[size=14pt]Why I cancelled metroline, by Buhari[/size]
Emmanuel Oladesu
07/04/2011 00:59:00

Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) presidential candidate and ex-Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has said he was guided by national interest and the policy of his regime in cancelling the metro line project initiated by former Lagos State Governor Lateef Jakande.

The ex-military leader said the allegation that he deliberately cancelled the project was "mischievous."

Buhari was fielding questions at a Town Hall meeting at City Hall, Lagos Island.

The CPC candidate, who presented his party’s manifesto, said his action was not in bad faith.

. . .

Buhari said he inherited a debt profile, which he intended to halt at the time the Lagos State government asked the Federal Government to guarantee a huge loan, which would have aggravated the debt burden.

He said it did not make sense to source for a loan of either N100 million or 100 million dollars, when the focus was debt reduction.

The CPC candidate said the regime cancelled the intra-city rail project after it set up two committees to examine the viability or otherwise of the project.

http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/news/33009.html

At least it is good to hear some sort of explanation to the various heinous things Buhari did to Nigerians, i can't wait to hear his reason for murdering Barth Owoh and 2 other young college students using a retroactive decree

You spend money to make money. Explaining is good in its self but his reason is not.

^^^ We were also trying to recover from a recession -- a global recession ; inflation was in the high 20's and the economy was on life support. Lagos State itself implemented various measures to help curb spending during the same period.

The metroline was about the industrialisation of Lagos, urban regeneration, opening up new areas for development and taking weight of the roads and bridges that lead across the lagoon.

In lean times, forward looking govts look to such projects, because of the massive economic benefits to be ripped. The perfect example, is the Marshall Plan for the rebuilding of Europe after the destruction and impoverishment caused by WWII. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_plan

Belgian economic historian Herman Van der Wee concludes the Marshall Plan was a "great success":
"It gave a new impetus to reconstruction in Western Europe and made a decisive contribution to the renewal of the transport system, the modernization of industrial and agricultural equipment, the resumption of normal production, the raising of productivity, and the facilitating of intra-European trade"

-Tom Buchanan, Europe's Troubled Peace 1945–2000, (2006) ch 1

Buhari has a good heart but he isn't President material. He isn't bright enough.
If I could vote, it'll be hard to pick between him and GEJ though.

^^^ sigh!!!

rolls eyes!!!

beaf in d house.

There are tons of information on the economic situation in Nigeria in the early to late 80's. I don't think there is really any need for me to add a reference to that here.

Beaf:

The metroline was about the industrialisation of Lagos, urban regeneration, opening up new areas for development and taking weight of the roads and bridges that lead across the lagoon.
In lean times, forward looking govts look to such projects, because of the massive economic benefits to be ripped. The perfect example, is the Marshall Plan for the rebuilding of Europe after the destruction and impoverishment caused by WWII. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_plan

Your stupidity has reached an alarming level! In the circumstances that prevailed at the time, Buhari was probably right to have cancelled that project. For crying out loud, with the over 30trillion PDP has wasted, of that waste would 500billion naira not have provide lagos with the much needed Metro?
In fact, maybe you need to go get a copy of the report of the two committees that Buhari based his decision on so the public can rightly conclude.

The bolded part of your suggest you have very little understanding of what Metrolines are met for!

^^ No need to turn this thread into another insult arena.

@Topic I think Lagos is worse off as a result of Buhari's decision. Its not like he had much success in reducing the country's dept as he claims.

Lagos people, say Jonathan.

I hope you also know that Lagos State had to pay about 60% of that sum as penalties for backing out(and the back out penalty was priced in dollars). That makes absolutely no sense to me. Why should I pay 60% to get nothing when I could have paid 100% and enjoyed a lot of benefits?

Whoever gave Buhari this excuse is clearly not thinking.

BP:

I hope you also know that Lagos State had to pay about 60% of that sum as penalties for backing out(and the back out penalty was priced in dollars). That makes absolutely no sense to me. Why should I pay 60% to get nothing when I could have paid 100% and enjoyed a lot of benefits?

Whoever gave Buhari this excuse is clearly not thinking.

Is this verified?

jumobi1:

Buhari has a good heart but he isn't President material. He isn't bright enough.
If I could vote, it'll be hard to pick between him and GEJ though.

Thanks for putting it in a very simple langage.
I have said it several times here that Buhari can make a good Commander of a batallion but not a Presidential material.
Besides, he belongs to the school of "elite" army officers who has been holding this nation to ransom since independence.
For goodness sake, this man is about 70 years old.

Among all of them, Mr President remains the best in these times.

Omo_Tier1:

Your stupidity has reached an alarming level! In the circumstances that prevailed at the time, Buhari was probably right to have cancelled that project. For crying out loud, with the over 30trillion PDP has wasted, of that waste would 500billion  naira not have provide lagos with the much needed Metro?
In fact, maybe you need to go get a copy of the report of the two committees that Buhari based his decision on so the public can rightly conclude.

