Dis Guy:

is the alternative route ready ?


How many towing trucks are they providing and is the service free?

Mehn, so true o. Completely free towing service,

Alternative route indeed. This alternative route is through private estates. They lock their gate by 8pm. Maybe when the traffic increases, they will make it permanent. Like where i was staying in Oniru. There used to be a throughfare but cos of the Oba? and the increased traffic, they locked their gate and made the other one open by 6 and close by 12.

How is that an alternative route? They should keep lying to themselves. The so called roads they have finished don't have drainage. The overhead bridges have not been completed. The so called roundabouts are too narrow and thus cause their own traffic. God will punish Tinubu and his cohorts for extorting from Lagosians and giving such shitty service.

See that ramp? It has increased the traffic on Akin Adesola and Ozumba. How can they make it a T-junction? Have their engineers never seen a bridge and how they connect roads? It usually curves in so there will be no need to put a traffic light. It would have been you move, i move. I don tire for all these.

see how this thread died. A new topic was raised on this issue and it made the front page on day one while this one that has migrated more than Moses no even see light

Lekki Residents Mobilise Against Toll

Come Saturday, 17 December, residents of Lekki-Eti-Osa-Epe have vowed to make their feelings known to the Lagos State government on its decision to begin collection of toll on the expressway as from 18 December.

In a statement made available to P.M.NEWS, the residents have slated the day for a protest march against government decision.

According to the organisers, there will be a protest march to the Admiralty Circle Toll Plaza and Chevron Toll Plaza. “We will occupy it and remain there until the government agrees to cancel tolling and fencing,” they added.

The organisers described the Lekki/Eti-Osa Epe Expressway as an existing road. “The original plan was for LCC to build the Coastal Road and toll it. It was abandoned because LCC discovered that it would not be profitable and thus it diverted to the existing expressway. This road was built by the administration of Alhaji Lateef Jakande around 1983 for the free movement of people and goods. LCC should go and build its own road for tolling.

“With the developments that have taken place in the Lekki axis, this road is now a metropolitan road, and cannot qualify for tolling,” the organisers added.

In a letter written to Governor Babatunde Fashola on the issue, Mr. Ebun Adegboruwa listed various legal measures taken by the residents to prevent the government from tolling the expressway. He appealed to the governor to suspend the proposed collection of toll on the expressway.

“Your Excellency, I do humbly urge you to use your good offices to direct a suspension of the proposed collection of toll fee, to await the determination of the pending application for an order of injunction by the Court of Appeal and indeed the appeal already filed,” Adegboruwa stated in his letter to Fashola.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/12/14/lekki-residents-mobilise-against-toll/

So the residents even have a case in court, so Lagos state should wait until their case is finalized at the appeal court abi, they must have gone to the appeal court when they lost at the High court, yet they are not ready to wait for the determination of their own case but would rather take the law into their own hands by occupying a major road, whatever they see, they should take o.

.

hercules07:

So the residents even have a case in court, so Lagos state should wait until their case is finalized at the appeal court abi, they must have gone to the appeal court when they lost at the High court, yet they are not ready to wait for the determination of their own case but would rather take the law into their own hands by occupying a major road, whatever they see, they should take o.

Your language is intemperate, provocative and inciting in nature. You really shouldn't be making statements like these, because things can get out of hand rather sharply, just from affected people, who have nothing more to lose, reading this and passing it off as the position of government. Don't forget that these are descendants of the people that wore out the British and outlasted the military.

Things can turn really ugly and deadly quite suddenly, and this is the type of language that is guaranteed to make that happen. Hercules07, please stop the provocation. Much as I'm against the tolls, I love my Lagos too much to want a confrontation that could result in casualties, which will inevitably lead to a conflagaration. Stop it!

djustice:

.
Your language is intemperate, provocative and inciting in nature. You really shouldn't be making statements like these, because things can get out of hand rather sharply, just from affected people, who have nothing more to lose, reading this and passing it off as the position of government. Don't forget that these are descendants of the people that wore out the British and outlasted the military.

