road”, while American novelist Jack Kerouac produced a 1957 novel titled “On The Road”.

    Between August 19 and 22, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway occupied my thoughts. I found myself thinking about the long road on my way from Lagos to Osogbo, Osun State, to eyewitness the celebration of Susanne Wenger’s centenary, the Osun-Osogbo Grove’s 10th anniversary as a World Heritage Site and the finale of the Osun-Osogbo Festival. On my way back to my base, after a stopover at Gbongan to take part in a celebration of the departed parents of a literary mentor, I used the same long road.

    The ongoing reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway complicated my journey to and fro, which set me thinking about this important road and its complications. It is two years since the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan in July 2013 rearranged the reconstruction, following a N167 billion contract, awarded to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and Reynolds Construction Company Limited. Under the new arrangement, two sections of the expressway will be reconstructed: Section I (Lagos to Sagamu Interchange) and Section II (Sagamu Interchange to Ibadan).

    The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which dates back to 1978, is 127.6-km-long, connecting Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, and Lagos State, Nigeria’s economic capital. Importantly, the road is not only a main link to the northern, southern and eastern regions of the country; it is the busiest inter-state road.

    Understandably, its connective capacity has implications for road improvement and development, which explains public concern about its state. The news that Julius Berger Nigeria Plc will resume major repair work on the expressway by the end of September, after a worrying break that lasted some months, raised more questions than answers. The pause was caused by financial difficulties allegedly connected with the Federal Government’s funding performance.  It is unclear whether the problematic funding issues have been resolved and how, considering that a new central administration under President Muhammadu Buhari is in charge.

    It is noteworthy that the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has been a road of controversy, especially following the Jonathan administration’s 2012 termination of a concession agreement with Bi-Courtney Highways Services Limited (BCHSL), which was supposed to reconstruct and manage the toll road. The past government alleged that the company failed to make progress on actualising the objective of the concession four years after the agreement signed with a preceding administration.

    According to Bi-Courtney, “We are in court because the alleged cancellation of the concession did not follow due process. Apart from that, the so-called contract involving the two new companies handling the project was awarded arbitrarily without a bidding process.”  The company said:  “BCHSL won the concession to reconstruct and manage the toll road for 25 years. It’s a Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) arrangement. According to the concession agreement, the road will be expanded to 10 lanes from Lagos to Sagamu and six lanes from Sagamu to Ibadan. Because of this expansion, structures that fall within 60.35 metres from the median on both sides of the road will be demolished, and government will compensate owners of the affected properties.”  The company proudly argued that it rebuilt the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA2) in Lagos “against all odds”. “It is the first airport in Africa to be owned by a private company on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, the first of its kind in Nigeria, and it was delivered far ahead of schedule,” Bi-Courtney said.

    The company’s response to the allegation of non-performance blamed work delay on the Jonathan administration. In the period of three years and six months that the company had the concession, it was slowed down for two years and 10 months. According to the company, the design process which was expected to be completed within four months took 18 months as a result of bureaucratic bottlenecks at the Ministry of Works. The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) corroborated Bi-Courtney’s position.

    To cut a long story short, it would appear that the announced cancellation of the concession by the Ministry of Works on November 19, 2012, was the culmination of a chain of untidy and unprogressive manoeuvres that suggested behind-the-scenes influence.  While the delay lasted, Bi-Courtney said, “We were advised by the ministry not to do any serious works on the road other than palliatives”.  Before the concession was terminated, the company claimed it “had completed the patching and overlaying of bad portions of the highway, preparatory to full-scale reconstruction”.

    It is interesting to note that the ongoing contract involving Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and Reynolds Construction Company Limited is fundamentally different in nature and not a concession as was the case with Bi-Courtney. The implication is that the federal government is expected to fund the road rehabilitation and operate the toll road.

