₦airaland Forum

The PDP recorded a sweet victory over the ACN in a bye-election conducted by INEC for the vacant house of assembly seat in Ikorodu, Lagos.  Hon Gbenga Oshin-PDP was declared the winning by a substantial margin over his ACN opponent.  This is the second consecutive victory of PDP in Lagos state over the past months.  The first was at Ibeju-Lekki House of Rep seat. It is note-worthy that despite all the noise of Bola Tinubu and his larger than life posturing, he has been loosing elections in his home state.  All he has been showing off are his purchased victories at the courts.
  The ACN should beware. Lagos might be going PDP.  ACN is too arrogant, complacence, loud-mouthed, and the owner of the party-Tinubu, too dictatorial.  Can you belief that up till now, the party doesn't have gov candidates, and for other positions.  The dummies including Fashola, are all waiting for Baba Tinubu to pronounce them as candidates.

http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/news/general/65005-Party-challenges-Lagos-bye-election.html

This billboard and the posters say it all. My life has changed from bad to worse. Fashola and the AC govt have contributed to my misery and frustrations. The roads to my house are terrible and worsening daily. My street gets flooded whenever it rains. I spend 4hrs to and 4 hrs from work everyday most of which in traffic logjam, my wife's stall at Yaba was demolished and she now has no place to sell. Fashola has made me poorer. I hope the PDP will give Pedro the ticket, he seem passionate about Lagos, I think he can make a difference.

This has to be the most indepth scrutinisation conducted on this administration's regime. it could not be any more spot on,

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Navigating Fashola’s Craters in Two Weeks
By SHAKA MOMODU, 11.19.2010
A Nigerian, who happens to work for an oil company, was said to have gone to a car shop in the United States of America. It was noticed by the car vendor that all the vehicles he was pricing were sports utility vehicles, particularly those with strong and reinforced suspensions. Curiosity got the better of the vendor and he asked the Nigerian if he was starting a farm and needed a strong car. The Nigerian answered in the negative, stating he was taking the car home and the American laughed, adding he understood the reason behind the Nigerian’s preferences.

The Nigerian in question was lucky. Apart from the fact that he could afford the big cars, he was also privileged to be buying it from a country with arguably the best roads in the world and, ironically, the best vehicles in terms of power and performance. But many Nigerian car owners can never dream of buying such cars and even the ones they could afford (mostly mid-sedans) the state of roads in the country, especially in Lagos, ensure that they visit the mechanics every week and at least twice in a month because they have one suspension part or the other to replace in the car.

The roads simply won’t allow those parts to last longer in the vehicles, even if they are the best and original parts they could get anywhere. Our roads will make a mess of the cars. A diagnostic assessment of the roads in Lagos will give a glaring picture of why cars don’t last and the nightmare commuters contend with in Nigeria’s so-called largest urban agglomeration.

Egbeda/Ikotun: Biggest Vote
Haul, Deepest Craters…
It is 7.30 am on Sunday morning, most of the residents of Egdeda/Idimu/Ikotun and environs are rushing to attend the early morning service in different churches, dressed in their Sunday best. But there is grinding traffic on the Iyana-Ipaja/Ikotun expressway and which has eaten up whatever advantage they had by setting out early. A man driving a rickety Volkswagen Passat hatch-back can be seen wiping his forehead of sweat even though it is still early in the morning, other occupants obviously his family (wife and children) sit in the discomfort of the old Passat without an air conditioning and bear the floating red dust that movement of other cars stir up and reduce visibility.

For over one hour, the movement was slow and grueling. Amid the fury of horns blaring from all corners and commercial motorbikes squeezing through tight spaces, it is utter chaos. Imagine the situation on work days? “It is terrible and unbearable,” declared a motorist. The traffic was caused by the terrible state of the road. For those who don’t know, driving through the Iyana-Ipaja/Ikotun expressway is now a nightmare for motorists. It is specially so for residents of the area who have to commute daily to and from the area. The pain and anguish is such that when the contract for the repairs of the road was awarded last year, the residents were jubilant. But one year later, the residents are worse off than they were before the contract for the repairs was award to an unknown company called, PlyCon Nigeria Limited.