Things can turn really ugly and deadly quite suddenly, and this is the type of language that is guaranteed to make that happen. Hercules07, please stop the provocation. Much as I'm against the tolls, I love my Lagos too much to want a confrontation that could result in casualties, which will inevitably lead to a conflagaration. Stop it!

And what do you call all the thunder and brimstone rubbish you've been spewing?


Oloshi bipolar fool,


lmao

@DJ

There is nothing provocative about my statement, if you illegally occupy a land, be ready to be ousted by reasonable force and you and I know that reasonable force in Nigeria is not reasonable at all. Let the guys pay the toll or bypass the toll gates chikena.

Tension as Lagos govt insists on toll collection
On December 16, 2011 · In Special Report

BY INNOCENT ANABA, DAPO AKINREFON & GBENGA OKE

With just two days to the planned commencement of tolls collection at Admiralty Circle plaza on the ever-busy Lekki –Eti-Osa Expressway, palpable anxiety is already being generated in the area as residents of Eti-Osa, Epe and Ibeju-Lekki have vowed to resist the move.

Messrs Lekki Concession Company Limited LCC, the concessionaire handling the expansion of the 49 kilometre road, had early this month, announced December 18, as the new date for the commencement of tolls collection on the road. The company hinged its decision to begin tolls collection on the first toll plaza on its provision of alternative routes to motorists who may not be favourably disposed to the payment of toll.

The decision which is coming barely one year after the Babatunde Fashola led government suspended the initial move to toll the road, was immediately resisted by the residents and other stakeholders.

The Lekki-Epe axis houses both the highbrow and poor segments of the Lagos population.  The reality on ground is that majority of the residents of Lekki-Epe corridor are the struggling masses – farmers,  fishermen and labourers.

The decision to single out that area of Lagos for a Public Private Partnership PPP, and the length of time granted to the concessionaire (Lekki Concession Company Limited, LCC) to recoup their money, have been faulted by many concerned Lagosians. They are not comfortable with the contents of the agreement between the Government and LCC, the rate of construction of the road and the haste with the  company wants to commence collecting tolls.

Residents kick, plan 10,000 man march
Already, community leaders from Lekki are threatening to mobilise over 10,000 aggrieved protesters in 73 estates in Lekki, Etiosa and Ibeju lekki to block the road should the LCC go ahead with the plan.

The Lekki-Epe Toll gate

At a press briefing at the Ikota Shopping Complex, representatives of the Residents’ Association called on the LCC and the Lagos State Governor not to create what they called “uncontrollable chaos” in Lagos with the planned tolling against the wishes of the people.

Speaking at the event, the Acting Chairman of the Lekki-Eti-osa-Epe Residents Association, Mr. Abioye Akerele, said: “We are peace loving people and the government should not take our posture for granted.  This road that they want to toll, has been existing for over twenty years and if LCC came to add an additional lane, they cannot insist on tolling the already existing lanes.

It is unacceptable that those of us who are from here will have to pay money to enter our ancestral homes.   It is totally unacceptable. There are over 73 villages along this axis made up of peasant people; how does government expect them to cope with the attendant rise in cost of living that will arise from the tolling?”

Mr. Akerele warned the government of the possible consequences of going ahead with the plan. His words: “We will have no choice than to call out our people to protest this move and we don’t know what that might lead to.”

[b]A lawyer, Mr. Ebun Olu Adegboruwa, said the government was toying with the lives of Lagosians and deliberately discriminating against the people of Eti-osa by putting three toll gates in one local government when none exists in other parts of the state where the state government is undertaking development projects.  He also accused the government of not being sincere with Lagosians over the construction and tolling of the [/b]road and the concession agreement with LCC.

“The Lagos State Government in 2005 borrowed $43million from a bank in South Africa for LCC to begin construction of the Lekki-Epe road using lands in that axis as collateral.  Why are they now talking about tolling the road as though LCC is using their own money to construct the road?”

