The Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has granted
permission to the Lagos State Government to embark upon a total reconstruction
of the International Airport Road from Oshodi.
In a statement signed on Wednesday by the Secretary to the
State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, the State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode who
made the disclosure, commended the Acting President for his statesman like
approach to issues and for fast tracking the process.
“We are very appreciative of the good gesture of His
Excellency, the Acting President for acceding to our request which is not only
very timely but a very heartwarming one. Posterity will never forget this
genuine developmental action”, Governor Ambode said.
He also described the approval as a 50th birthday to the
people of Lagos State, describing it a further demonstration of the
determination of the present administration to ensure the effectiveness of the
Executive Order on improving the Ease of Doing Business recently signed by the
Acting President.
Governor Ambode also gave kudos to President Muhammadu
Buhari for providing the enabling environment to attract Foreign Direct
Investment into the nation, adding that with the upgrading of the International
Airport Road which is the gateway to the nation’s commercial nerve centre, the
country will attract new investments.
The Governor had in early March this year, raised an alarm
about the present state of the Muritala Muhammed International Airport Road,
describing it as a national disgrace that required immediate attention to
salvage the nation’s image.
He stated then that the State presently has a design for the
reconstruction of the road as well as the funds to embark on the project but
was yet to get the go ahead from the Federal Government.
In his words: “The road linking Oshodi to the International
Airport, you would all agree with me is a national embarrassment. In the spirit
of the regeneration and urbanisation that this administration has set out to achieve,
we believe strongly that the image that is exhumed by the decadence of that
road must be repaired and we took it upon ourselves to appropriate the 2017
budget that the House of Assembly should approve the total reconstruction of
the Airport Road from Oshodi to the International Airport.
“The State currently has a design of 10 lanes to come from
Oshodi to the International Airport with interchange and flyover that would
drop you towards the Local Airport. The contractor is already set to go and
everything as I said has been completed and we already have the cash, but alas
we are having challenges with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. This
is a Federal and not a State road. The Federal Ministry of Works believes that
they should do the road, but they have not been able to do it all these years
past.”
Governor Ambode had said if given the approval, his
administration was ready to hit the ground running and begin construction of
the Airport Road within two weeks and finish same within a period of six
months.
Besides, the Governor also implored the Federal Government
to avail the State of the N2billion appropriated for the Airport Road in the
2017 National Budget to carry out the project.
“I just want to appeal to the Federal Ministry of Works, to let
go or reimburse us with whatever it is that they are owing us and even if they
are not willing to pay us now, we have the money to do it. It is a national
disgrace and we would not be part of it. We would like to do it as part of the
celebration of Lagos at 50,” Governor Ambode had said then.
It would be recalled that the Federal Ministry of Power,
Works and Housing in its reaction said the delay in granting the request the of
Lagos State was because the Memorandum conveying the request of Lagos State which
was already before the Federal Executive Council has not reached completion
stage.
“The Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing Ministry
has presented the Memorandum conveying the request of the Lagos State
Government to the Federal Executive Council as was done with a similar request
by the Kaduna State Government in 2016”.
“Due to the fact that TWO of the roads also connect Ogun
State, the Federal Executive Council could not reach an immediate decision on
them because it requested the input of the other State Government affected”,
the federal ministry explained.
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