According to residents of the area, the company moved to the site and promptly excavated the road. But to the consternation of residents immediately went to sleep. For more than one year, not up to 30 percent of the road has been completed. Meanwhile, the quality of resurfacing is so poor that even the part that was tarred barely three months ago has started failing.

According to Kunle Adedayo, what was excavated from the road is far thicker than what they are now putting on the road, the quality of the material is so low that it is as if the plan was to repair the road very quickly so that another contract can be re-awarded for the construction of the same road. He lamented lack of government supervision of contractors to ensure they comply with standard construction guidelines and quality control. “I think people in the state government are colluding with these contractors to shortchange taxpayers in the state, how else can this be going on and government officials feign ignorance of the scam,” he enquired.

While the company goes about its job sluggishly, the residents are counting their losses in man hours, closed business and sundry other problems. The Ikotun/Ijegun road has deteriorated so badly that residents of the area are wondering how things got so bad so soon. This road was constructed through direct labour during the administration of Bola Tinubu. As at today the potholes on the road are so big that they can be mistaken for craters.

The Iyana/Ayobo road is now impossible and has practically been abandoned by even motorcyclists. The residents now make do with navigating through the estates in the area to get to their homes. If major roads are in such bad shape, one can imagine what the condition of the feeder roads and inner streets will be like.

The feeder roads are indeed a sight for sore eyes. For instance, Princess Abiola Adeniyi Street which connects Iyana Ipaja/Ikotun expressway at Council Bus-stop has “remained un-tarred for the past 15 years that I have lived here,” declared Adedaye. He lamented further: “Just drive through all the feeder roads in this area and see for yourself if there is any evidence of government here. We pay all the taxes they ask us to pay but we don’t know what they do with it. Sometimes their task force will come and destroy shops in the name of keeping the environment clean and then go. That is only when we feel government presence in this area!”

Another resident of the area, Tony Nwawodoh, who heads a department in one of the communications outfits in Ikeja, Lagos, was even more emotional. Ordinarily, the journey from his home in Idimu to his office should not have exceeded 30 to 40 minutes but everyday including Saturdays and at times Sundays, he ends up spending between three to four hours just to get to work owing to the constant traffic jams on the roads. “This is because the roads are in deplorable state with no serious work going on. The feeder roads that should have served as alternatives to the main roads are terribly bad as the local government in that area has gone to sleep.

“No caterpillar grading was carried out during the dry season to make the feeder roads motorable in preparation for times like this. Vehicles are taking a hit, as they come out looking like race cars on cross country competitions. I wash my car every night in preparation for work the next day but when you see the car after undergoing this exercise, it is an eyesore. The car undergoes another washing exercise before I embark on my journey home. Some cars or buses break down on the streets while trying to maneuver the inner streets to link the major roads thereby causing further blockades and stress.”

Yet, most of those who the state government is asking to pay taxes are the people who are suffering from the terrible state of roads in the state. In fact, the Egbeda/Ikotun axis in question is an area where political parties in the state do not joke with because of the area’s population. A resident of the area who did not want his name in print said he was not even interested in that, but getting the roads fixed is what matters. His appeal goes beyond the state government alone.

“We are appealing to the federal, state and local government to wake up to their responsibility and do something to put these roads back. The Abeokuta/Agege expressway is pothole-infested and this is supposed to be the federal Trunk A Road. While the state road which is the Ikotun–Idimu–Egbeda needs urgent attention. The local government roads here comprise Ibidunni Towolawi, Arobaba, Pipeline in Idimu Area, Isiba Oluwo, Karimu Laka, Bassey, Ogunlana, etc, all needing urgent attention.”
Beyond their numbers, he said the people in these areas contribute to the economic development of the state. He added that the influx of people that troop in and out of these areas speaks volumes as they contribute to a major size of the workforce of the state and nation’s economy.

Another resident of the area who works in Ikeja and stays at Unity Estate said it is always a daily nightmare getting to the office and coming back home. To those who might not know, Unity Estate used to be the nest of the nouveau riche. But that was then. Today, rot has set in and made worse by the Egbeda-Idimu road. Tolu Adebayo, a resident of the estate who works in Ikeja, says daily commuting is a nightmare.

