Murder_X: Anybody supporting ACN on the lekki toll issue is only being hypocritical and a sycophant. ACN will lose big time in Ajah and environs in the next election, the move is the dumbest move the party and fashola have ever made and will surely backfire. If you are in support then you are not a frequent user of this route. The alternative routes are a nightmare, the tolls are inconsiderably expensive, the number of gates are too many, the arrangement causes terrible traffic during rush hours and is a way to cut out and further impoverish the middle and lower class living after Chevron. Those peeps that fly in from Texas and live in lekki PH1 for 2 weeks should not make a conclusion based on that. There's no part of America where this kind of tolling will be accepted, tolling is usually on express and interstate connecting routes not on roads in such populated residential in-city areas. This obviously has a chain effect on transportation, food price and cost of living in general. strangely, highbrow areas Chevron - Lekki PH1 pay for only 1 gate while middle and lowbrow areas Chevron - Epe pay thrice. ACN aint got no love for the poor masses - sick sick sick.

ojdollars:


Fashola... May your Generation rip 10X of the good work you are doing in Lagos... Let me use your phrase... Eko Oni Baje oooh.

@All Nairalanders who curse and insult Fashola... I want to believe that there is no Nigerian in Diaspora among those clicks... I live in Texas, City of Irving in Dallas County. I can boldly say that, the difference between Lagos and Texas... Is not so much.. Because, in Texas.. Most of the High Ways has Tolls. The difference is that, the officials in charge which is refer to as the City don't stop you to pay daily as you go through the Tolls. What they do, is refer to as advance Toll fee collection. The camera's on the Toll whatever takes snaps your number plate and the Bill will be sent to your house.. Whatever address that Car title is registered in. What Fashola is doing, makes me proud to say that I am a Nigerian once again. This man has Vision, he is a world leader. I am a Waffarian.. from the City Of Warri, Delta State. But each time I fly into Lagos, I feel more relaxed than else where. Americans were able to develop their country because everyone is paying their fair share... Some people who ply those Tolls on the Highway to work, pay as much as $75usd - $150usd Monthly for their Toll fee's = 12,000 Naira - 23,000 Naira. Just recently, I drove pass the Highway, forgot there was Toll there, cause me I nor still like the toll fees with brain... They sent me ticket of about 6 dollars or 4 dollars.. I ignored it and within two weeks or three weeks later. They fined me for not paying the less than 6 dollars toll fee.

Please Support Fashola, the man has good intention, but the process of change sometimes, has a lot of inconviences... Is not doing all this for himself, is doing it to better the life of Lagosians... Is not easy to be way more a million times outstanding from A Commander In Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria... Fashola is the best Gov... Travel outside Nigeria and see how things are done before you rain curse on a Gov like Fashola. I am not Yoruba... I am a Deltan and don't live in Lagos.. But the truth be say, good thing na good thing... wether you talk bad or good about am ooh, he nor go change the status of the good. One Love my fellow country men and women in the House.

mapet: @ X-2-X,

1. Please Let's be factual, and I make bold to say that It is a LIE that the traffic situation on Lekki expressway has not dramatically improved. Compared to what I went through in 2008 and What is obtainable now is more than the difference between light and darkness

2. Please explain to me how the interest of the supposed "tax-payers" and "masses" would have been protected any better? By not tolling at all? (Mind you even the Federal government have announced that the Lagos Ibadan express way will be tolled) or Was anybody's house pulled down? or how? I also wonder how tax-payers would be identified from non-tax-payers who ply the road.


3. For me the reality is that according to best practice, the rule is to provide alternative roads. Are there alternative roads, the answer is yes. The arguements that the alternative roads were there before lacks merit. The reality is that there are alternative roads and people use them. Our 2 staff busess plying the route use the alternative roads. Most of my colleagues use the alternative roads.So I'd rather you put things in proper perspectives.