    Of course, it is open to debate whether adopting the concession model for the rehabilitation of the expressway promises greater socio-economic benefits than the old way of doing things. However, the attraction of the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) approach, which the concession concept represents, cannot be reasonably discounted in a modern economy, considering reported examples in Western Europe and the U.S. where private investors are involved in infrastructure development based on concession agreements.

    The PPP appeal is interestingly reinforced by a recent report: “Contractors handling over 184 federal road projects have abandoned the various sites due to lack of funding from the Federal Government and the huge debt owed them by the Federal Ministry of Works.”  The Lagos-Ibadan dual carriageway was listed among the roads affected by the funding problem. According to the report, “The contractors said they were owed over N600bn, adding that although part of the sum was owed by state and local governments, over 80 per cent of the amount was owed by the Federal Government.”

    This kind of abandonment seems less likely under a concession arrangement that requires the concessionaire to raise funds for the concerned project, rather than wait for government funding that may make a mess of the project, particularly in the context of dwindling government revenue.  Certainly, there is a price to be paid. But if PPP works for infrastructure development, the socio-economic benefits may well be worth the price.

  • Seven killed, 23 injured on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

    At least seven persons were  killed and 23 others injured  following a multiple accident at the Danco filling station along the Lagos – Ibadan expressway on Sunday evening.

    The accident which involved a truck, two commercial buses and a Toyota Camry led to death on the spot of the seven persons – four  males and three females.

    The Spokesman of the state Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps(TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, who confirmed the accident and number of people affected,  gave the vehicles number plates as Camry car: KEY 857 DN, buses:XB 367 LAF, XC 909 FFA and the truck AGL 632 XH.

    The Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Commission(FRSC) Ogun State, Adetunji Adegoke, said FRSC officials and policemen were at the scene to  rescue victims and took the injured persons to the hospital.

  • Bridge Of Terror

    Bridge Of Terror

    A stretch on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is travellers’ nightmare

    It is generally believed among users of the road that the more than 100-kilometre Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is notorious for several dangerous spots, either due to the activities of armed robbers or as a result of damaged portions. Perhaps the most notorious of the stretch is the ‘Long bridge’, shortly after the Mountain of Fire and Miracle Church as you approach Lagos.

    On a typical afternoon when the traffic is light, the long stretch of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway ‘Long Bridge’, stretching from Wawa to Kara, looks safe and good to the ordinary eyes. But your perception of the safety changes when your vehicle breaks down, leaving you a sitting duck for attack by marauders whose activities defy time and place.

    Though the trend had long been on, with most survivors pointing fingers at the Fulani herdsmen around the area, but the dangerous dimension of the situation was brought to the fore when a retired Army General was killed by his attackers.

    According to reports, Brig. Gen. Sylvester Iruh (rtd), who had a day earlier attended a function in Ilorin, Kwara State, was on his way back to his home in Akute, Ogun State, on the fateful day in 2012. He had had a smooth ride until he had a tyre problem somewhere on the ‘Long Bridge’. No sooner had he stopped to fix the tyre than some suspected Fulani herdsmen emerged from under the bridge and shot him with an arrow.

    Like the family of late General, those who had been unfortunate to have been mugged on that notorious bridge would not even wish the experience for their enemies.

    Ironically, majority of those who had fallen victim to such attacks were those who had gone to perform religious activities in one of the churches or the other located along the expressway. Not minding the traffic on the bridge anytime there is a programme by any of the religious bodies, the marauders are always around to pounce on their unfortunate preys and when they do, they attack viciously, leaving their victims with tales of tears, sorrow and blood.

    Reverend Akin Ajiboye lived to tell his story because of the stories of past victims he had heard of. The man of God, who lives somewhere in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos, was on his way home at about 5am after attending a church service on the fateful day. Eager to get home, he drove his Honda City car until he got to the danger spot where he had a flat tyre.

    But with the sad tales of past victims ringing in his ears, he quickly left the car and took refuge in a disused mechanic hut some distance away from the spot. No sooner had he done this than he noticed four men approach his car. He watched as the men ransacked the car, taking the side mirrors, radio and other fittings. Despite the harrowing experience, Reverend Ajiboye was grateful to God for sparing his life.