“Ordinarily, the journey from my house in Egbeda to Maryland where I work should not take more than forty minutes, but I practically spend an average of three hours on the road to work everyday, no thanks to the numerous ‘wells’ in the name of potholes that line up the roads. These in effect generate terrible hold-ups that leave one exhausted and frustrated even before the start of the day work; not to mention the man-hours being wasted on the road day in day out.”

She said coming out of her house in Unity Estate located along the Idimu road, is a nightmare. Right from her street to the gate of the estate, there’s a horrific story to tell. She explained that the residents have not been parking their cars in the compound for the past four months due to the deplorable condition of the road. “We virtually have to wade through mud and walk on the edges of gutters to get to where our cars are parked in a filling station; left at the mercy of thieves and vandals. To make matters worse, the main road (Egbeda-Idimu) is in a more apologetic state. Before rehabilitation work started on the road last year, we were still able to maneuver our way out, but since work started on the road, life has been a living hell for road users. To make matters worse, work has been abandoned since the beginning of the year. The road is now a complete eyesore, with big, wide and deep gullies in the middle of the road.”

But it was not always like this. In fact, time was (and this was as recently as 1999) when there was not a single pothole on the Apapa-Oshodi expressway, when commuters could drive from Oshodi to Iyana-Ipaja without running into any gully. Time was also when along Oba Akran or the Agege Link Road from Ogba was as smooth as any normal road could possibly be. These were times commuters could sit behind the wheels and take in the sights and sounds of Lagos or just use the opportunity for some much needed personal time with your thoughts. Alas, times have changed, those days are long gone. These days, the thought of driving even just down the road gives everyone the chills.

Ogba: Meandering Through the Craters…
Blessing Osuagwu lives at Ogba and works in Ikeja. She said getting to work should take her between 20 to 30 minutes. But that is a pipe dream. It takes her at least forty-five minutes to one hour. But if it rains, she is in trouble. It could take two hours. She said it is nightmare and if there is traffic hold-up, nothing is seen at the end of it all. Vehicles just slow down because of bad portions of the road.

“Driving in Lagos has gradually become a nightmare. For example, I live in the Ogba area of Lagos and my office is in the Maryland axis, in an ideal situation, this journey should not ordinarily take more than 35 minutes and I mean to and fro, even with traffic. Like I said this would be in an ideal situation. In the real world, that is nothing more than wishful thinking, I’m lucky if I make the commute to and fro in less than three hours. This is not because of the traffic situation or increased population of people migrating to Lagos but rather the dangerous pot-holes or should I say death traps that our Lagos roads have become. The irony is that these pot-holes are part of, if not major contributors to the traffic jams.”

A quick assessment of the roads leading into the Ogba axis confirm this: The Acme Road leading to Wamco (Elizade workshop to Peak Milk Office) taken to avoid the bottleneck on these roads, most people would rather make a detour and go through the Latter Rain Assembly road going through Mobil Filling Station to Ogba bus stop. This particular stretch of road has defied all attempts at construction and repairs. Its either good road constructors are not used or that the gods of that road have not been properly appeased and the road has simply been left in disrepair.

Driving to Ogba through the Agege Pen-Cinema, passing through LSDPC to Mobil is another nightmarish experience. To avoid all the above mentioned routes, one would think going through the Adeniyi Jones route would be better, but this is nothing but an illusion because even though the beginning of the road is good, but getting towards the bend leading to Sanusi Brothers Industry via First Bank to Ogba is nothing short of jumping from the frying pan straight into fire.

Everybody knows that the governor’s office and in fact the seat of power in Lagos is located in Alausa, so one would expect that roads in this part of town would at least be fairly well maintained, right? Contrary to expectations, driving down from the Island via Alausa to Jobi Fele way linking Femi Kuti’s New African Shrine to Agidingbi Road to the back of Mechanic’s village is not much of a different story. These are roads that the people in government pass through on a daily basis yet no attempt has been made to rehabilitate these. The worst is the one that passes the front of Ivory Music House, overlooking the Central Mosque when going to Marwa gardens.