4. the Issue of the cost of tolling is relative and it depends on how we view it. These road was Private sector financed, these private sectors guys got the investments from somewhere. Thinking through the chain, the cost of funding, the period of repayment, the dynamics of volume of traffic etc, then you'll understand that the tolling was not just thrusted on people. We were witness to the period when LCC was taking stats.

mapet: @ X-2-X,
6. For me a critical question is Who is really complaining? The Lekki residents I can understand bearing the brunt of the initial discomfort this new change will bring. But for those of us who dont live in Lekki, hardly go there, have not been to these alternative routes and we write about some fictional hardship...please spare me. I make bold to tell you that even before the commencement of the project, some of these alternative routes have been built by government. You had more than 3 ways to access Shoprite, from Oniru. You cold access Oniru via Ligali Ayorinde. You could access the alternate road either from Oniru end or the waterworks at the end of Ligali.

7. Your take on the toll collection approach also betrays your ignorance. My brother it was all over the media for almost a year the different approaches to tolling. We were told of electronic tag, that you go to any of the designated back, pay for, load credit on it, and stick it on your windscreen. There is a designated queue for those with e-tag, and their lines goes faster.

mapet: @ X-2-X,
6. For me a critical question is Who is really complaining? The Lekki residents I can understand bearing the brunt of the initial discomfort this new change will bring. But for those of us who dont live in Lekki, hardly go there, have not been to these alternative routes and we write about some fictional hardship...please spare me. I make bold to tell you that even before the commencement of the project, some of these alternative routes have been built by government. You had more than 3 ways to access Shoprite, from Oniru. You cold access Oniru via Ligali Ayorinde. You could access the alternate road either from Oniru end or the waterworks at the end of Ligali.

7. Your take on the toll collection approach also betrays your ignorance. My brother it was all over the media for almost a year the different approaches to tolling. We were told of electronic tag, that you go to any of the designated back, pay for, load credit on it, and stick it on your windscreen. There is a designated queue for those with e-tag, and their lines goes faster.


So my take is still that for all intents and purposes this road is a far better alternative, than what was there before and the value it brings to our collective commonwealth. On my recent trip to Boston, I paid $5 for toll, the taxi driver simply told me my fare includes it. In South Africa, they have roads similar to this and actively collects tolls...so this is pretty standard.

If we keep harping on the masses and stuffs like that at the expense of living in a quality environment, they we end up worse off, at the risk of joining the masses and the poor

Somorin#1:


121 is completely tolled from Grapevine to McKinney.

oadah: It's so funny people in USA just come and make cheap noise.
If you live in 9ja you won't say this, the rich people live majorly from chevron to lekki
While the low income earners live majorly in Ajah, sango tedo, badore and environs, these are the people we are talking about that have to pay for 3 tolls to go to school or work

The last time we demonstrated, Fashola and Tinubu sent thugs under the watchful eyes of the police to beats people up for daring to even gather.
These same thugs are the poor people paid just paltry amount that I am sure by now don't even know what they did with the money they were paid to disperse people, but interestingly them and their children with repay Tinubu for 30 years.

I really don't fucking care what they do if the even want 1k I will pay if I have and if I don't I will join the long queue at the alternative route, these men are ready to kill anyone that want to jeopardize the empire they are making off the people on the road,

I am just a visitor and will definitely leave Lagos once my office transfer me out.

I have lived in all parts of Nigeria, Lagos is a jugle "city" where man eat man.....

I laugh when I see funny comments depicting Fashola as the best governor, LASG generate an average of 16 billion naira monthly, Yet they have the highest loan in Nigeria but you can't compare the works done in Lagos with Akwa Ibom,

I challenge his paid boys on NL if you thing he is that influential advise him to come out for 2015 and you will know that Lagos is just 1/30 of Nigeria, you will also know that Even Adams Oshiomole of Edo state has national coverage more than him. The highest Fash can go beyond 2015 is a senator and he knows that.....ACN can continue to milk tlagos till 2015, I hope they won't organize a other owanbe party wi Fuji stars and the people will run to the polls and vote them in

Eko onibaje o

megastu: This is real rubbish of the highest order. If you see the suffering Ajah residents are made to go through because of the useless construction work by this lekki people. It is terrible.