    Livinus Ikbo is a resident of one of the communities in the area and also the manager of Tipper Wawa. According to him, the ‘Long Bridge’ is a dangerous place and he would not advise anybody whose car breaks  down to wait a second.

    While acknowledging the fact that the attacks have reduced because the police now patrol the bridge and the presence police posts everywhere, he said he never prayed to experience the attack.

    “There was a time a woman and her daughter were going to one of the church programmes; unfortunately, their car broke down, before you would say Jack Robinson, some people just surfaced from nowhere, attacked the woman and her daughter was seriously raped. The woman eventually escaped from the scene to report the matter to the police. My brother, I don’t pray to have such an experience”.

    If the problem of mugging on the bridge could be controlled by the police, the occasional accidents on that bridge have been a source of concern to the people living in the communities off the express road. “Last week, a car knocked down a man who was going to work early in the morning,” Livinus told The Nation.

    Under the bridge is a water-logged dirty path that cars and pedestrians have turned to a passage.  Even the blind would know that the place was not part of the way created when the bridge was constructed. Curiously, The Nation decided to find out why such path would exist under the bridge.

    Ikbo said the path was created to minimise the death toll on the road. That passage, according to him, was created to allow easy access to other side of the road, though he admitted that the place is not motorable. “Crossing the express road is not easy, I don’t cross the express, I pass  through the short cut under the bridge.”

    Livinus said the security of the area is a bit better now unlike what the people who had the misfortune of having a breakdown used to experience.  On Tuesday when The Nation visited the Wawa part of the bridge at about 12 noon, heavily-armed police were sighted with their patrol vehicle at the foot of the bridge.

    Livinus said it was after a retired General was killed sometime last year that the presence of the police became regular at the bridge the foot of the bridge. There is also a police station very close to the Wawa area of the bridge, he said.

    At the height of the insecurity on the bridge, the marauders had no respect for either time or people. Irrespective of your age, they would attack if they had the slight opportunity. Irrespective of the time, be it night or day, if you were unlucky to have a break-down, they would attack viciously.

    A Lagos-based engineer, Mr. Johnson Duru, will never forget an encounter with the marauders on the bridge in a hurry. He and some members of his family were attacked on that bridge last year. While returning from a trip, his Toyota Highlander SUV developed fault on the bridge at about 5.30pm. He was attacked by three men who emerged from under the bridge, armed with long machetes. “They charged at me, barking, ‘where is the money?’ Before I could fathom what was happening, the driver had run to the other side of the road, leaving me and my family members at the mercy of the robbers.”

    It was a harrowing experience for Duru and his family. The marauders attacked him and his family with machetes and other dangerous weapons. Speaking about his experience, Duru said: “While the robbers concentrated on looting our valuables and money, one of them attempted to cut off my head, aiming the machete at my neck region.

    “I raised my left hand and blocked it. I ended up with a big cut on my left arm, just a little above the elbow. My eight-year-old daughter, Ada, received lacerations on her thigh and leg. Debby, Chinelo and Chidiogo were also traumatised, because they also got injured during the attack.”

    At the end of the attack, the robbers made away with a bag containing his laptop, phones, while his younger sister also lost two phones and an undisclosed amount of money.

    Unfortunately, during the attack, no police patrol team showed up neither did other travellers stop to offer help. Even with a blood-soaked shirt, Duru said he waved to other motorists in vain for help.

    “When some motorists saw my blood-soaked shirt, they increased their speed as they drove past us,” he said. It was a woman who was driving a private bus who stopped to offer him a piece of cloth which he used to tie the wound.

    The men of the Federal Road Safety Commission later arrived at the scene and evacuated Duru and his family to the Lagos State Accident and Emergency Hospital at the old toll gate, Lagos, where they received treatment. His eight-year-old daughter described the experience as the worst in her life.