Continuing, he said:”What have the people of Ibeju Lekki done that the governor is talking about tolling the only developmental project that this administration is undertaking here when it is not doing the same thing in other parts of Lagos?  I recommend that the tolling should begin from other parts of Lagos like Surulere, Bode Thomas, Adeniran Ogunsanya, and so on.”


Adegboruwa also disclosed that he has already instituted a legal action against the LCC, the Lagos State Government and three others.  Unable to get the matter heard at the Lagos State High Court, he took it to the Federal High Court which later referred it back to the Lagos State High Court for hearing.  He said that following the announcement of the commencement of tolling, he filed a restraining order on the LCC, the Lagos State Government and three others from commencing tolling pending the determination of the matters in suit no. CA/L/1170M/2011.



Adegboruwa urged the parties, particularly the Lagos State Governor, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, respect due process by maintaining the status quo pending the determination of the matters.

LCC reacts
[b]In its reaction, the LCC faulted claims made by Adegboruwa alleging misrepresentations and misinformation on issues relating to the toll gate fee.

In a press statement made available to Vanguard, the company said: “The attention of Lekki Concession Company Limited LCC, has been drawn to various news media reports, including on radio and in the print media, extensively quoting one Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, a legal practitioner, who has persistently misrepresented and misinformed the public about his various claims to have a pending suit or suits in court to restrain the Lagos State Government and LCC from proceeding with the collection of tolls along the Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway, including  a purported application for injunction filed on the December 2011 before the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, also by the same Mr. Adegboruwa.”



Although we have patiently observed while Mr.Adegboruwa’s misrepresentations and misinformation have continued, including his attempts to incite the public to civil disobedience and disorder, which we believe is conduct unbecoming of the noble legal profession to which Mr. Adegboruwa belongs, LCC now feels compelled, in view of his persistent misinformation and misrepresentation, to advise the general public of the true facts.”

Setting the records straight, they company said: “On 23rd August 2010, Mr. Adegboruwa filed a suit in the Lagos High Court seeking to restrain the Lagos State Government and LCC from commencing the collection of tolls or proceeding with the concessioning of the Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway.

Hearing commenced on 28th September 2010, and arising from Mr. Adegboruwa’s denial of the existence of an alternative route for motorists who do not wish to pay the tolls, the court conducted a physical visit to the locus in quo on 11th November 2010, and recorded its findings, which demonstrated that Mr. Adegboruwa’s allegations were false for the most part, and were misleading in others. After continuing tactical delays by Mr. Adegboruwa, the Court on 21st February 2011 that is six months after filing his suit, firmly called upon Mr. Adegboruwa to present his arguments on his substantive suit. Mr. Adegboruwa was again unable, or unprepared, to present any arguments.”

“The case was therefore struck out on the said 21st February 2011, with a verdict that Mr. Adegboruwa shall pay costs to both the Lagos State Government and LCC. Assessment of the quantum of costs to be paid by Mr. Adegboruwa, which was to be carried out by the Chief Registrar, remains pending at the Lagos High Court, as Mr. Adegboruwa has resorted to all manner of tactics to frustrate such assessment, and LCC has since petitioned the Chief Judge against such unfair tactics,” LCC said.

It pointed out that “immediately after his loss at the Lagos High Court, Mr. Adegboruwa on 22 February 2011 filed a fresh suit on the same facts, at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, seeking exactly the same remedies which he had failed to substantiate at the Lagos High Court. This case was also struck out of court on 11th July 2011 by the Federal High Court, which gave an order that the matter be transferred to the Lagos High Court as the appropriate court for such a matter.”

Faulting Adegboruwa’s claims, it stressed that “unable or unwilling to comply with the Federal High Court directive, Mr. Adegboruwa then filed a Notice of Appeal to the Court of Appeal on 13th July 2011. However, till date, Mr. Adegboruwa failed to compile the record or to take the proper steps required for the appeal to be properly constituted before the Court of Appeal. Not having taken any such steps, but following the recent announcement by the Lagos State Government lifting its suspension of commencement of tolling, Mr. Adegboruwa then purported to file an application for Injunction before the Court of Appeal on December 7, 2011, and has continued to misrepresent to the media, and to the general public, that he has a proper case before the courts, when, in fact, he has failed to substantiate any of his cases so far, and has also not succeeded in obtaining any injunction restraining commencement of tolling so far.