I cant believe this is happening. Someone should wake me up from this dream. Can a Govt be so inhumane to its citizenry just because of money to be made?

The traffic has worsened in Ajah area, more than what it used to be before this construction started.

I wish we can emulate Egypt.

mr-cali:

Stop comparing US to Nigeria. In US do u dig your borehole? Run your generator? Send your kids to expensive private school because public schools have become horrible. Do you change your sock absorbers every 2 months. Pls tell me the social amenities we enjoy like they enjoy in US. None. No social security nothing you are comparing Naija to US. When our govt becomes responsible then your start your comparison

megastu: This is real rubbish of the highest order. If you see the suffering Ajah residents are made to go through because of the useless construction work by this lekki people. It is terrible.

I cant believe this is happening. Someone should wake me up from this dream. Can a Govt be so inhumane to its citizenry just because of money to be made?

The traffic has worsened in Ajah area, more than what it used to be before this construction started.

I wish we can emulate Egypt.

lagbaja: While I agree that Lagos state is making great strides in infrastructure development, I strongly believe that Lagosians are paying too much for the services. Let me analyze the LCCI lekki-epe rd. deal.

At the toll plaza, the average throughput for each toll point is 4 cars per minute which translates to 240 vehicles per hour. Each vehicle pays N100 on the average. There are about 16 toll point (going and coming) which are always in use from morning till night. Let us assume that the the tolls opens from 6am till 10pm at night I.e. a total of 14 hours of full operation.
Total annual collection = number of toll points * number of cars per hour * average toll fee per car* number of service hours in a day * number of days in the year= N1.96 billion (about $6.5m)

This toll fee is for a journey of about 15km. I.e from Ozumba rd. to the Lekki Admiralty toll gate. According to the world bank, average cost for a standard guage road upgrade is put t $250k per km ( http://www.worldbank.org/transport/roads/c&m_docs/kmcosts.pdf). 2 sides of the road were upgraded. Let us leave the upgrade quality story for another day. About 30km of road was upgraded. It's cost LCCI about $7.5m to fix that length of roads.

Assume the cost of funds is 10% per annum ( they have access to international development funds), and overhead cost is another 10%, total cost of the project is $9m. It means LCCI will break even in about 2 years, yet the road was concessioned for 30 years. By implication, they will be making back their money 15 times over.

That is too much a price to pay in a developing nation.

lagbaja: While I agree that Lagos state is making great strides in infrastructure development, I strongly believe that Lagosians are paying too much for the services. Let me analyze the LCCI lekki-epe rd. deal.

At the toll plaza, the average throughput for each toll point is 4 cars per minute which translates to 240 vehicles per hour. Each vehicle pays N100 on the average. There are about 16 toll point (going and coming) which are always in use from morning till night. Let us assume that the the tolls opens from 6am till 10pm at night I.e. a total of 14 hours of full operation.
Total annual collection = number of toll points * number of cars per hour * average toll fee per car* number of service hours in a day * number of days in the year= N1.96 billion (about $6.5m)

This toll fee is for a journey of about 15km. I.e from Ozumba rd. to the Lekki Admiralty toll gate. According to the world bank, average cost for a standard guage road upgrade is put t $250k per km ( http://www.worldbank.org/transport/roads/c&m_docs/kmcosts.pdf). 2 sides of the road were upgraded. Let us leave the upgrade quality story for another day. About 30km of road was upgraded. It's cost LCCI about $7.5m to fix that length of roads.