Apapa: A Port City’s Nightmare…
In Apapa, the story is better imagined than experienced. Most of the adjoining streets, especially the famed GRA, are death traps and maneuvering through them in times of emergency is a waste of time. All the feeder roads linking Marine and Liverpool roads remind drivers of a war-torn region. The main road to Apapa, the Apapa-Oshodi expressway is a complete disaster and all attempts to fix the road have been mired in politics. Yet, all the seaports in Apapa are where the federal government gets considerable revenue from VAT and import and excise duties.

A middle-aged man who works in the area said the only thing he could see is brazen wickedness on the part of the authorities. He alleged that there are budgetary allocations for these roads every year but the monies are always embezzled by those saddled with carrying out the maintenance, which, ordinarily, should have been routine.

Surulere: Classy But Messy…
Not even the fact that Governor Babatunde Fashola lived in Surulere could change the fortune of this glitzy neighbourhood. The many feeder roads here are just not motorable. Time was when Surulere was the place to live because of the ennobling image it conferred on residents. The roads were neat and well paved and buildings were classy and modern. Strict building regulation was enforced. It was a beautiful suburb that instantly lifted your status if you lived there.

Well, those days appear a distant memory now. Surulere has shed its beauty and allure. And now increasingly looks like a failed residential experiment in modern town planning design. Although some efforts are being made to give the roads some facelift, the progress of work is grindingly slow. For instance, Babs Animasaun road was revamped less than four years ago, but it is now as bad as it was before rehabilation. Contractors saddled with other roads such as Ogunlana, Adeniran Ogusanya, Adelabu and others, don’t seem to know what they are doing. “They are taking too long to finish construction on these roads even the ones handled by Julius Berger, like the stadium area, has not been completed,” lamented a resident.
Other roads in Surulere that are also in terrible shape are Ibezim Obiajulu Sreet, a thoroughfare that links Adelabu and Alhaji Masha roads which connects to the stadium. Michael Ogun Street connecting to Ogunlana Drive and LUTH, Ilorin Street Alhaji Danmole and Fred Anyiam Streets all off Adelabu are a driver’s worst nightmare.

Anjorin Street between the Total filling station in Lawanson and Cole Street needs urgent attention. Particularly galling is Cole Street itself, which is off Lawanson Road. It’s simply an eyesore. People try every means to avoid it and for residents on the road, there is no escaping the tragedy that the road has become. There is another Cole Street linking Ojuelegba Road to Mabo Street, and its fate is not any better. Move on to Benson Street off Akerele road leading to Gbaja Street, Falolu Street, Ekolulu Street and Akanji Street, which is between Cole Street and Anjorin Street to Omololu Street off Akerele road leading to Shitta Roundabout, you are confronted by utter desolation and disrepair.

The Itire part of Surulere is hardly worthy of habitation also. All the feeder roads that connect to Ijesha road which in turn leads to Apapa-Oshodi expressway are in a deplorable state of disrepair. There appears to be a complete absence of government in this part of Lagos. The neglect here is startling and alarming in the mega city.

Anthony Village/Mende:
A Vanquished Center…
As rough as Lagos streets can be, some areas still are considered choice areas to live and have offices. Even the names conjure up images of exotic neighbourhoods. Names like Anthony Village, Mende, Maryland, Ikeja GRA, Opebi, Allen Avenue, give the impression of classy uptown neighborhoods and indeed these areas live up to expectations in all but one area - the roads.

Anthony Village used to be a quiet and peaceful neighborhood until people discovered its proximity to almost all parts of Lagos and started moving in. The influx of people also saw banks and other corporate organizations setting up branches or offices in the area and one would think with this kind of investment in the area, the government would try to make the area more conducive to businesses, not so.

In Anthony, Oluwalogbon Street the artery, in fact, the very street that houses one of the campaign headquarters of the ruling party in the state – Action Congress of Nigeria – hosts a very big crater that can no longer be called a pothole. This crater is also close to the central mosque in Anthony, so on Friday Jumat service or any other special prayers, one can only imagine the torture motorists go through to navigate through the area into Anthony proper.