The bolded part of your suggest you have very little understanding of what Metrolines are met for!

does anyone has an idea of what the committe came up with? till then will keep mute. its good to know however that military Buhari didnt just wake up to scrap the idea.
besides, lagos should be weary of PDP. what has lagosians benefitted from the party  all these years? if Obj (yoruba man) couldnt do anything much mentioning, why do we think GEJ under OBJ's influence will do better?

BP:

I hope you also know that Lagos State had to pay about 60% of that sum as penalties for backing out(and the back out penalty was priced in dollars). That makes absolutely no sense to me. Why should I pay 60% to get nothing when I could have paid 100% and enjoyed a lot of benefits?

Whoever gave Buhari this excuse is clearly not thinking.

Do you mind providing evidence of this claim please? Lagos asks the Federal Government to guarantee a loan . . . . Federal Government says NO -- it has to deal with more pressing debt issues --- which it continued to for about a decade later --- but Lagos as a result of the refusal of the Federal Guaranteeing a loan had to pay 60% back in penalties? hhmmm . . .  that seems very very odd.

So, again, do you mind providing evidence for this claim of yours?

Kobo junkie, please see below:

"The idea of developing rapid transit in Nigeria dates from the1980s with the Lagos Metroline network conceived by the Alhaji Lateef Jakande during the Nigerian Second Republic The initialMetroline project was scrapped in 1985 by Muhammadu Buhari at a loss of over $78 million to the Lagos taxpayers."

Source: http://www.monorailnigeria.com/monoprj.html

A real man will always stand up and talk about his mistakes . . . .

BP:

Kobo junkie, please see below:

"The idea of developing rapid transit in Nigeria dates from the1980s with the Lagos Metroline network conceived by the Alhaji Lateef Jakande during the Nigerian Second Republic The initialMetroline project was scrapped in 1985 by Muhammadu Buhari at a loss of over $78 million to the Lagos taxpayers."

Source: http://www.monorailnigeria.com/monoprj.html

hhhm . . ,  How do I put this  . . . . is it possible to get evidence that is from a reliable source containing information on what really went on to show this? I am not sure how to explain it to you . . . . All that site does is repeat almost the same thing you said, it even quotes significantly higher digits on its, with no reference as to where the data even comes from. I checked the wiki link.  Do you have access to some evidence that actually substantiates the claim ?

I have heard this claim over and over but don't remember reading of it back during the period of the cancellation or even after in the papers. So, I am quite curious as to the source of these stories myself. If you have access to some official source, that would be excellent. I will try on my end to email as many people I can to find out more on it but like I said. . . it just does not sound right.

Fheeemy:

A real man will always stand up and talk about his mistakes . . . .

Very true . And a REAL FOOLISH MAN will not even know when an explanation he gives 28yrs after the mistake  even indicts him more.

Omo_Tier1:

Your stupidity has reached an alarming level! In the circumstances that prevailed at the time, Buhari was probably right to have cancelled that project. For crying out loud, with the over 30trillion PDP has wasted, of that waste would 500billion naira not have provide lagos with the much needed Metro?
In fact, maybe you need to go get a copy of the report of the two committees that Buhari based his decision on so the public can rightly conclude.

The bolded part of your suggest you have very little understanding of what Metrolines are met for!

We keep seeing this repeated abusive attitude from Buhari supporters. Why? It would even have been slightly less shocking if you hadn't veered so sharply off course to talk about PDP. . . In 1985 when the metro was cancelled?

So, now that we've left your comedy where it belongs, would you like to tell us how his ignorant actions to "save" money ended up loading Lagos with a debt of 12billion Naira ($78million) and no metro? Is that how to save money and develop the country? Maybe like Buhari, you just don't know.

The initial Metroline project was scrapped in 1985 by Muhammadu Buhari at a loss of over $78 million to the Lagos tax payers.

- Farukanmi, Olorunnimbe (January 24, 2003). "Battle of Generals". Vanguard.

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Save which money?
the Aboki simply did not want a lofty project like that in yoruba land. He would have approved that project at 3 times the cost if it was meant for KANO, OR KATSINA.

Kobojunkie:

[size=13pt]Lagos asks the Federal Government to guarantee a loan . . . . Federal Government says NO -- it has to deal with more pressing debt issues --- which it continued to for about a decade later  --- but Lagos, as a result of the refusal, had to pay 60% back in penalties?[/size]

I say again . . .  something does not seem right with this!

Kobojunkie:

I say again . . .  something does not seem right with this!

If "something does not seem right," its your job to point it out, not annoy us by reposting the same sentence without providing any explanation. If you can't provide an explanation or don't understand, avoid posting in large font and take time out to digest first.