    Duru said he learnt that a day before he was attacked, a motorist whose car developed a fault on the bridge was killed.

    Attacks by robbers on the long bridge are frequent. Hardly does a week pass without reports of an attack on road users, sometimes leading to death.

    The experience of some passengers travelling in a 14-seater bus from Ile-Ife, Osun State, was particularly traumatic. They were attacked when their bus broke down on the same bridge around 7.30pm. By the time their attackers escaped into the nearby bush, all the passengers had lost one item or the other; most of them lost various sums of cash.

    A female journalist, whose car also broke down on the bridge last year, had her car and valuables stolen. The car was later recovered by the police.

    When our correspondents visited the Olorunishola cattle market opposite the OPIC Plaza, long reputed to be the haven for the marauders, one of the leaders in the market, Moruf Akanni, denied the allegation. While acknowledging that they were aware of the stories, he said the suspected herdsmen were not resident in the market.

    Akanni said people who were linking the activities of the marauders on the ‘Long Bridge’ with people from the market do so to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. According to him, the leaders of the market had been invited to Alausa, where he said they explained everything to the  government.

    To prove that criminals and criminality are not allowed in the market, Akanni said the authorities of the market only allow cattle dealers from distant places to sleep inside the market because they arrive late.

    And to enforce discipline among the traders, the leaders put in place a fine of N5,000 on an offender who hits another person. Akanni explains: “What we are trying to do is that, whether you are right or wrong, you have no right to slap another person. And the law has helped to maintain discipline in the market.

    “If you look around us here, you’ll see that there is  police presence among us here. We have about three police stations and one police post. Their presence has really helped to maintain security around this area.”

    And indeed, the presence of the police is not restricted to their stations. On this day, as our correspondents drove round the area, a number of police patrol vehicles were noticed around the dangerous spots. Men of the highway police team were seen at the Mowe end of the ‘Long Bridge’, clutching their guns, as if at the ready to go.

    While many agreed that the presence of the police has helped in restoring some semblance of sanity in the area, the harrowing experience of past victims continue to haunt users of the road. As proof that the police will no longer tolerate any act of crime in the area, the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Ikemefuna Okoye, said his men are on top of the situation, warning criminal-minded persons to stay away.

    While commending the men and officers of the Ibafo Police Division and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for arresting three suspected armed robbers on the bridge last week, the police boss said the command has declared total war against any form of criminality in the axis.

    Meanwhile, as our correspondents drove along the bridge last week, two motorists whose vehicles broke down at about noon refused to stop and carry out any form of repair, though it was daytime. A motorist, driving a white Toyota Camry car with a flat tyre refused to stop; he drove on his rim towards the Lagos end of the road with fears written all over him.

    Experiences like these will continue until the police and other security agencies find a lasting solution to menace of the marauders on the Long Bridge.

  • Lagos-Ibadan Road: PDP commends FG for construction flag off

    The South East Zonal Working Committee of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, yesterday lauded the federal government  for the commencement of work on the 2nd Niger bridge in Onitsha, Anambra State and the 167billion naira Lagos Ibadan Expressway.

    The Committee gave the commendation in Enugu at the end of its zonal working committee meeting noting that successive governments in the past had failed to deliver on their promises on the bridge.

    A statement by the Zonal Publicity Secretary, South East of the party, Ali Odefa also commended the President Jonathan led government for the completion of the Alaoji power project, as well as the construction or completion of various projects in the zone in particular and the country in general.

    The statement reads, “The party notes with pride the commencement of work on the multi-billion naira 2nd Niger bridge in Onitsha, Anambra state. The over fifty year old Niger Bridge has remained a source of concern to the old Eastern region which relies on the bridge to connect to the rest of the country. It is noteworthy that various governments have made countless promises on the building of a new bridge over the River Niger in Onitsha, but none ever fulfilled the promises.

