hercules07:

[size=18pt]Let them pay the toll jare or go by public transport, how do they expect the government to survive [/size] if they do not pay the toll, a 120 Naira or 240 Naira toll per day equates 5K per month, if you have no business leaving your area do not, do not add to congestion on the roads abeg.

hercules07:

if you have no business leaving your area do not, do not add to congestion on the roads abeg.

Akainzo:

You were the one that asked for the measurements, read your own posts to understand or were you just blowing without understanding?

Akainzo:

And I have already shown, the other assumptions were not correct either as no-one has an absolute measurement. However, no one has disputed the traffic jam that used to be there and the ease of movement that is now in place. If the two scenarios would give you the same travel time in your warped mind, then so be it. You are allowed to be deluded.

Akainzo:

You are indeed one that blows for teh sake of blowing. Public transport is rovided everywhere in the world to ensure that poor people can move around, go to work, go for leisure and do other things. And for your information, we are black in Nigeria, so you need not bring your racial inuendos into it while discussing Nigeria.

Akainzo:

Ok, since you live in the so called advance country of US, how many people classified as poor have cars?
He is not forced to abandon his peugeot and ride buses, it is his prerogative to make an economic decision if riding a car and paying toll rather than going by public transport is economically beneficial to hima nd his family. He would take the decision that suites his pocket.

Akainzo:

You must definitely be on something that affects your reasoning, so the mode of transport one chooses does not reflect their poverty ranking?   Where are you from, Mars?? Do you expect a poor man to drive a Hummer? Oh you expect him to live in his Ferrari. No they are not less poor because they own a vehicle or two, they are more poor because they own cars and vcan afford to maintain them.

Akainzo:

You are bereft of critical reasoning on this matter. If a man owns 2 1980's vehicle, you would assiume those vehicles are super fuel efficeint, they require less to maintain and their parts are extremely easy to come by in nigeria. You should be using your head instead of blowing your mouth.
And when a man inherits a 1980s vehicle, he should know when to dispose them to help his economic situation rather than increase his poverty level.

Kobo, I am actualy trying to get you to use your brain to think critically, do not hamper your faculties with sentiments and rass thinking.

Kobojunkie:

I am sorry please make certain YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH next time.[size=14pt] The Autobahn has ALTERNATIVE routes.[/size]  Stop making stuff up!![img]http://www.gettingaroundgermany.info/g_imgs/z467.gif[/img]

Akainzo:

And that alternative, is it of the same quality as the autobahn, that, was the question? Seeing as you were denigrating the proposed alternative and saying it should measure up to the main one. Do you get muddled up as you progress in a discourse?

Kobojunkie:

Actually, it is measurable.Yes, there are those whose numbers I would trust more than the words of a pedestrian posting on a forum. Imagine you telling me that your assumptions are more factual than those of others. Really? Really? ROFL

Kobojunkie:

Again, public transport around the world is NEVER really specifically designed just for the poor. However, that you would deem it a POOR thing . . . i.e suggesting the POOR should ride the bus, speaks volumes of how you think of the less privilegded in society.

Kobojunkie:

I see the BLACKS SHOULD RIDE THE BUS analogy went over your head too. Oh well!

Kobojunkie:

The number of cars a person has, has NOTHING to do with how poor or rich they really are. There are so many poor people out there who live in their cars. There are poor families who own cars. Please EDUCATE yourself. You have google as a tool for this.

Kobojunkie:

WOW. . .  he accuses me of being bereft of critical reasoning, yet he spews the gobble-de-gook above. WOW!!! What the heck has efficiency of the cars to do with this? And why does he have to dispose of the cars? So people like you do not go around thinking him rich? WOW!!!

I may have made a mistake assuming I would get some good debate out of you but I am disappointed  . . . such WEAK comebacks . . .  I think I am done . NEXT!!

Kobojunkie:

capital [size=14pt]YES[/size]. they are not thin one lane roads that are unable to handle rushhour traffic.

PLEASE EDUCATE YOURSELF!!! GOOGLE IS THERE TO HELP!

Kobojunkie:

WOW. . .  he accuses me of being bereft of critical reasoning, yet he spews the gobble-de-gook above. WOW!!! What the heck has efficiency of the cars to do with this? And why does he have to dispose of the cars? So people like you do not go around thinking him rich? WOW!!!

I may have made a mistake assuming I would get some good debate out of you but I am disappointed  . . . such WEAK comebacks . . .  I think I am done . NEXT!!

agbeero:

passes through City of David and 4 Seasons hotel. From there , I passed through the New Market road which forms the rest of the 'Alternative Route' . On getting to the second roundabout , I turned left and headed towards the Toll Gate. I paid the Toll fee - N120 and got through.