Assume the cost of funds is 10% per annum ( they have access to international development funds), and overhead cost is another 10%, total cost of the project is $9m. It means LCCI will break even in about 2 years, yet the road was concessioned for 30 years. By implication, they will be making back their money 15 times over.

That is too much a price to pay in a developing nation.

ojdollars:


Fashola... May your Generation rip 10X of the good work you are doing in Lagos... Let me use your phrase... Eko Oni Baje oooh.

@All Nairalanders who curse and insult Fashola... I want to believe that there is no Nigerian in Diaspora among those clicks... I live in Texas, City of Irving in Dallas County. I can boldly say that, the difference between Lagos and Texas... Is not so much.. Because, in Texas.. Most of the High Ways has Tolls. The difference is that, the officials in charge which is refer to as the City don't stop you to pay daily as you go through the Tolls. What they do, is refer to as advance Toll fee collection. The camera's on the Toll whatever takes snaps your number plate and the Bill will be sent to your house.. Whatever address that Car title is registered in. What Fashola is doing, makes me proud to say that I am a Nigerian once again. This man has Vision, he is a world leader. I am a Waffarian.. from the City Of Warri, Delta State. But each time I fly into Lagos, I feel more relaxed than else where. Americans were able to develop their country because everyone is paying their fair share... Some people who ply those Tolls on the Highway to work, pay as much as $75usd - $150usd Monthly for their Toll fee's = 12,000 Naira - 23,000 Naira. Just recently, I drove pass the Highway, forgot there was Toll there, cause me I nor still like the toll fees with brain... They sent me ticket of about 6 dollars or 4 dollars.. I ignored it and within two weeks or three weeks later. They fined me for not paying the less than 6 dollars toll fee.

Please Support Fashola, the man has good intention, but the process of change sometimes, has a lot of inconviences... Is not doing all this for himself, is doing it to better the life of Lagosians... Is not easy to be way more a million times outstanding from A Commander In Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria... Fashola is the best Gov... Travel outside Nigeria and see how things are done before you rain curse on a Gov like Fashola. I am not Yoruba... I am a Deltan and don't live in Lagos.. But the truth be say, good thing na good thing... wether you talk bad or good about am ooh, he nor go change the status of the good. One Love my fellow country men and women in the House.

ypzilanti: FG should build world class freeways across the nation and toll whatever they friggin want. Just to coordinate Lagos-Ibadan expressway concession, na wahala. Such incompetent buffoons.

Anyway, I was against tolling without alternative routes. If they have indeed built the alternative, then kudos. Means they are aware that the people are not happy with them...better late than never.

madejibo: bros or sis the truth is that lekki Epe expressway has always been there you don't add just an extra lane to a road that was built by tax payers money in the 80s an start collecting money from people. What a reasonable govt should do is to build a separate road if possible and toll that not an existing road.

koruji: Your calculation provides some insight but is incomplete.
You assume the same number of cars per minute every hour, day and year.
That is very unlikely, and by the time you account for the deficiencies you might end up with half your number.
Also, you are not counting running costs - personnel and maintenance over the 30 years, and you use a generic average cost of construction - what about the cost of constructing the alternate route (that is not free lunch you know).

Finally, LCCI is most likely not keeping all its collections - at the minimum it has to share profits with the Lagos state government - taxes and royalties.

Still, there is no doubt that Nigeria gets a raw deal because of our almost complete lack of self-capability to execute these projects.
It doesn't have to be because of "criminals-in-power" as someone suggested above, although there is an abundance of that in Nigeria as well.

I hope we can get to a place where all elements of deals like this are public - so there is no doubt.

Eko Atlantic#:
06 Dec 2012
Gboyega Akinsanmi

The Lagos State Government has unveiled a two-way road newly constructed to serve as an alternative route to Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe-Eti-Osa Expressway, which is being developed by Lekki Concession Company (LCC).

The state government also said the road was designed as an alternative for those who might not want to use the plaza.