    “Just three days ago, President Jonathan flagged off the 167billion naira Lagos Ibadan Expressway reconstruction and expansion project in the Southwest, while the Abuja-Lokoja dual carriage way is nearing completion.”

    “The Alaoji power plant in Aba, Abia State is completed and ready to supply power to the national grid, while various agricultural, educational and many health facilities across the South-East are witnessing a turn around for good’.

    “The all important Enugu-Port Harcourt highway has been made motorable, Enugu-Onitsha expressway is under reconstruction, Abakaliki-Enugu highway is being completely reconstructed; while the inland Port in Onitsha has been reconstructed, modernised and ready for use”.

    “The Enugu airport has since been converted and renamed Akanu Ibiam International Airport with the local wing remodeled, runway extended and currently the International Terminal is under intensive construction. Various other sectors have also benefited from the transformation government of President Jonathan”.

  • Fed Govt awards N167b Lagos- Ibadan Expressway contract

    WORKS Minister Mike Onolememen yesterday said the Federal Government has awarded the N167 billion Lagos-Ibadan Expressway contracts to Messrs Julius Berger Nigeria Plc. and Reynolds Construction Company (RCC) Limited.

    The firms, who emerged the preferred bidders for Section 1 (Lagos- Shagamu Interchange) and Section 11 (Shagamu Interchange – Ibadan) are to deliver the road in 48 months.

    In a statement, Onolememen said the ministry has sought and obtain certificate of ‘No Objection’ from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) for the award.

    He said: “The government had earlier entered into concession agreement with Messrs Bi-Courtney in 2009 to develop the section between Ojota old plaza in Lagos and old toll plaza in Ibadan, a distance of approximately 105 kilometres under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for enhanced quality of service to all users of the highway in tandem with international standards.

    “Four years later, no real progress was recorded while the road users wallowed in hardship and constantly at risk of accident on the road.

    “The frequent carnage on the road by September 2012 and the frequent loss of lives and man-hours was detrimental to the economy.

    “An urgent action needed to be taken to remedy the situation which led the Federal Government to consequently terminate the concession agreement between her and the concessionaire for failing to comply with the provisions of the concession agreement

    “The 127.6-kilometre expressway traverses three South-Western states of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo. It commences at Ojota interchange through Shagamu junction, Ogere and terminates at Ojoo in Ibadan.”

     

     

    “It is also a major artery that connects Lagos, major Nigerian sea ports, to other states of the federation and forms not only a part of the Trans-Saharan Highway that links Lagos on the Atlantic Ocean to Algiers on the Mediterranean Sea but also part of the Trans-African Highway, linking the Atlantic City of Lagos to the Indian Ocean city of Mombassa in East Africa through Cameroon and Central Africa, the bifurcation point, where the ceremony took place is the Shagamu Interchange, which separates the two continental highways.

    “The Federal Government has made tremendous progress in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Benin-Ore-Shagamu Expressway, which on full completion, will further reinforce the socio-economic benefits to be harnessed from the Lagos-Ibadan road reconstruction.

    “This is the reason government deployed two reputable road construction companies to carry out emergency repair works on the road, to ease public outcry.

    “The result of the emergency intervention was commendable as reflected in the improved condition of the road at the time. In order to provide a lasting solution to the condition of the road, the ministry commenced the process of procurement contracts for Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) for the full reconstruction and expansion of the Expressway.

    “On completion, the project will reduce economic losses associated with accidents and congestion, reduce travel times and strengthen the Southwest regional economy and indeed the nation’s economy, as it boosts regional industry competitiveness and national productivity.”

    The minister reassured Nigerians on government’s commitment to the project, not because of importance to the South-West zone alone, but for the entire country and sub-region at large.

    “As such, he stated that the government will collaborate with Private sector to ensure that this project is adequately funded in order to bring it to quick completion, far ahead of the scheduled completion period of 48 months.”

    Speaking, President Goodluck Jonathan stated that the hardship being experienced by users of the road, especially, those from the Southwest, was not deliberate on the part of his administration,.

