The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Lagos-Ibadan

  • Respite for Lagos – Ibadan Expressway?

    Respite for Lagos – Ibadan Expressway?

    SIR: If there are indices to measure how low we have sunk into in matters of leadership in Nigeria for years now, I think the conditions of Lagos – Ibadan, Shagamu – Benin, Onitsha – Enugu, Enugu – Port Harcourt expressways etc will tell the story better. You do not need to go too far to measure the dept of our leadership crisis in Nigeria for nearly four decades. Our problem has not been money, it has not been bad weather, or bad soil, it is the failure of a people to come to terms with those who govern them.

    Lagos – Ibadan expressway was commissioned in 1976 or thereabout when there were not too many vehicles in Nigeria. Under our own very eyes, things began to change; economic activities increased, population increased, vehicles increased houses, churches, industries etc increased on the corridor but that road has remained like that for nearly forty years.

    The criminal neglect of the Lagos – Ibadan expressway and other federal roads in Nigeria has lingered on with a huge price. Billions have been lost, thousands of lives lost, millions of man hours lost. For 13 years since 1999, we have been talking about Lagos – Ibadan and Shagamu – Benin expressways, the busiest in the country. Former President Obasanjo and the late President Umaru Yar’Adua saw the disaster and put up huge billboards with their photographs on them deceiving Nigerians that actions will soon be seen on these critical roads but all to no avail. Soon, we began to hear about Bi-Courtney and the concession agreement with the Federal Government signed since 2009.

    For three years, Bi-Courtney has been speaking from both sides of the mouth offering one reason or the other why work has not started on this critical road. Two years ago, I began to notice mobilization of men and equipment on Lagos – Ibadan expressway only for them to vanish into thin air. What we continued to see are signboards telling motorists that work will commence soon on the road. The soon has winded to years and the road continues to decay to an unbearable state.

    Only God knows how much Dr Wale Babalakin has pocketed since this rigmarole started in 2009 as either mobilization fee or other sundry payments that are in tune with the rotten Nigerian contract culture. It is only in Nigeria that this kind absurdity can take place. It is only in Nigeria that this kind of impunity will be tolerated. It is only in Nigeria that we do not use sanctions or punishment to call people to order.

    The truth is that if the economy of Nigeria is to be propped up quickly, we need to invest seriously on critical infrastructures like roads and power. The mobility of the federal Government to reconstruct and rebuild Lagos – Ibadan and Shagamu – Benin roads has drastically reduced the rising economic strength of Lagos State. Realizing the potential damage these unattended critical roads have brought to the economy of Lagos and South West states, ACN Governors met recently to begin plans of building an alternative road to the existing Lagos – Ibadan expressway. Perhaps, the Federal Government was rattled by this decision and now decided to act even though belatedly.

    The time you wake up from sleep is your morning. If after 13 years of democracy, the PDP controlled Federal Government is now realizing that Lagos – Ibadan and Shagamu – Benin roads need to be fixed quickly, I say good morning PDP. We expect such quick and decisive actions on the many dilapidated federal roads in Nigeria; be it the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway or theUmuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road. And Nigerians demand that for once, this government should match its words with action.

    • Joe Igbokwe

    Lagos.

     

  • Julius Berger, RCC to fix Lagos-Ibadan road

    Julius Berger, RCC to fix Lagos-Ibadan road

    •Bi-Courtney loses N89.53b contract

    Years of bickering over the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway ended yesterday, with President Goodluck Jonathan cancelling Bi-Courtney Consortium’s N89.53 billion contract.

    The 105-kilometre expressway – Nigeria’s busiest and, arguably, its most dangerous on account of accident – was concessioned to the company in May, 2009 for 25 years under a Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) scheme.

    The Federal Government, in terminating the contract, argued that the company lacked the capacity to execute the project.

    Bi-Courtney, an indigenous firm, was supposed to complete the job in the next six months, but the firm has failed to achieve any milestone.

    The company declined comment last night.

    The contract has been awarded to Julius Berger Plc and R.C.C Nigeria Limited, which are expected to begin work immediately.

    Minister of Works Mike Onolememen announced the decision yesterday at the State House. He told reporters that the cancellation followed alleged breach of the terms of the 25-year concession agreement.

    The President had hinted on Sunday night during the Media Chat that action was going to be taken on the lingering tussle with Bi-Courtney over the road.

    The president said: “As a responsible government, I don’t think we can allow Nigerians to continue to suffer. All of us in government, we feel pained that the country is held to ransom because of a transaction that probably was not consummated properly because of some kind of issues. But we cannot continue like this; we will intervene on that road.”

    Announcing the decision, Onolememen said: “The Federal Government today terminated the concession of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway granted to Bi-Courtney Consortium on 8th May, 2009.

    “The termination of the concession agreement by Bi-Courtney consortium and especially the failure of the company to reach financial close as provided for in the agreement.

    “Due to the senseless carnages on this important expressway which is part of Arterial Route A1, the Federal Government has also decided to embark on the emergency reconstruction of the expressway.

    “Consequently, the Federal ministry of Works has engaged the services of Julius Berger Plc and R.C.C Nigeria Limited to commence work immediately on the reconstruction of the expressway.

    “While Julius Berger would handle handle section 1: from Lagos to Sagamu interchange, RCC Nigeria Limited will be responsible for section II: from Sagamu to Ibadan.

    “The Federal Government wishes to assure that while it will continue to uphold the sanctity of contracts entered into by the Federal Government, it will not shy away from implementing provisions of the contract agreement dealing with non-performance on the part of the contracting party.”

    On the legal implication of terminating the contract, he said: “The legal implications of this termination have been carefully considered by both the Federal Ministry of Works and indeed the Federal Government. If you recall, we have been on this issue for quiet sometime now and we have meticulously followed the concession agreement, the provision of relevant clauses of the agreement. We have complied fully with the provisions of this agreement. We have had cause even in the past to write the concessioneer to detail the breaches which it had committed in this agreement, in this particular transaction and we have also followed the minimum and maximum number of days the contractor was expected to remedy the situation, but failing which the Federal Government had no alternative but to take this course of action.

    “In terms of percentage payment so far, this is a concessioned project. In other words, it is different from the normal EPC contracts. So, the FG in a sense, did not make any direct payment to Bi-Courteny in this particular transaction. Bi-Courteny was supposed to raise… he would have been able to raise the fund from the private sector and apply it to the construction of this expressway and toll it for as many as 25 years, to recoup his investment and this has not happened, and that is why today the concession has been terminated.

    “For your information, under this concession, the construction period is supposed to last for four years and the four years will come to a close in about six months time and right now there is nothing on ground to suggest that the company is capable.”

     

    On whether it was a mistake giving the concession to Bi-Courteny the minister said: “I would not want to say that it was a mistake because, though I was not in the office as at that time, perhaps at that time they had the most responsible bids, the details was best known to the then minister of Works and his team that handled the project. But again, it is not out of place to give Nigerian companies opportunities to handle projects of this nature. This is our country; whoever has the ability and the capacity to do projects of this nature we believe should be encouraged”.

    On the percentage of work done on the road, “will leave that for those who use rhe road”. “As far as we are concerned the terms of work has not been complied with.”

    The concessionaire was to reconstruct, expand and modernise the highway and recoup its investment through toll collection.

    The governors of the Southwest states have demonstrated their commitment to jointly take over the job. They met with President Jonathan in Abuja to request the Federal Government to allow them take over the constitution of the road. But the Federal Government was non-committal.