The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Right of Way

  • NIWA ‘cuts’ MTN cable over right of way

    Officials of the National Inland Waterways (NIWA) have allegedly cut MTN Nigeria’s optic fibre cable in Cross River State over right of way (RoW).

    According to a source, who spoke   in confidence at the weekend in Lagos, the cable has been cut thrice in quick successions without the agency following due process.

    The source added that Kogi State has allegedly been pestering the telco over payment for RoW, which has already been paid to the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Works.

    “We have recorded three cuts on our cable in Cross River State in recent times by NIWA officials over payment of RoW,  which we have paid to the Federal Government through the Ministry of Works. In Kogi State too, we are having issues with NIWA over the same payment. We have been trying to get one of its officials identified simply as Suleiman to resolve the issue,” the official lamented.

    According to a document, officials of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had, in its regulatory intervention role, held  meetings with NIWA officials and Federal Ministry of Works on the RoW issues. Resolutions reached at those meetings urged parties to articulate position paper in which identifiable conflicting provisions would be highlighted for harmonisation; that during the pendency of the negotiation, NIWA shall continue to issue demand notices to operators without enforcement action until after six months starting from August 18, 2017.

    It said NIWA should not obstruct, stop or hinder the deployment/construction/installation of telecoms infrastructure during the pendency of the above period; that the Commission, as an arbiter, should persuade the Minister of Communication to use his good office to bring the two ministries (Transport, Works, Power and Housing) together to hasten negotiation on these resolutions. It added that the NCC should advise telecoms operators to always submit their infrastructure rolling plans to NIWA where it is within their RoW for costing to avoid breach.

     

  • Right of Way: Lagos seeks submission of documents

    The Lagos State Government has appealed to property owners of  affected buildings on the  Right of Way (RoW) corridor of ongoing road projects in various areas of the state to submit relevant documents. This is to enable the government fast-track the processing of the compensation to be paid to persons affected.

    In a statement, signed by Mrs. Bukola Nwonah, head, Public Affairs, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development (MPP& UD), the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Rotimi Ogunleye, was quoted as saying: “The Lagos state government is presently collating and assessing the documents of those that have submitted the required documents, but observed that some are yet to submit. We are concerned that affected owners at Murtala Mohammed International Airport road in particular have not turned in their documents. We are, therefore, appealing to all that are yet to submit in any of the project areas to do so immediately so that we can process the payment of compensation quickly.”

    The projects in question are: Igbe/Igbogbo/Bola Ahmed Tinubu Road and Agric-Isawo Road in Ikorodu Local Government Area; Agege Pen Cinema and adjoining roads in Agege Local Government Area and Murtala Mohammed Airport Road at Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area of the state.

    Ogunleye urged those affected to submit documents such as Certified Registered Title Document of Properties within the said Right of Way; Approved Building Plan Permit for the affected structures, and any other relevant document as Proof of ownership. Such documents should be submitted to the office of the Commissioner, Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development at Block 15, The Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

    He also appealed to stakeholders to continue to support the efforts of the state government, saying the massive infrastructural developments in various parts of the state were in line with the vision of the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to engender a safe, habitable, tourism-friendly environment for Lagosians. He added that the government appreciated the cooperation demonstrated by the people so far and appealed for continued support until the road projects are delivered for public use.

     

  • Apapa-Wharf Road reconstruction only 10% completed

    Apapa-Wharf Road reconstruction only 10% completed

    The Apapa-Wharf Road reconstruction in Lagos State has achieved only 10 per cent completion, an official of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing ( FMPWH ), has said.

    Mrs Olukorede Keisha, an FMPWH engineer supervising the project, said on Tuesday at the project site that presence of gas pipes and other public utilities in the road’s Right of Way ( RoW ) delayed the project execution.

    The engineer said that the contractors handling the project had, however, resolved the problem.

    Keisha said that 200 metres of concrete road and 230 metres of drains had been constructed on section one of the project.

    “The project is about 10 per cent completed; we finished 230 metres of drain and 200 metres of concrete road on section one.

    “We have about four layers of road to make the pavement rigid; the road thickness is 600mm,’’ she said.

    She said that the project had four sections.

    Keisha told NAN that a design alteration was done to take care of the gas pipelines in the RoW of the road so as to meet the completion date of June 2018.

    “There is no need to relocate the pipelines again; the pipes are encased. We had to redesign in order to safeguard the pipes for work to continue.

    “It is a shift in alignment, we shifted it forward,’’ she said.

    She said that the redesign gave the opportunity for deep excavation to lay a solid foundation for a durable concrete road.

    On potholes on some portions of the highway, Keisha said that rehabilitation work had begun on the bad portions.