From Anthony into Maryland is a street called Bush Street that joins the two areas. The whole length of this street is considered a hazardous journey to undertake especially for pregnant women because if you are not careful traversing this street, you could have a miscarriage. On quite a number of occasions, cars have ended up in the open drainage in the process of trying to maneuver to avoid the bumps and potholes on the street. A feeble attempt was made recently to patch up the roads, the verdict is still out on whether they did a good job or not.

Going into the Mende area, Sunmola Street to be precise, is not as bad but for a street that houses one of the chieftains of the ruling party in Lagos, it is not very impressive. It is gradually failing. A drive around the whole of Mende area reveals that everything is the same. From Oki lane to Ajose Street up to the street with PHCN’s transformers and down to Bode Oliwo Street, reflects the general state of disrepair and devastation to the roads. Some areas have been dug up in the name of rehabilitation but abandoned almost immediately and most have grown worse with the rains washing away what little tar that was left. Mende is such bad shape that many are left to wonder what local government chairmen do with their allocations and the money they generate internally.

Ggbagada, Ojota, Ketu, Alapere, Olowora, Okota Oke Ira Ajao Estate are some of the areas where roads are better described as bush paths, yet, nothing is being done to bring relief to the residents. “Whenever it rains, it is hell,” cried a resident in anguish. “Those who have cars dare not drive them out once it rains because the whole place is flooded and you can’t locate the craters and gullies,” declared, Emeka Chinaze, a Ketu resident.

Ikeja: Dilapidated and Rotten Capital…
If you think because Ikeja is the capital of Lagos State, one of Africa’s largest commercial cities, then you are indeed mistaken. From your first contact with Ikeja, you are bound to feel a sense of disappointment. The reality on the ground does not befit its status as the nexus of the mega-city, Lagos. Even though some of the major roads are in fairly good shape, a vast majority of the feeder roads are a crying shame on governance and those who run the affairs of the state.

In the Ikeja GRA, for those who don’t know, GRA is short for Government Reserved Area, and in fact the official residence of the governor is on Isaac John in the neighbourhood. Just by Isaac John Street is Oduduwa Way, a road which cannot really does not qualify to be called a road. This road is so uneven and bad that one thinks it would have been better if no attempt had been made to tar it. This road houses one or two relaxation spots and on Friday nights and weekends, days which the roads are supposed to be free, the traffic on that road is reminiscent of what obtains on Third Mainland at the end of a work-day. Going back to Isaac John Street, there is a stretch further down which also has a big pothole just before the traffic lights.

Opebi road, a major high street in Ikeja, is almost always in a bad shape. God have mercy on you when it rains. The popular Allen Avenue, another major high street in Ikeja, is only marginally better than Opebi. Almost all the feeder roads to Allen and Opebi are in shambles. Toyin street hardly fares better, especially the section leading to Ipodo market. Amore Street, Ladipo Kuku and almost all the adjoining streets are a write off. It is hard to believe that this area is part of Ikeja forms the nucleus of capital of Lagos State.

Ikorodu the debacle…
Saturday, November 6. Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu. The traffic jam from the Ikorodu roundabout has stretched back all the way to the gate of the polytechnic leaving hundreds of motorists stranded. In a desperate attempt to beat the traffic jam, several motorists heading to Ketu and beyond divert to a bypass called Ojokoro road. But it is as traumatic as staying in the traffic. Huge pot holes litter the untarred Ojokoro road which could have served as a good bypass. Several vehicles were bruised.

This strategic road leads to Eyita estate, from where motorists could burst out to the popular Lagos road. The entire Eyita estate is like a war zone with all the roads in the area in tatters. None of the roads has standard drainage, not to talk of being tarred. Further down Ojokoro road is Agric/Ori Okuta/Isawo/Agbede. Aside from the Isawo road, no single road is tarred in these four massive settlements. When it rains, residents park their vehicles miles away. Even the Isawo road started by the Tinubu administration almost eight years ago remains uncompleted. A big river has sprung up on a portion of the road, just opposite Oando filling station.

The load on the road into Ikorodu from the popular Mile 12 is a death trap and requires relaying. Just before Agric bus stop, lie two bypasses initiated by the Fashola administration about four years ago to decongest the place. They remain uncompleted, thus compounding the woes of the residents of Agric/Ori Okuta/Isawo/Agbede.

