President Goodluck Jonathan has reportedly summoned Wale Bablakin, chairman of Bi-Courtney Highway Services, a company to which the federal government has concessioned the Lagos-Ibadan expressway but which appears unable to fix the road about three years after it entered into an agreement with government.
The 105-kilometre highway was conceded to Bi-Courtney in a public private partnership policy of late President Umaru Musau Yar’Adua, in May 2009.
Since signing the agreement in 2009, Bi-Courtney has failed to construct the road, leading to increased carnage and regular obstruction of traffic on the road.
This invitation may not be unrelated to the Southwest Governors vigorous calls for the cancellation of the contract
According to presidency officials, Mr Babalakin, a known financier of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), was to meet the president on Tuesday but the appointment was later called off.
Another appointment has now been fixed for Sunday or later next week.
The road, stretching from Lagos to Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, through Ogun state, is a nightmare for its users. Frequently, petrol-laden tankers trip on the road causing huge carnage. Accidents and robberies are also common on the road.
The worst traffic drawback on the highway is the routine snag caused by the activities of religious organisations flanking both sides of the road.
Hindrances are Funds/Right of Way
The cost of constructing the highway is estimated at about N120 billion. Bi-Courtney's major obstacle in delivering on the project since 2009 is lack of funds, the governors told the president.
The company's spokesman, Dipo Kehinde, however said Bi-Courtney was buoyant enough to execute the highway construction but has been held back by the federal government’s inability to clear structures on the highway’s right of way.
“The problem is never funding,” Mr Kehinde said.
He said Bi-Courtney recently entered into partnership with some South African companies to help fund and execute the project.
He said Group Five would be the construction firm, while Rand Merchant Bank is the financier.
Vela VKE, he said, will be the Project Management company, and Aurecon would provide independent Traffic and Technical Advisory Services.
But Rand Merchant Bank recently wrote the International Center for Investigative Reporting, Abuja, saying rather than being a financier, it was appointed a financial advisor to the project as part of a wider team.
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“The problem is never funding,” Mr Kehinde said" -
ReplyDeleteIndeed! Deadly potholes conspicuously litter the road, you do not fixed those, yet you boast of building "a world class highway". Better stick to making signages! I think you are better off with that!
FG should take it from him and hand over to the ACN people. Let's see what they come up with. Enough of this human inflicted delay on that road project. It is clear the ACN will not allow him to do it, they have been putting all manner of impediments on his path. But Babalakin himself is not serious with the road, let's try the ACN governors. Long before the ACN took office, when the PDP held 80% of the road in Ogun and Oyo, he didn't show any commitment. He only comes once in a while to put signs that said work will soon start on the road, urging motorists to bear with him.
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