    According to Keisha, the ministry will use the Christmas holiday to take care of the most critical portions on the reconstruction zone and other roads in Apapa.

    NAN reports that some rolling machines were being used to compact construction materials on about 500 metres stretch of the road on the Ijora/CMS Carriageway.

    The machines were compacting soil-based materials to connect to a concrete section of the road.

    Read Also: Contractors handling Sukuk road projects to be paid soon-DMO

    Meanwhile, some of the road users have appealed for speedy completion of the project.

    A food vendor, Mrs Kaka Kolo, appealed to the Federal Government to increase funding for road repair in Apapa.

    “Trailers are the ones spoiling the road always. The best thing is for government to give contractors more money to repair roads.

    “Government should not wait for potholes to get big and trailers start falling before it does something,’’ she said.

    Also, Mallam Awal Usman, a truck driver, called for repair of all bad roads on the axis.

    He urged collaboration of all government agencies to end gridlock in Apapa.

    Usman, however, praised traffic managers for checking traffic offences compounding gridlock on the axis.

    Another truck driver, Mr Odu Nwoye, told NAN that the efforts of traffic managers had reduced accidents caused by bad roads and reckless driving on the axis.

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on June 17 signed a N4.34 billion Memorandum of Understanding  ( MoU ) with AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd. and some other stakeholders for the reconstruction of the four-kilometre Apapa-Wharf Road.

    The project is being funded by AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd, the Nigerian Ports Authority ( NPA ) and Flour Mills of Nigeria.

  • Lagos set to deliver ‘Right of Way’ for Alapere Road

    Lagos set to deliver ‘Right of Way’ for Alapere Road

    Determined to ease the traffic on Ibrahim Babangida Boulevard, at the Ketu/Mile 12 end of Ikorodu Road, the Lagos State Government has begun the recovery of conservative of Right of Way of Alapere-Agboyi-Ketu.

    The gridlock on the road, according to the state, usually originates at Alapere Junction and its contiguous roads.

    The project, which is a four-lane road of 18.6m width, inclusive of a carriageway, will see the development of Oluwakemi/Ajiboye Street with additional ingress into adjoining streets from Alapere to Agboyi. It is being developed to carry traffic from Alapere through Agboyi towards Ikorodu. The project is a follow up to the first phase of the Alapere layby, constructed to ease traffic off the major road into Alapere.

    Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Wasiu Anifowoshe, in a statement said the Right of Way project began with the marking of affected buildings.

    The statement indicated that the owners of affected structures had been engaged and notified as well as given enough time to remove their wares and salvage their property before the  commencement of the operation.

    The statement, attributed to Anifowoshe, read in part: “We run an all inclusive government and do not embark on any removal of structure without first obtaining the buy-in of the affected people and communities through the engagement of stakeholders in interactive meetings. Some weeks ago, the state government embarked on a stakeholders’ meeting with the Alapere -Agboyi-Ketu community and interestingly, they embraced the idea, which led to this development.We know what it takes to put up a structure. So, we have planned this project and pledged minimal removal. It is all in the overriding public interest and the economic growth and development of the community and Lagos State as a whole.”

  • Lagos set to deliver ‘Right of Way’ for Alapere Road

    Lagos set to deliver ‘Right of Way’ for Alapere Road

    Determined to ease the traffic on Ibrahim Babangida Boulevard, at the Ketu/Mile 12 end of Ikorodu Road, the Lagos State Government has begun the Recovery of Conservative of Right of Way of Alapere-Agboyi-Ketu.

    The gridlock on this road usually originates at Alapere Junction and its contiguous roads.

    The project, which is a four-lane road of 18.6m width, inclusive of a carriageway, will see the development of Oluwakemi/Ajiboye Street with additional ingress into adjoining streets from Alapere to Agboyi. It is being developed to carry traffic from Alapere through Agboyi towards Ikorodu. The project is a follow up to the first phase of the Alapere layby road, which was constructed to ease traffic off the major road into Alapere.

    The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Wasiu Anifowoshe, in a statement by the ministry’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Nwonah Olubukonla, said the Right of Way project began with the marking of affected illegal buildings. The statement indicated that the owners of affected structures had been engaged and notified as well as given enough opportunity to remove their wares and salvage their property before the full commencement of the removal operation.

    A statement attributed to Anifowoshe, read in part: “We run an all inclusive government and do not embark on any removal of structure without first obtaining the buy-in of the affected people and communities through the engagement of stakeholders in interactive meetings. Some weeks ago, the state government embarked on a stakeholders’ meeting with the Alapere -Agboyi-Ketu community and interestingly they embraced the idea, which led to this development.We know what it takes to put up a structure so we have planned this project and pledged minimal removal. It is all in the overriding public interest and the economic growth and development of the community and Lagos State as a whole.”