My Observation
Most of the people that claim that an Alternative Route has been provided need to have their heads examined. A combination of roads that were not built to last with Interlocking stones make up the Alternative Route. The Route is basically a winding access road within a Residential area . The road was not designed for bypass purposes. [size=13pt]As at 10 'o clock this morning, traffic on the Alternative Route was stand- still. The hold-up crawled from City of David to New Lekki Second Roundabout on a Sunday Morning. At the same time, traffic from the Toll Gate was also stalled. If this is the situation on a Sunday Morning with most folks out of Lagos for Christmas , I wonder what will happen when Schools resume and families start putting 2-3 cars on the road. [/size]

Finally, what were Anti- Terrorism police doing manning the Toll Gates? Are they not supposed to be called in if a Terrorist attack occurs within the state. What is their business with guarding gates and roads constructed by the "Private Sector"?
My heart goes out to every painter, welder, cobbler, electrician whose life has just been made harder as a result of this Toll Gate.
NO COUNTRY FOR POOR MEN

lukkie:

In case anyone has forgotten, this is the history of the Eti-Osa LG Toll Project


THE FACTS

1.    The Lekki-Epe express road was initially constructed by the Jakande administration and completed by the Mudashiru and Mike Akhigbe military administrations in 1987.  The entire Lekki axis was then opened up for rapid development.  Between 1985 and now, the corridor has been experiencing rapid and unprecedented urban growth as hundreds of new communities, developments and estates have developed which drew large population of low and middle income Lagosians.

2.    The last administration realizing the urgent need to address the fast growing problem of road congestion conceived the idea of the expansion of the existing express road into a six-lane roadway, the construction of an alternate coastal road that will run from Ahmadu Bello way in Bar Beach, along the shores of the Atlantic ocean towards Ibeju-Lekki Local Government area. The third leg was the construction of a fourth mainland bridge, from Langbasa area near Ajah across the Lagos Lagoon to Ikorodu town and detouring somewhere to join the existing third mainland bridge thereby forming a circular road around Lagos.

3.    A committee was initially set up which recommended the adoption of the PPP concept to handle the project since it was thought then that because of the magnitude of the project, the state government might have to collaborate with the private sector under a Private-Public-Participation (PPP) model to handle the project.

4.    Thereafter, Tinubu’s greed took control.  He floated a company-Lekki Concession Company (LCC) to handle the project as a consortium and appointed a financial advisory company ARM as the financial adviser.

5.    LCC immediately asked for 1,000 hectares of prime land as the contribution of the state government to the project.  This was immediately granted by Tinubu and he released the c of o within weeks for 1,000 hectares of prime at Awoyaya, Abijo, Eputu and Sapati all in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area.  Part of the land is now being developed as ADIVA housing and golf course project by ARM

6.    The project was later jettisoned after obtaining the hectares of land and other payments from the state government and in its place; the rehabilitation of the existing Lekki expressway was adopted by the consortium.  There is no basis for a toll road and 30 year concession arrangement for a mere rehabilitation and expansion of an existing road which the government could afford on its own.

7.    Indeed, the Federal Government under President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote to Governor Tinubu in 2006, offering to construct the coastal road free of charge to Lagos and its people from the Lekki Free Trade Zone to Ahmadu Bello Way in VI.  He also sent a letter of commitment written by a Chinese construction firm to that effect.  Governor Tinubu firmly rejected this offer and instead opted to abandon the coastal road project which the concession was initially meant for and instead signed a 30 year concession for a toll road to his company.

8.    The rehabilitation work commenced in late 2006 with the expansion and rehabilitation of the Ozumba Mbadiwe end to Mobil building and the 49.4km main Lekki road rehabilitation started in 2007 shortly after Fashola became Governor

9.    By this time, Fashola’s crony-Dr Tunji Olowolafe was made chairman of LCC and the entire contract was awarded to HITECH.    HITECH is owned by both the Chagouris and former Gov Bola Tinubu who is the Chairman

10.  LCC was given a 30 year concession (note that all their concessions are usually 30 years) with no competitive bid, no competing quote and no professional evaluation.  The whole thing was packaged by Tinubu and executed by Fashola for their own selfish interest.

11.           To further confirm this, Tinubu has built a multi-billion naira state of the art hotel-the Oriental Hotel along the express road. Conveniently, the toll gate is located a few meters before the hotel coming from VI so that the hotel clients wouldn’t have to pay toll.  Even, special entry and exit points (including a roundabout) have been constructed for the hotel and the multi-level car park beside it (also owned by Tinubu) by the construction company using tax/toll payers’ money. Talk about creating a personal empire. One man owning an express road and a multi-billion naira hotel.

12.           The 49.4km two-phased project is to cost an outrageous N50 billion which the innocent citizens and particularly the residents and indigenous communities of Lekki, Ajah, Epe and Ibeju areas will cough out over the next 30 years while  Tinubu, Fashola, Olowolafe, the Chagouris and their other collaborators and their unborn generations will be smiling to the banks.  A simple arithmetic shows that cost of construction averages N1billion per 1km.  This did not include the 1,000 hectares of land and other costs already incurred by the Lagos state government. This must be the most expensive road anywhere in the world! Meanwhile, there will be 3 toll plazas in a 50km stretch!

