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Apapa-Oshodi Expressway: Fashola Calls For Extra-Ordinary Supplementary Budget For Reconstruction

Jul 6, 2009 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Monday called for an extra-ordinary supplementary budget for the reconstruction of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, saying the importance of the road to the economy of Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized.

Governor Fashola, who spoke at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja while receiving the Minister of Works, Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Hassan Mohammed Lawal, said the quick intervention of the Federal Government on the road has become most expedient especially now that the end of the year is approaching when massive importation of goods is expected.

According to the Governor, “It is of urgent national interest to begin to stabilize the road before the beginning of the last quarter of the year otherwise, we will have serious social and economic crises if people cannot move their goods out of the ports for Christmas”.

“In deciding the cost of this kind of investment, I think we must begin to look at the wider picture. The question of whether or not there is a budget at this time of the year for roads like the Apapa – Oshodi Expressway should not even be a consideration. It is a matter of national interest that can justify an emergency supplementary Appropriation by the National Assembly whenever it is taken to them”, the Governor said.

“I could not over-emphasize the importance of that road to the economy of Nigeria. Not only do we now have congestion at the ports, but what is brought in cannot be taken out because of bad road network. If you have a combination of land transportation failure and sea transportation failure, I think it creates very grave danger for the economy”, the Governor said.

According to him, “The road runs through five industrial estates; Apapa, Amuwo, Isolo, Matori and Ilupeju industrial estates depend on this road. So the consequential impact of the breakdown of this road will begin to manifest as we go down the line, especially if goods cannot be taken out of the ports to service the industrial estates”.

Calling for a quick intervention on the road by the Federal Government, the Governor declared, “It is of urgent national interest to begin to stabilize that road before the beginning of the last quarter of this year otherwise we will have serious social and economic crisis. If people cannot move their goods out of the ports for Christmas. “.

Governor Fashola also charged the Federal Government and the National Assembly to invest more in Lagos roads and rail transportation in the interest of the nation’s economy, said there is a compelling need now for the Federal Government to commence the construction and rehabilitation of roads in the State in order to ensure the easy and quick movement of goods in and out of the ports and the various industrial estates.

According to the Governor, constructing more roads in the State will help to reduce pressure on the Oshodi – Apapa Expressway, adding that now that there is plan to resuscitate the rail network in the State there is also a compelling need to quickly build a link from the ports so that goods can also be carried from Lagos by rail.

Governor Fashola, who described transportation as the hug of all human activities said the importance of Lagos as the economic hub of the nation makes it most expeditious that the Federal Government should take more than a passing interest in the development of transportation in the State.

The Governor pledged the cooperation of the government and people of Lagos State in both the rehabilitation of the Expressway and the monitoring of the right of way to ensure that people do not encroach into them.

He thanked the Minister for his appreciation of the problems being created by some federal agencies in that State expressing joy at the Ministers commitment to establish proper behaviour and management of the roads.

Assuring the Minister of the cooperation of the State Government, Governor Fashola who requested the Minister to also visit the road that leads out of the Lagos International Airport in order to see the condition and the abuse of the setbacks, added, “These are some of the things I will like us to work together to correct”.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Minister, who was accompanied by the Chairman of the Board of FERMA, Abdulkadir Kure, said the purpose of the courtesy call was to inspect the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway to have a first hand view of the failed portion in order to decide on the immediate palliative measures to resuscitate the road .

Dr. Lawal said although the Federal Government had already sent a team of engineers to inspect the road, he asked the FERMA chairman to chose a day they would come to see the road rather than rely on the report of the of the team, adding that the road is of strategic economic importance to the nation having access to two major seaports.

According to him, “There is a company employed by the Federal Government and working with a team in the Ministry to quickly take some palliative measures to arrest the situation”, adding, “We do know that Lagos remains that commercial capital of Nigeria. The economic activities in Lagos in terms of industries, in terms of seaports form 30 – 40 per cent of the economic activities in Nigeria”.

The Minister, who observed that the failure of the road is partly as a result of activities of some Federal Government agencies solicited the support of Governor Fashola in dealing with such agencies saying no matter who is involved, the Federal Government is determined bring them to book.