We are dealing with hard figures and hard facts, not "feelings" or anything that sounds psychedelic or pseudo-spiritual.

Poor Beaf, even when he pretentiously tries to sound diplomatic, he still ends up sounding like the uncouth, loud, aggressive, deceitful and evil purveyor of untruths that he really is. . . .

How does GEJ's as*s taste?

na_so:

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Save which money?
the Aboki simply did not want a  lofty project like that in yoruba land. He would have approved that project at 3 times the cost if it was meant for KANO, OR KATSINA.

[b]
On the 6th of March 1996 Buhari was in Lagos to flag off the first and the biggest water supply PTF project for the Lagos Iju waterworks rehabilitation at a cost of N1,050,015,651.00 (one billion and over 50million naira) and the Lagos.This included the support for the provision of administrative structure to support the Lagos state water corporation.The whole aim of PTF as Buhari said was to support the Lagos Govt and its world Bank project to ensure the supply of 137 million gallons of water per day for the city of Lagos.
He (Buhari) said on that day " With the important position of Lagos as the financial capital of Nigeria and former seat of government our ability to meet water requirement in the city will enhance our national pride "(please note that Buhari is always talking about Nigeria not one person or the other.) He also said that " , water revenue from large population of consumers will improve loan repayments effort of Lagos water coporation and improve the coporations credibility, ".

On the 5th of August 1997 Buhari was again in the SW in Ibadan to launch the N631,913,818.90 support for the Ibadan water supply project to support the ADB effort in that city. This was managed by indigenous NW consultancy services in which Buhari said on that day " , PTF pays special attention to institutional capacity building and strengthening, to ensure sustainability of the projects."Please note that the water department of PTF was not headed by someone from SW and no lobby was needed for Buhari to do the necessary - all other zones received support with water supply efforts but none got as much as the SW . There were of course more places in the SW itself such as the Oke Aleji water project.

The SW because it has more tertiary heath facilities and had 90% of all drug manufacturing outfits in Nigeria benefitted much more than any zone as PTF went out to strengthen each drug manufacturing outfit in Nigeria to ensure self sufficiency and minimize capital flight and conserve foreign reserve. Please note that there was not a single drug manufacturing factory in Buhari's state - Katsina or in the nearby Zamfara,Jigawa,Kebbi or Sokoto . There were one or 2 that qualified in Kano but 99% were in the south and over 90% inlagos and Ogun- Otta, Agbara,Badagry ,Ilupeju etc. This was never a problem for Buhari as these were in Nigeria and the focus is national capacity rehabilitation.   [/b]

@ Naso,

Its obvious you have seen the above in another thread as posted by NL nagoma. why dont you wait till he responds to ur question before  insinuating that GMB doesnt have good intentions as far as yorubas are concerned?

na_so:

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Save which money?
the Aboki simply did not want a  lofty project like that in yoruba land. He would have approved that project at 3 times the cost if it was meant for KANO, OR KATSINA.

Also, you do know that at that time Lagos state was the Capital of Nigeria, and it was not until Babangida(1991- almost 6 years later) that it was moved to Abuja. Abuja, Katsina, Kano, even after so many hausa leaders still do not rival Lagos. 

Demdem:

@ Naso,

Its obvious you have seen the above in another thread as posted by NL nagoma. why dont you wait till he responds to your question before insinuating that GMB doesnt have good intentions as far as yorubas are concerned?

Na_so has a point. Nobody seems to have any answers to why he cancelled the Lagos metro, neither has Buhari's own shaky answer been defended by anyone.
To further Na_so's point, while Buhari held huge rallies even in rural areas of the North, he stolidly avoided Lagos; Nigeria's former capital, economic powerhouse and foremost city. How do we explain these things?

kobojunkie:

Also, you do know that at that time Lagos state was the Capital of Nigeria, and it was not until Babangida(1991- almost 6 years later) that it was moved to Abuja. Abuja, Katsina, Kano, even after so many hausa leaders still do not rival Lagos.

See the angle you are taking this. Ok tell me when the "capital should move to abuja" project started.

Every mallam knew then that LAGOS was going to be the ex-capital in just a short while, hence long term projects like the metro that would have been boosted by the capital status of Lagos were no longer as attractive as ordinarily one would have expected.

OMG  . . . ROFLMAO!!

Wow, I see this is more a case of bigotry than actual interest in this case . . . ROFLMAO!

@demdem

First I want the source of that your story on PTF.

Secondly it is fraudulent to present some scattered PTF projects/spending  in the SW without providing comparative spending in the core northern regions for similar projects at that time. Let Buhari show us the full stats for all the regions. For your information PTF is recorded to have had as much as N925bln to spend on projects.



By the way I read somewhere that PTF's first budget was approved in 1996, so how could the same PTF have funded and completed a water project of that magnitude On the 6th of March 1996 ? Make una dey check una records o.

When did the project start? when was it awarded?