Rather than properly pursue the natural course of justice, Mr. Adegboruwa has brazenly continued to resort to trial by media, and to attempting to incite civil disorder and disobedience, which behavior he was cautioned against by the High Court on January 11, 2011.”
[/b]

While urging Lagosians not to be perturbed with the claims made by the lawyer, LCC said “the general public is encouraged to take note of the true facts of this matter and to discountenance the misinformation and misrepresentations by the aforesaid Mr. Adegboruwa. The status quo regarding the Eti-Osa Lekki-Epe Expressway remains as announced by the Lagos State Government, since no injunction restraining the collection of tolls has been issued by any court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Obanikoro faults govt
Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Olatunde Obanikoro described as insensitive, the announcement by the state government to collect fees at the toll gate mounted on Lekki axis of the state.

Obanikoro, in a press release personally signed, said he has followed the development since it came into the public domain and was surprised at the level of insensitivity exhibited by the state government against the tide of public outcry.

The High Commissioner who was Senator between 2003 and 2007 cited the toll gate controversy as a related development.

According to him, “despite the absence of alternative access to road users along Lekki axis of the state, the ACN-led government has decided to inflict more pains on the people of this state. There is no reasonable and sensitive government anywhere in the world where people are not given the option to choose between toll and non-toll roads. It is obvious the ACN government has outlived its usefulness.”

Continuing, Obanikoro said the state government will not get away with this “because it is unacceptable, insensitive, insensate and completely anti-people”.

Residents and motorist berate plan
Aside Obanikoro, motorists and residents have been airing their grievances on the state government’s resolve to commence collection of toll fees at Lekki.

On his part, Mr. Yinka Odumakin called on the “government  to make an alternative route for people who do not want to pay tolls.

According to him, “it is not everybody that could afford to pay toll fee at  three points before going to his office or house and does it mean that if you do not have money to pay, you won’t go out to find your daily bread or you have to stay indoors for the day if you could not afford toll fee”.

“It is not responsible for government to resurface an existing road and ask people to come and pay toll fee. So government needs to open a route for those who may not be able to pay the toll fee”, he added.

A Red Cab driver, Mr Olajide wondered why government would bring back the toll gates after demolishing them.

Also, a Lagos-based businessman, Mr.  John Akhiemen said “I am not really surprised with the development. People were commending the government for the suspension but deep down inside me, I knew it was just a gimmick because of the election which was  coming up. Is it not suspicious that the Governor waited until the local government elections last month to rescind his decision? Well, we would see how far they can go with this one, but as for me,  it is highly disappointing of the governor”.


Leader of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL), Comrade Debo Adeniran, also criticized the planned tolling of the road.  He described it as “a manifestation of the capitalist mentality of the ACN that will deepen the rift between the rich and the poor.”


Mr. Adeniran wondered why any government will want to turn the freedom of movement to an exclusive preserve of the rich by forcing indigenes of those communities to pay whenever they are returning to their ancestral homes.

Lagos ACN calls for understanding
[b]Similarly, the  Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Joe Igbokwe, explained that the Lekki-Epe Expressway was concessioned to a company, adding that the toll was natural since the company must recover what it spent on the road.

He called on Lagosians to demonstrate understanding on the issue. “We want to point out that alternative roads have been provided for those that do not want to pay. We believe this is fair enough to encourage competent companies to invest in our decaying infrastructure.”

The party’s spokesperson noted that concessioning was a way of saving funds for other sectors. “If we acknowledge that Lagos requires over $50 billion to build and upgrade its infrastructural needs, we will see the wisdom in getting companies to build, manage and transfer some critical infrastructure in Lagos.”