This came Wednesday as the LCC, concessionaire of the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe-Eti-Osa expressway, announced that it had set December 16 to start toll collection on the second toll plaza (otherwise known as Conversation Plaza) constructed along the Lekki-Epe corridor, which covers a distance of 49.36 kilometres.

But Special Adviser on Public Private Partnership (PPP), Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi, while inspecting the alternative road alongside other state government officials, explained that the road was not just an alternative route for motorists who are not willing to pay toll at Conservation Plaza, a second toll plaza built about 10 kilometres away from Admiralty Plaza.

Gbeleye, while inspecting the route which starts from Chevron Drive and ends at Oluwanisola Estate, alongside the Managing Director of Metropolitan Construction Company, Mr. Carlos Franji and an Executive, Mr. Tony Fagbuaro among others, assured the people along the Lekki-Epe corridor that the state government would not force toll payment on them, a reason he linked to the administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s commitment to completing the alternative road before toll collection commences.

He added that the alternative route was newly designed to accommodate such infrastructure as street lights, comprehensive drainage system, dual side walk as well as detailed road signs, which the special adviser, said were put in place to ensure safety and security of lives and properties along the route.

Aside from facilities designed with the road, the special adviser noted that the state government would deploy both security and traffic operatives “to constantly patrol the road in order to ensure that motorist do not encounter any difficulty while driving because the road is sited in an area with good vegetation area.”

“As the uptake in population growth, the road will get busy. The opening is a temporary opening. But by next Sunday, every construction work on the road would have been completed. At that time, the road will no longer be lonely as motorist would ply the road constantly. Before now, there was no access to the community.

“But the managing director added that was constructed not only to provide alternative route for motorist, but also “to provide accessible road for residents of the community within the axis where the toll plaza were constructed. We have designed the road to be the alternative road for the second toll plaza,” he said.

He gave details of the alternative road, which he said, was constructed the road “to have a 90 degree angle. This angle would aid easy maneuvring of vehicles on the road including turning. We have constructed drainage and walkways, streetlights to aid visibility at night and suit the required standard of the state government.”

According to him, the road was design to serve the residents for at least 30 years. It is a very good road constructed with the intention of giving residents of the state easy movement in and around the axis. The route was constructed for motorist who may not want to pass through the toll plaza. It will serve as a bypass.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/lagos-unveils-alternative-road-for-lekki-epe-toll-plaza/132696/

olumidazz: Pls where is the alternate road I just drove past this place 2 minutes ago, there was no indication or sign of any alternate road.

Eko Atlantic#:
06 Dec 2012
Gboyega Akinsanmi

The Lagos State Government has unveiled a two-way road newly constructed to serve as an alternative route to Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe-Eti-Osa Expressway, which is being developed by Lekki Concession Company (LCC).

The state government also said the road was designed as an alternative for those who might not want to use the plaza.

This came Wednesday as the LCC, concessionaire of the Eti-Osa-Lekki-Epe-Eti-Osa expressway, announced that it had set December 16 to start toll collection on the second toll plaza (otherwise known as Conversation Plaza) constructed along the Lekki-Epe corridor, which covers a distance of 49.36 kilometres.

But Special Adviser on Public Private Partnership (PPP), Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi, while inspecting the alternative road alongside other state government officials, explained that the road was not just an alternative route for motorists who are not willing to pay toll at Conservation Plaza, a second toll plaza built about 10 kilometres away from Admiralty Plaza.

Gbeleye, while inspecting the route which starts from Chevron Drive and ends at Oluwanisola Estate, alongside the Managing Director of Metropolitan Construction Company, Mr. Carlos Franji and an Executive, Mr. Tony Fagbuaro among others, assured the people along the Lekki-Epe corridor that the state government would not force toll payment on them, a reason he linked to the administration of Governor Babatunde Fashola’s commitment to completing the alternative road before toll collection commences.