    He explained that the government has to terminate the concession agreement after four years for non-performance.

    Jonathan said: “Let me appreciate Nigerians, especially more than the 50 per cent users of the key economic players in the south-West form Lagos to Ondo State that use this road for the pains witnessed over this period.

    “It was not the intention of the Federal Government but because of the contractual arrangement that the government entered into with Bi-Courtney.

    “The reconstruction was expected to accelerate the economic development of Nigeria and that the government would mobilise the necessary funds to ensure the completion of the project in 30 months, although the contractors have been given a 48-month timeline to complete it.”

     

  • Is Lagos-Ibadan Expressway cursed or jinxed?

    Is Lagos-Ibadan Expressway cursed or jinxed?

    It was a Monday morning and I had to leave home much earlier to catch up with appointments after dropping my children in school. Alas! As I approached the beginning of Wawa long bridge, traffic was already on the bridge. Several questions ran through my mind: Break down? Accident? Fight between Fulani and indigenes? No answer.

    The next thing I saw was someone directing us to face the traffic coming from Lagos. I concluded then that a tanker had fallen and blocked our stretch of the road as we could see car turning back from the long bridge. My plans to drop my children at school early and meet my appointments had hit a rock. We drove slowly on the long bridge for more than an hour before we reached Kara exit. As we negotiated to our side of the road, a truck load of banana had fallen in the night with goods scattered all over the road due to the chasm in the middle of the road.

    The truck driver apparently ignorant of the terrain was cruising at regular speed, but suddenly ran into a ditch which over-turned the truck. I could not ascertain whether live(s) was lost. My brother in law who just got a new job had to quickly call his office to explain why he would resume late for.

    I happen to live on the outskirts of Lagos where is now popularly called 2nd Lagos because of the level of development going on along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway up to Sagamu intersection. However, the levels of decadence, rot, abandonment, neglect, call it any name on that stretch is converse to the rate of growth.

    The economic value of this road cannot be overemphasised. The only major link to the rest of Nigeria in terms of commerce. Lives are lost on the hour, either through accidents as a result of bad portions of the road, or people running into the hands of hoodlums and ritual killers when the vehicles break. The cost of good lost on that road every day runs into millions of naira or the cost of repairs for vehicles. In the last year, I have had to change my car shock absolver twice, including the upper and lower arms. One cannot time a journey from Berger to Sagamu as you don’t know what you will meet on the road. A journey of 30 minutes in the early 90s will now take one several hours.

    Several attempts have been made in the past to resurface, patch or reconstruct the road, but none seems to come to fruition. Since the Federal Government stopped the concession granted Bi-Courtney and awarded the contract to Julius Berger and RCC, little has been done. Could it be true that these two companies were not mobilized thus their withdrawal from site after the initial effort by JB to resurface the bad portions after RCCG camp.

    I call on the FG to please as a matter of urgency fix the road without delay. The Kara end of the road might soon give way if the rains continue with the intensity experienced in recent times.

    Ogun State government should also support development efforts in Wawa, Arepo, Magboro, Mowe, among others, by providing good roads. If individuals have invested in building houses for themselves, a responsible government should be magnanimous to construct good roads for easy access and commerce to thrive in these settlements.

    Meanwhile, the governments of Lagos and Ogun States should put in place mechanism to construct the access or by-pass roads from Lagos end to Sagamu.

    •Kupoluyi Ayodele lives in Ogun State and works in Lagos

  • Reps to avert disaster on Lagos-Ibadan train route

    Reps to avert disaster on Lagos-Ibadan train route

    The House of Representatives yesterday mandated its committee on Land Transport to investigate “ the security and safety standards in the Lagos-Ibadan train route in other to avert disaster.

    The Committee is to report back to the House within four weeks.

    The resolution of the House stemmed from the adoption of the prayer of a motion sponsored by a members, Chris Azubogu with the title: “ Dangerous trend in handling railway transport system in Nigeria.