Ikoyi/Victoria Island: Opulent and Neglected…
Its skyline boasts of a vast array of the most modern high rise buildings, offices and the very best of luxury homes in the country. Ikoyi and Victoria Island are the dream residential neighbouhoods of every aspiring man and woman in the country. But beneath all the opulence, staggering beauty and splendour lies a rotten open secret of broken infrastructure which strips it of its elegance and undresses it of its cosmetic makeup. Meandering through all the posh offices and exotic homes are badly broken roads.

The glittering cars that drive out of the homes and offices also take a good beating from the craters that now litter Ikoyi/VI roads. It is an amazing irony of glamour and filth, a cruel mix of wealth and agony of the rich. The poor state of the roads, no doubt, takes away something from its high profile status. As such, Ikoyi and VI’s fate are just marginally better that Ikorodu and Idimu/Ikotun. You have got to see Ikoyi/VI when it rains. It transforms easily into a massive river and drowns all those lush greenery, lawns and gardens that give it its beauty and allure.

Most of the inner streets that inter-connect and would have made driving such a pleasure are in bad shape and need urgent repairs or better still complete resurfacing. Old Ikoyi is crying from neglect. From Second Avenue to First Avenue, Lugard Avenue, Mulliner and Glover roads to Warring road, Temple road to Thompson Avenue and MacDonald road, they are all in a state of disrepair. Ademola Street off Awolowo road, a very important detour from the ever busy Awolowo road is in a sorry state. So is Raymond Njoku road, while Sumbo Jibowu Street stinks to high heaven.

Victoria Island, Walter Carrington Crescent (old Eleke Crescent), where most of the foreign embassies are located is a complete disgrace to Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole. Apart from the fact the road is very narrow, it is now littered with potholes and touts. Why such an important road should be allowed to degenerate tells a lot about how we project ourselves and how foreigners should perceive us. If one decries the state of Walter Carrington, then you may need to cry for Bishop Aboyade Cole, which can be described simply as an abandoned road. It is an eyesore, “driving through this road is just horrible to say the least,” declared a motorist who is forced to ply the route daily because his office is located on it.

Aside from the two mentioned above, almost every link road to a major road in Victoria Island has its own story to tell, it is simply a nightmare scenario. Samuel Manuwa Street which leads to the 1004 estate is also in bad shape begging for repairs. Work has however peaked at Ligali Ayorinde road which in the past was in a horrible state.

Pervasive Incompetence…
The most disturbing aspect of the assessment of Lagos roads is knowledge that almost all the contracts for repairs are usually given to incompetent contractors who end up carrying out very low quality repair works that don’t last more than two rain falls. After which it is back to square one. Most of the roads actually need complete redesign and reconstruction, with side drains to channel flood waters into dedicated reservoirs by very competent and reputable construction companies, not quacks masquerading as construction companies who collude with state officials to shortchange the state.



Is Fashola a Flash in the Pan?

The celebrated spectacular performance of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola in the last three years appears to have come to a grinding halt just when the ovation was supposed to be loudest. Someone in the back seat must have cut the engine for the car to crawl to a stop in the middle of full throttle on an expressway of hope and renewal. With more than N14 billion from internally generated revenue alone monthly (data obtained from the First Qtr Budget Performance from the state’s website showed the state made N12 billion a month between January and March this year), Lagos State, which prides itself, as the center of excellence even though many would not admit it is in state of denial for a state with such a massive infrastructural deficit.

The state government is sadly unable to meet its basic obligations to its electorate. The politics of succession in 2011 appears to have put the government at a crossroad and is unable to define its place. Despite its huge internally generated revenue, coupled with monthly allocations that make Lagos by far the richest state in the country, the mega city can readily vie as the one with the most broken down infrastructure among other major cities of the world.

A raft of broken infrastructure, as symbolized by bad roads, poor quality of construction, dilapidated schools, a comatose health system, an unaccountable government and legislature in the strangulating grip of one man and his political structures, a ham-strung judicial system, over-taxed citizenry and corporate bodies, and other poor developmental indicators, have left the people asking questions. These questions, so far, have remained unanswered.