Igbokwe explained that Lagos was experiencing massive population pressure everyday, which put great challenge on the resources of the state. He said the government alone could not meet the demand.

While calling for understanding, he urged “Lagosians to understand that the little toll paid on the Lekki-Epe Expressway is only a little price we all must pay to get standard infrastructure and encourage others to come here and deliver better infrastructures in our state.”
[/b]

Lagos PDP wants plan aborted
On its part, the Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, cautioned Governor Fashola to shelve the planned commencement of tolling on the Lekki-Epe axis.
It however, said the move was aimed avoid overheating the already tensed polity.

According to the party, this is the period in the life of the State that Lagosians should enjoy true social services commensurate to the huge taxes they have paid to the state.

In a statement by its publicity secretary, Mr Taofik Gani, the party lampooned the state governor for attempting to defend what it described as “the outrageous commissions paid to the state tax consultant Alpha Beta, confirmed that the state’s Internally Generated Revenue, (IGR) is now at the highest.”

The party also faulted the planned tolling of the said Lekki –Epe Express road concessionaire agreement noting that the plan is “tainted with fraud and we challenge the governor to make public the full contents of the agreement for Lagosians to know if indeed it is in their interest to pay tolls.”


Reiterating its stand, it said “for the umpteenth time, we state emphatically that Lagos State and its Local Governments collect the highest federal allocations and IGR in the whole 36 states, yet at least 65 per cent of the assumed developments were done by Concessionaires, NGOs, FG; and individual philanthropists.”

Continuing, it stated that “it should be noted that any tolled road must have alternative road. This is not the case in this Lekki-Epe Express road. The purported alternative Oniru road is through a Private Estate that can be shut at anytime as the owners so wish.”

While warning of dire consequences if the state government goes ahead with the toll gate collection, it maintained that the governor has “indeed betrayed the public trust and thus no longer fit to enjoy the people’s vote of confidence.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/12/tension-as-lagos-govt-insists-on-toll-collection/

People should pay up, the earlier they start paying the earlier they can complete the project, it is a shame that a lawyer of Mr. Ebun's standing can do what he is doing.

hercules07:

People should pay up, the earlier they start paying the earlier they can complete the project, it is a shame that a lawyer of Mr. Ebun's standing can do what he is doing.

It is a shame that you can make such a statement. "People should pay up so they can complete the project". Why do they need peoples money to complete a project that they intend to make money from for over 30yrs. Shame on you.

FASHOLA INSPECTS IKOYI BRIDGE NOW AT 80 % COMPLETION
Date Posted: 2011-12-19 08:38:05

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), Sunday inspected the state of work at the 1.35 kilometre Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge which is currently at 80 percent completion.

The first of its kind Cable Stay Bridge, with Pylons that will be 90 metres high, which will connect Admiralty Way in Lekki to the Osborne Road end in Ikoyi, is conceptualized to ease traffic at the corridor and make travelling between the two high-brow communities easier.

It is being handled by Julius Berger, one of the leading construction giants in the country, whose Project Manager, Mr. Christian Moessman, led the Governor and his entourage to walk through the project. Other top officials of Julius Berger present were the Division Manager Mr. Wolfgang Loesser, Operations Manager, Mr. Thomas Haag and Contract Co-ordinator, Engineer Nath Ikem.

The Governor had earlier, in company of his Works and Infrastructure Commissioner, Dr. Femi Hamzat, Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, Engineer Ganiyu Johnson, Special Adviser, Private Public Participation (PPP), Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi and Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, inspected the Lekki-Epe Toll Plaza 2 and the on-going alternative road that will run through Chevron Road to the back of Olorunshola Estate and back on the Expressway.

He expressed satisfaction at the quality of work done on the road which is at 50 percent completion and was certain that government would expedite action on its completion.

http://www.lagosstate.gov.ng/index.php?page=news&nid=1755

Can anyone comment on the situation in the Lekki-Epe express road, has the toll made things better/worse. I would also like to know what the situation is with the alternative road at Oniru. The road is only about a lane or so and IMO woould be too small to handle high amount of traffic.