He added that the alternative route was newly designed to accommodate such infrastructure as street lights, comprehensive drainage system, dual side walk as well as detailed road signs, which the special adviser, said were put in place to ensure safety and security of lives and properties along the route.

Aside from facilities designed with the road, the special adviser noted that the state government would deploy both security and traffic operatives “to constantly patrol the road in order to ensure that motorist do not encounter any difficulty while driving because the road is sited in an area with good vegetation area.”

“As the uptake in population growth, the road will get busy. The opening is a temporary opening. But by next Sunday, every construction work on the road would have been completed. At that time, the road will no longer be lonely as motorist would ply the road constantly. Before now, there was no access to the community.

“But the managing director added that was constructed not only to provide alternative route for motorist, but also “to provide accessible road for residents of the community within the axis where the toll plaza were constructed. We have designed the road to be the alternative road for the second toll plaza,” he said.

He gave details of the alternative road, which he said, was constructed the road “to have a 90 degree angle. This angle would aid easy maneuvring of vehicles on the road including turning. We have constructed drainage and walkways, streetlights to aid visibility at night and suit the required standard of the state government.”

According to him, the road was design to serve the residents for at least 30 years. It is a very good road constructed with the intention of giving residents of the state easy movement in and around the axis. The route was constructed for motorist who may not want to pass through the toll plaza. It will serve as a bypass.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/lagos-unveils-alternative-road-for-lekki-epe-toll-plaza/132696/

Eko Ile: The concessioned road belongs to the people of Lagos state, it's called indirect taxation. If they ask you to pay taxes to build that road, you wont pay, so you are paying for it right now, but the road is all yours free after the concession.

Obinnanze: Nigerian. We want top class facilities but we r not ready to make the sacrifices. Cities lk London and NY (which we call developed ) all practice the same BOT and toll system. That is how they developed so fast. We shld appreciate the vision of the Lagos state Gov. Pls.

Now that the alternative route is ready. no one has reason to complain.

skyfall: To you Fashola sycophants, abeg shut up jare. You cannot love him more than his wife. We all know he's a good administrator. The Lekki road project is seriously fvcked up. He knows this at the back of his mind, he just can't say NO to Tinubu who designed the road project around his personal gain.

The "alternative routes" are a huge joke. If you don't live on the Lekki-Ajah axis, forget it, you can't understand.

sparkle10: Folks, do not be deceived. The post was nothing but a paid advert and BRF propaganda at its best. The so called alternative is a disaster and only a devil would call it an alternative road by the present concept of traffic diversion. It was an afterthought. Wait till tolling starts to understand my concern. The traffic gridlock will be unprecedented. Fashola is deceptive, inhumane and utterly wicked.

madejibo: bros or sis the truth is that lekki Epe expressway has always been there you don't add just an extra lane to a road that was built by tax payers money in the 80s an start collecting money from people. What a reasonable govt should do is to build a separate road if possible and toll that not an existing road.

goldbearer: do you have 3 tolls within a 49.4km road? in any country, Texas man please reply.is there any road in Irwin that costs as much as 1billion naira equvailent per kilometre.Lekki ajah road is 49.4km cost 50billion Naira plus other benefits for the investors.

madejibo: A very rough estimate of how much tinubu and co are making on the lekki tollgates please i invite critcs to my little calculation!: 2 toll gates ; 2(tollgates) X 2 (directions) X 8 (booths)X[size=18pt]10 (cars every minute[/size], very low estimate!)X 60 (minutes) X 18 (hours, even though they collect tolls 24 hours but lets for arguments sake say 18 hours)X 120 (naira)=N41,472 ,000 DAILY
Only a wicked Governor and a satanically criminally corrupt govt will add one lane to an existing road and put 2 tollgates within 10 mins of themselsves and charge an average of N120 per car EVERYTIME you pass any of the tollgates, and only an even MORE wicked governor will use tear gas and armed policemen to disperse the people when the come out to voice their disapproval