13.           Already, the rehabilitation work which started in 2006 has only achieved less than 2km in over 3 years; meanwhile, the consortium has only concentrated on building the toll plazas rather than first completing the two phases for the convenience of residents. Residents in these areas spend more than 6 hours daily on the road while the situation will get worse during the coming rains.  This has disrupted the lives of the citizens and no proper alternate road was constructed by the consortium.

14.           The entire Lekki axis hosts millions of indigenous people who are fishermen and farmers and have occupied their lands for centuries.  They are largely poor and agrarian from villages like Ajah, Badore, Elegushi, Ajiran, Sangotedo, Abijo, Ibeju, and all communities in Eti-osa, Epe and Ibeju-Lekki Local Government areas. These indigenous people along with others living in the area are now being forced to pay toll to enter and exit their fatherland.

15.           These people who have been subjected to economic misfortune occasioned by seizure of their lands by this government are now been economically drained by the imposition of toll gates within their communities.  There has never been any consultations with the people neither was there any environmental impact assessment before the commencement of the project.

16.           THE BIG FRAUD

This is the biggest fraud ever conceived!

(a)     A road that was initially constructed by two previous administration and that belong to the Lagos State Government is now being jointly owned by Tinubu-the former governor and Fashola-the present governor through his crony-Dr Tunji Olowolafe under the consortium LCC

(b)     LCC was appointed without conforming to the Public Procurement Act of 2007. There was no public bidding process, no competing bids from other consortium and the fact that the former Governor and the present Governor have personal interest is criminal in nature.

(c)     LCC will collect toll from the taxpayers of Lagos over the next 30years.  The amount to be collected was not subject to any negotiation or law by any regulatory agency.  Which means it is arbitrary and could be changed without notice anytime through the duration of the 30 year lease.  

(d)     In addition, landowners and prospective builders of homes are being charged heavily as infrastructural charge, land use charge and personal income tax and are now required to pay road tax or toll. This is multiple taxation in its worst form.

(e)     The people’s livelihoods have been disrupted for the past 3 years without compensation and there is no alternate road anywhere as it is in practice in other parts of the world where there are toll roads.

(f)      A concession that was granted for the building of a coastal road, 4th mainland bridge and expansion of Lekki road has now been turned into mere rehabilitation of an existing road for the same 30-year concession. This is fraud

(g)     Fences are being built around the toll areas to box residents within the area. This has security and safety implications.  If there is a major emergency like major armed robbery operations, civil crisis, major floods, fire incidents etc and residents need to be evacuated in a hurry; there will be major massive bottleneck at the toll plaza as there is no other escape route except through the lagoon or Atlantic Ocean. Remember the Oke-Afa mass drowning incident of 2002.   God forbid!

(h)     The owners of LCC have also received cash payments and land grants from Lagos state government in addition to the 30 year toll.  These payments and land grants were initially made under the agreement that the 4th mainland bridge-Lekki road-coastal road would be built.  It is therefore criminal to obtain compensation for a project only to turn around and reduce the scope.

(i)       Several prominent Baales, residents and associations have voiced their objections over the years but were arrogantly ignored by government and LCC.  The Eti-Osa Heritage Group, Concerned Residents of Lekki-Ajah (COROLA) and other Indigenous groups have expressed reservations and berated LCC for what they considered inequitable for the residents.

(j)       We indeed wonder what the Lagos State House of Assembly is there for if it cannot raise its voice to protect its citizens.  The House is indeed culpable as it remains ineffective when this entire charade is going on under its watch or is the House of Assembly another conquered territory of both Tinubu and Fashola?

The One:

@coogar is so ignorant! Is is that you don't know that tax band in Nigeria is 5 - 25% with 25% being highest. The reason why it's 20% for highest band is that you have a 20% personal allowance so it's 25% of 80%.

You people just come here as if you know what you are talking about!

coogar:


the tax band in nigeria being 5-25% is too low. it should be more!
the upper limit - lower limit is too low. it should be something like 15% - 45%.

OK_2_NV:

pay more to tinibu's account?

coogar:

pay more into the account of lagos state government so they can adequately cater for the teeming population of lagos state residents.
una too plenty - the amenities are struggling to go round.

The One:

@coogar you ignorant thing! You still don't get it do you? Stop making assertive statements as if you know! If you earn a million a year, you are not in the highest tax band so your tax cannot be 200,000.

I'm expecting your next show of ignorance.

OK_2_NV:

which amenities? my friend go and support Tinubu some place else

OK_2_NV:

OBVIOUSLY YOU ARE SYMPATHETIC TO CORRUPTION AND THOSE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN IT. 
Lagos remains one of the worst places on earth to live in. Even for Nigerian standards Lagos ranks low. I will choose anywhere in the north over Lagos. millennium city my butt.

I hope the Atlantic drowns you and your open sore of a city and when that happens i hope you have enough cash to pay your leprichun leader tinubu who will by then be operating a privatized emergency and rescue canoe.

karl max:

^^ don't waste your Time. Educating him his not even from lagos if he is which village in lagos did he come from just like the rest of dem who claim lagos state on NL

dayokanu:

Someone claims because he pays taxes he should be exempted from paying tolls,[b] Pls in which country [/b]does something like what you are requesting happens?