When the Ikoyi bridge is done perhaps the gangster traffic on the Lekki expressway will lighten up.

baba_eko:

Can anyone comment on the situation in the Lekki-Epe express road, has the toll made things better/worse. I would also like to know what the situation is with the alternative road at Oniru. The road is only about a lane or so and IMO woould be too small to handle high amount of traffic.

Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi and Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, inspected the Lekki-Epe Toll Plaza 2 and the on-going alternative road that will run through Chevron Road to the back of Olorunshola Estate and back on the Expressway.

He expressed satisfaction at the quality of work done on the road which is at 50 percent completion and was certain that government would expedite action on its completion.

I think there are still hiccups, apparently 'some' people didnt know it has started and the toll also have no change   (very typical business scam)

There was a law suit on this,if i remember correctly?
What was the outcome?

^^^ I read somewhere that there is still no court date.

No court date because Mr. Ebun decided to play naughty, having lost in the state and Federal High court, he started playing hide and seek on the Appeal thing, abeg, let the residents pay jare and let the poor ride BRT.

I got on the alternative route this morning but when I saw the traffic which had built up to Ocean Crest School and the number of vehicles turning back, I decided to go back to the toll gate!

Photo shows the traffic heading down the "alternative" route after I turned back.

Notice how narrow the one-lane-in-each-direction the road is!

Though the road is narrow, it looks smooth, unlike some of our roads on the mainland.

Dont quite understand how one can take away 3 lanes and give the people only one and then call it alternative, what happens in most developed countries is that the toll road gets constructed from scratch, so had they built a highway by the ocean all the way down from say Oniru to Epe, I can understand, but this is just bullo*** to say the least.

I was going home yesterday. Cos of the traffic i felt would build up around the toll gate, I left my office by 9:30pm to get there around 10pm. There was still plenty traffic. The Oniru road was backed up all the way to the express so no need turning off. It took us 15 mins at 10pm to pass the toll! Yesterday left my house by 5:30 am so as to avoid traffic. Today left by 6:15am and almost regretted it. This traffic gather children. This getting home by 10pm and leaving by 6am will take some getting used to. My baby now sleeps later and wakes earlier so he can see mum and dad.

can any resident/worker calculate how much per week/month this will cost them on average

N6,000 per month for me excluding weekends. Need to change Church asap.

This information has been on the African Development bank website for some years now:

Lekki Toll Road Project

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overview
Reference: P-NG-DBO-008
Approval date:
Start date:
Appraisal Date:
Status: Ongoing
Implementing Agency:
Location:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background
This project is sponsored by ARM and Larue projects Ltd under a 30 year concession.

Rationale
The growing population in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, has put pressure on existing transportation infrastructure leading to unacceptable traffic jams, especially during the rush hours. Travel times for relatively short distances of, for example 5km, can be close to 4-5 hours in some places.


Objective
To improve the overall transport infrastructure in Nigeria’s Lagos State, including the upgrading of the Lagos expressway to lower travel times, improve road safety and lower vehicle operating costs.


Description
The project comprises the following:

1.Rehabilitation and widening of first 23km and rehabilitation of the last 26.5km of the 49.5km Lekki to Epe expressway on the Lekki corridor in Lagos City,
2.Building of a new ramp at Falomo junction to carry right turning traffic onto the Falomo Bridge
3.Building of new foot bridges along the right of way to carry pedestrian traffic hence improving on road safety for pedestrians
4.Building of the first 6km of the coastal road which itself is contingent on the construction of the coastal defences by Lagos State Government
5.Rehabilitation/building of 10 inter-connecting roads between the expressway and the coastal road

Benefits
The will be the first Public-Private Partnerships in transport sector. The project’s economic and social benefits for the people of Lagos state through improved road infrastructure, increased in road safety along the Lekki corridor, lower vehicle operating costs and increased employment to the people of Lagos.

http://www.afdb.org/en/projects-and-operations/project-portfolio/project/p-ng-dbo-008/