    The lawmaker while,moving the motion noted with dismay the alleged deplorable state of the newly improved Nigerian Railway system,” especially the Lagos-Ogun route operating with shoddy coaches.”

    He said though the Federal Government is working towards resuscitating rail transportation in the country with a view to providing efficient, reliable and affordable rail transport services to the public, “the overhaul of the rail system in Nigeria especially the Lagos Ibadan route is now taking a dangerous trend owing to disorder lines and recklessness of passengers and operators.”

    Azubogu said that adequate operational guidelines, safety and security measures are not put in place to make the rail transport comfortable and safe for Nigerian commuters.

    He said: “ The dangerous act of passengers sitting on top of the wagons, smoking hemp and other hard drugs thereby posing grave danger to other commuters and users of the rail service, which has already caused the death of a passenger who fell off the train and was crushed.

    “ This dangerous trend will negatively affect the use of rail transportation and possibly lead to a great disaster in train accidents which if not checked would lead to tragedy.”

    The motion was widely supported when the Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal called for a vote and it was subsequently referred to the House Committee on Land Transport for investigation.

  • Experts differ on re-award of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

    …As Works Minister blames infrastructure deficit on past governments

     

    THE re-award of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway contract to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and RCC Limited has continued to elicit reactions with many expressing divergent views on the propriety or otherwise of the new cost of the project.

    The Federal Government had revoked the contract to the concessionaire, Bi-Courtney Consortium, last month for failure to deliver on the project.

    According to the terms of reference, the new contractors are expected to carry out repairs on the road in phases with reconstruction from Sagamu to Ibadan end within the next eight weeks ahead of the yuletide.

    The cost allocated for the exercise is N52billion, a cost, which has raised eyebrows in some quarters.

    But a cross-section of experts who spoke with The Nation at the weekend said a number of factors determine the cost and valuation of turnkey project of such nature.

    Firing the first salvo, Mr. Yusuf Sagaya, Chairman, Yolas Construction Limited, an indigenous construction firm, who would not be drawn into the controversy surrounding the revocation of the contract to Bi-Courtney, said a lot of factors such as terrain, topography, among others, are what determine the cost allotted to a road contract.

    “You can’t weigh cost in isolation. Several factors such as engineering details, design are what determine how and what it would cost to carry out a project, especially road,” he said.

    Echoing similar sentiments, Mr. Toke Olaniyan, a Civil Engineer and member of the Institute of Facility Management (IFMA) Nigeria, said, “There are many parameters you have to consider before you give a cost,” he said. “One would want to know the existing condition of that road, what are the preparatory works to do on the existing road surface before you can talk of a patch work? And patch works are of many types. So it’s important one knows the parameters, one knows exactly what the client wants before one can arrive at an estimate.”

    Corroborating Olaniyan, Engr. Tony Nzeaku, the president of IFMA, while commenting on the cost and time-frame of the project said, “The scope of a project determines the timeline. If you have a project that should take two weeks, and you have the machinery, manpower, materials, and you have the window of opportunity whereby you can close the road, or you work only at night, it’s all feasible. It depends on the scope.”

    Meanwhile, Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen has blamed previous administrations for deplorable situation of roads in many part of the country.

    Onolememen expressed the disgust at the Academy of Entrepreneurial Studies (AES) Excellence Club 3rd Annual CEO’s Dinner/Awards Night in Lagos over the weekend.

    The minister said the poor state of the roads was inimical to the nation’s development.

    According to him, the development in America is due to the county’s success in the management of its roads.

    He stressed the need for greater investments in the construction and maintenance of good road network to enhance the nation’s economy.

    The minister said that investments in road infrastructure were needed to achieve the transformation agenda of the government for Nigeria to be among the top 20 economies of the world by 2020.

    He said Nigeria’s road infrastructure had to grow from the current 194,000 Km to about 300,000.