Thousands of potholes form a death-ring on Lagos roads and make driving in the state a living hell on earth. Add to that a helpless population held hostage, beaten and traumatized by hostile government policies now appears resigned to fate and defeated in the hope that a new dawn has come. Meanwhile, those elected to carter for the peoples’ needs play unconscionable hide and seek politics with the destiny of the state and its people.

The governor in the first two years of his four year mandate stunned Lagosians with his incredible pace in all facets of life in the state, especially in the area of roads, security, markets, street lighting and sinage and landscaping of the environment that won for him popular acclamation. Lagosians were very excited at the new look Lagos - further reinforced by his pay-off line: Eko’ o ni Baje!, symbolizing a new can do spirit and a new dawn. It was a fitting clarion call to energise Lagosians to new aspirations of rebirth, restoration and regeneration.

The script that drove his ascendancy to Alausa Government House was written by the master of political intrigues and former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. That Lagos State survived the political invasion ordered and supervised by former President Olusegun Obasanjo which saw the almost total conquest of the South-west zone by the Peoples Democratic Party remains sufficient testimony to the gumption of Tinubu.

Incidentally, this Machiavellian attribute was to become a key albatross on the neck of his protégée Babatude Fashola as his agenda for the state began to unravel under the weight of internal political contradictions. He was the most unlikely of candidates craving for the position. But in the wisdom of the man who saw tomorrow, (Bola Ahmed Tinubu) Fashola was the best to fly the flag. He pulled all the stops to ensure his anointed godson got the keys to Alausa. And he got it.

At Alausa Government House, Ikeja, positioned in the lobby of the governor’s office is a picture of Fashola with a text proclaiming: “Thank you Lagosians. Together, we can achieve more. Eko’ o ni baje”, translated from Yoruba, it means “Lagos will not go bad”. As political strap lines go, this was a particularly enduring one against the background of Fashola’s astonishing accomplishments in office at the outset. But willy-nilly, this scenario began to unravel on the sheer weight of public expectations, a godfather’s unrelenting demands, and the conceptual flaws of Fashola’s development plans.

Death of a Dream
When Governor Fashola assumed office on May 29, 2007, he took the bull by the horn and embarked on various constructions, rehabilitation, landscaping and slum clearance projects to give the state a new look befitting of a mega city. He became the most popular governor in the country, one that all his colleagues envied and tried to emulate. Within the space of two years in office, various roads were rehabilitated while new ones were also being constructed in various parts of the state. For a while, Lagos was one huge construction site as various contractors raced against time to complete projects. In the process, the usual Nigerian malaise to cut corners and make outrageous profits set in.

The quality of road work quickly began to manifest when the first rains came. The surface tar was simply washed off and the gullies and craters simply grew wider and wilder. Many of the roads that were constructed at such a frenetic pace have either failed or are in the process of failing, denigrating much of the famed achievements of the Fashola government.
Against the weight of positive performance reports of Fashola’s administration, perhaps, an inkling into the scope of the developmental dilemma of the state is a recent survey on global cities which revealed that Lagos is the fifth worst city to live in the world. In the annual survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Lagos was only surpassed by Harare (Zimbabwe), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Algiers (Algeria) and Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) as greater hell holes on earth.

In the 2010 ranking, there was little change in the top positions with Vienna, Melbourne and Toronto still taking the second, third and fourth positions and the top ten dominated by Canadian and Australian cities which took seven of the ten slots. The EIU survey ranked 140 cities on 30 factors such as healthcare, culture and environment, and education and personal safety, using research involving resident experts and its own analysts.

But the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Bamidele Opayemi emphatically disagreed with this assessment by the EIU and made a spirited defence of his principal. But then if Opeyemi hoped this would be the end of the debate from diverse stakeholder, he was pretty much mistaken.