This is my appraisal of the project so far :

1.Rehabilitation and widening of first 23km (Not completed)
rehabilitation of the last 26.5km of the 49.5km Lekki to Epe expressway on the Lekki corridor in Lagos City, (Not completed)
2.Building of a new ramp at Falomo junction to carry right turning traffic onto the Falomo Bridge (Completed)
3.Building of new foot bridges along the right of way to carry pedestrian traffic hence improving on road safety for pedestrians (Not completed)
4.Building of the first 6km of the coastal road which itself is contingent on the construction of the coastal defences by Lagos State Government (Not even started)
5.Rehabilitation/building of 10 inter-connecting roads between the expressway and the coastal road (Not completed)


What's your own appraisal?

johnie:

4.Building of the first 6km of the coastal road which itself is contingent on the construction of the coastal defences by Lagos State Government (Not even started)

And this is supposed to be the alternative route!

[size=14pt]. . . then the LASG shifted the burden of building the coastal defences to the FG:[/size]

Nigeria: Danger Looms In Lekki   
•Part of damaged areas of the beach caused by the flood at Lekki/Alpha Beach on Monday July 18, 2011.
INSET: Commissioner for Water Front and Infrastructure Development, PrInce Adesegun Oniru (2nd right), Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga (3rd left), Permanent Secretary, (Office of Drainage) Ministry of Environment, Engr. Muyideen Akinsanya (left) and the Environmentalist, Mr. Desmond Majekodunmi (2nd right), during the inspection of the beach by the Federal Government Ecological Fund Delegation team. With him are: Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello (left) and the Permanent Secretary, (Office of Drainage) Ministry of Environment, Engr. Muyideen Akinsanya (right)


In the next three months, thousands of houses and residents abutting the Alpha Beach in Lekki area of Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria will be sacked by coastal erosion by the ocean, warns the Lagos State Government.

Already, in the last two weeks, the 20 metres of coastline has been lost to the ocean as the water from the sea is less than 70 metres away from residential area and several shanties abutting the ocean.

Commissioner for Waterfront Development and Infrastructure, Prince Segun Oniru disclosed this on Monday when a team from the Federal Government came to inspect the level of damage caused by the recent flood in Lagos and submit its finding to President Goodluck Jonathan.

The team was led by the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, while the Permanent Secretary, Ecological Funds in the Office of the Presidency, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote was also in the team. The team inspected the Mayegun Beach where several shipwrecks are causing coastal erosion in the area and the Alpha Beach faced with the same problem of coastal erosion.

According to Oniru, who spoke at the Alpha Beach, residents in the area were in grave danger as the water from the ocean is fast approaching residential area and called on the Federal Government to do something urgent to safeguard the lives of people and properties.

He said the only urgent solution to halt the coastal erosion was for the Federal Government to reclaim the lost area to the beach by creating an embankment like it was done to the Bar Beach to prevent it from eroding the Ahmadu Bello Way.

“I cannot say how much it will cost to solve the problem of the beach but the Federal Government still needs to come to inspect the area to find solution to it.

“You can’t fight nature but you can only appease it. We need to push back the water and protect the beach from eroding. If nothing is done, in the next three to six months, everything you see here (houses and people) won’t be here anymore. In the last two weeks, we have lost 20 metres of the coastline to the ocean. What we are witnessing at the beach is natural erosion and a consequence of the rise in water level which is a result of global warming,” he stated.

He said the Alpha Beach which had been severely eroded and had damaged the roads needed urgent attention to save the impending danger.

Also speaking, Aganga said the Federal Government would surely come to the aid of Lagos, saying that the state government had already compiled what it needed, which he said would be forwarded to the president for action.

“We have heard that 20 metres of coastline had already been lost to the ocean in the last two weeks and that if we don’t do something about it, the people you see behind you here won’t be here anymore. We are here to assess the situation,” he said.

