A comprehensive report by a federal and Lagos State governments technical committee has mapped out strategies to put an end to the intractable crises of traffic congestion, security threat and infrastructure collapse in Apapa, Lagos state.
The committee, which was co-chaired by former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and the present Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Olatunji Bello, in its report, put the cost of restoring order to Apapa at N11.60 billion. But the report sent to the National Economic Council in September 2012 did not include the cost of dualising the Wharf, Creek and TinCan roads, which are one of the 13 regeneration projects identified for redevelopment.
The report said the Federal Ministry of Works was supposed to provide the council details on the cost and design of Wharf, Creek and TinCan roads, which formed the most strategic project in the Apapa regeneration plan. Other projects outlined in the report include construction of drainages and culverts, rehabilitation of bridges and roads, bioremediation of degraded areas, public lighting solution, landscaping and beautification, rehabilitation of abandoned trailer parks as well as dualisation of Wharf, Creek and TinCan roads. It also recommended procurement of monitoring and heavy duty vehicles, sanitisation of cleared areas, review of ports operations, provision of vehicle inspection terminal, security personnel and patrol and provision of trailer park.
The committee therefore earmarked N100.45 million for the rehabilitation of Kirikiri trailer park; N114.40 million for rehabilitation of drainages and culverts and N6.49 billion for the rehabilitation of roads and Marine Beach service lane, all of which would be fully funded and implemented by the federal government. It recommended N56.50 million for bioremediation of degraded areas; N1.42 billion for public lighting solution; N2.11 billion for landscaping and beautification; N97 million for initial cost of clearing; N585.25 million for procurement of monitoring and heavy duty vehicles; N466.91 million for security personnel; N33.24 million for sanitisation of cleared areas and N108.95 million for wire mesh fencing.
Also, the report showed that the state government spent the initial cost of N97 million, which it said, was spent to clear criminal hideouts; dismantle shanties and unlock traffic gridlocks in April 2012. At the committee meeting, the federal government agreed to return N50 million to the state government, but failed “to make good its promise.” The structure of the funding revealed that the state government would bear 25 per cent of N694.20 million being the cost for the erection of fence wall, procurement of heavy duty equipment and other logistics and N38.90 million for monthly sustenance, which it put at N466.91 million for a period of 12 months period.
The report gave a template for funding the projects, which it said, would be shared by the federal and state governments. It said the federal government would be responsible for 100 per cent of the capital expenditures. It added that the federal and state governments would bear 50 per cent of recurrent expenditure, thereby suggesting that the former would bear 75 per cent of the total cost while 25 per cent for the latter.
However, THISDAY investigation showed that the implementation of the projects suffered setback because the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan did not fulfill its part of the agreement after several inter-government meetings and resolutions. ThisDay
