The
highly publicized 'rift' between former Governor of Lagos state,
Babatunde Fashola and his successor, Akinwumni Ambode, has been settled
with the intervention of the acting president, Prof. Osinbajo.
Osinbajo, Fashola and Ambode
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has granted permission to the Lagos
State Government to embark on total reconstruction of the International
Airport Road from Oshodi.
In a press statement signed on Wednesday by the Secretary to the
State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, Governor 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,” 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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