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/07/19/nigeria-danger-looms-in-lekki/

[size=14pt]Since the visit nothing concrete has been done, either by the FG or the LASG[/size]

Nigeria's coast 'threatened by shipwrecks'By Jonah Fisher

BBC News, Lagos

Nigeria's coastline is littered with shipwrecks

Up to 100 rusty shipwrecks line Nigeria's 853km (530-mile) shore, officials say. Some have been stranded for years and they are now being blamed for erosion that threatens homes and livelihoods.

The waterfront community at Alpha Beach in Lagos date their problems to a year ago when a barge washed up a kilometre away. Since its arrival, they say the waves have eaten into the land at a rate of up to 20m a month.

"Because the ship is such a solid object being where it shouldn't be, it causes a direct impediment to the natural flow of the current and stops sedimentation," says Desmond Majek from the Nigeria Conservation Foundation.

"But what's worse than that is that it causes these eddy currents that immediately start to chew up the entire shoreline."

Buildings and roads have crumbled into the advancing water. Since April the local Muslim community has been forced to worship in a makeshift tent.

"The mosque is in the sea now," says the mosque's imam, Banuso Shamusideen. "The water just came and destroyed it. In three hours everything collapsed."

Other buildings along the waterfront are now little more than piles of rubble. For those whose homes are just a few metres from the sea, panic is starting to set in.

'Disaster zone'

"It's terrifying. In fact at night we don't sleep because we're thinking the water could come in at any moment," Bode Ajakaye says, pointing out the home he had bought with his wife Ladi to retire to.

"And the problem has been there for a while and it's caused by this wrecked ship. It's a disaster zone I must tell you."

Dismantling ships becomes more complicated the longer the wreck stays on the beach "The sea is inching [forward] every second," Mrs Ajakaye adds with a shake of her head.

"All the coconut trees have fallen into the sea. We need Nimasa [Nigerian Marine and Administration and Safety Agency] to remove this wrecked ship and hope that the beach comes back."

Nimasa is blamed by many for the number of wrecks, as it is responsible for the quality of ship that operates in Nigeria's waters and should be taking action to remove the stranded vessels.

The agency's director general Patrick Agpobolokemi defends his approach, saying officials were still carrying out an inventory of the number of ships stranded along the waterfront.

"Most of these ships that are abandoned in our waters are owned by foreigners. Foreigners have flouted our rules," he said.

"We are following due process in removing these wrecks and we are approaching the last lap of this process."

Painfully slow

Under maritime law it is the responsibility of the ship's owner to remove their stranded vessel from the coast.

But with many of the wrecks having been bought cheap and barely seaworthy to work in Nigeria's oil industry, when trouble strikes they are often abandoned to the elements.

"The major issue is that when it [the ship] comes in, it takes a while for the government to get involved because of avoidance of litigation," Kunle Akinde from Accurist Marine and Dredging told me.

"They want to appeal for the owners of the vessel to initially remove them. By the time the government comes in the ship has really sunk into the beach and it becomes more difficult to remove."

Mr Akinde is being employed as a contractor by Lagos state government to remove five ships from the state's congested waters.

But it is a painfully slow process. Each wreck takes up to six months to be fully dismantled and conditions can be difficult and dangerous.

His work removing the barge near Alpha Beach is currently suspended due to high tides.

Not everyone is quite as convinced as the locals that shipwrecks are the underlying cause of the community's problem. Global warming and rising sea levels have also been cited as contributing factors.

"The problem of Alpha Beach is coastal erosion generated by the ocean's surge," says Prince Segun Oniru from Lagos state government.

"If we act quickly enough we can save life and property. But we need federal help."

In July, President Goodluck Jonathan visited Alpha Beach to see the erosion for himself and promised to take the problem seriously.

Mr Oniru has employed contractors to remove the wrecks but would like to see a barrier built out into the sea to protect the area. 

But the costs of such a major project are huge and the wheels of government in Nigeria turn slowly.

Whether the erosion is being caused by the shipwreck, ocean conditions or a bit of both, by the time a decision is made Alpha Beach may have disappeared under the waves.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14646632

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