Entering the fray, former deputy governor of Lagos State under the Tinubu administration, Femi Pedro gave his assessment of the Fashola administration by stating: “I realized that, through clever and constant application of propaganda, our people have been made to see hell as paradise. Today, Lagos has become a sad and sorry tale of two stories. On the one hand, I see people driving on pothole-infested roads and sleeping in flooded homes. I see children starved of adequate educational facilities, and sick people denied basic healthcare facilities. I see neighbors continuously subjected to exorbitant rent and jobless street miscreants. I see poorly paid teachers, doctors going on indefinite strike and market women forced to pay excessive stall rates.

“Astonishingly, on the other hand, I see a government that claims it generates about N18 billion a month from taxes, levies and surcharges, yet it is so disconnected from the plight of Lagosians, that it is more concerned about lavishing praises on itself than it is on improving the welfare of its citizens. Are we actually better off than we were four years ago? It is a tragedy and a big slight on my generation that this level of mediocrity is currently being celebrated meritoriously, but it is a bigger slight on us the people, when our expectations are driven by such minimum standards.”

If Pedro’s x-ray represents the voice of the angry opposition, Ayo Okulaja, a resident of Ikorodu has his own axe to grind with the current Lagos State administration over what he alleges is total marginalization of his area.
According to a distraught Okulaja, “I reside in Ikorodu, one of the key towns in Lagos. This town, home to over a million people, cannot boast of any of the much vaunted improvements, which this administration has been hailed for. Where do I start? Is it about the fact not one single road, either major or minor road has ever been repaired or constructed by either the state or the local government over the past three years?

“A visit to any part of this suburb and you can’t just help but wonder if this town is part of Lagos State. The main road that connects this community to Lagos State, the eponymously named Ikorodu road, is a Trunk-A double-lane and it has always been a tough task to commute to and from this town. That was before the sudden overflow of Ogun river made Ikorodu road virtually impossible to drive through.

“Right now, commuting on this road is an awful nightmare for everyone. The last administration had talked of a Fourth Mainland Bridge to the Lagos Island, which appears too costly for the state government to undertake. But residents could not understand what could be so difficult about expanding Ikorodu Road or, better still, opening up another alternative route to link the highly populated agricultural environs to Berger in central Ikeja.”

Misapplication of Funds
Officially, Lagos generates N14 billion monthly, besides federal allocation. But many observers locate the monthly take home of Lagos State Government from internally generated revenue in the realm of N18 billion – there are concerns, however, that the state understates its IGR.

In addition to the N14 billion, its first quarter budget performance showed that it collected an additional N9 billion a month from statutory allocations, VAT, capital receipts, dedicated revenue and extraordinary revenue. This brought total revenue receipts that accrued to the Lagos State Government to over N23 billion a month between January and March this year, making it the wealthiest state in Nigeria and richer that some African countries.

With respect to the state’s budget, the state government proposed a budget of N429.5 billion of which N389.5 billion which was approved by the House of Assembly and another N74 billion supplementary budget of which N22 billion was approved for the state. If one compares the approved budget to its actual implementation, then something is clearly wrong. With 2010 with just a few weeks to run out, there can hardly be any justification for the sums proposed by the Lagos State Government.

Undeniably, Lagos, in terms of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is richer than most African countries. The density of industries in Lagos is hardly matched by most cities in Africa with the exception of South Africa. These business establishments are heavily taxed. This scenario raises several posers. On top of this, Lagosians are clearly the most taxed folks in Nigeria. But the subsisting impression is that much of this ends up in private pockets.

So what are the large sums being generated from Lagos residents and business establishments being used for? Other than the bad road, doctors in the state are on strike, its schools are nothing to write home about, and owing to the political machinations in the state, governance has literarily gone to sleep. Where is the vision Fashola set sail with from the outset? How can a state in this situation dream of meeting the MDGs? How can a politician who is only a few months to a re-election bid be disenfranchising the electorate?

Today, Fashola’s critics have changed from accusations of non-performance to wasteful performance. His administration has faced stern allegations of financial misappropriation and many are no longer satisfied with his administration. They now want transparent and accountable leadership, one that is free of the shackles of the mini-gods that treat Lagos like their personal fiefdom.

Besides the allegations, Fashola has also been criticized for his soft stance towards his non-performing aides. Similarly, the issue of striking medical doctors has remained a fly in the ointment. The current industrial action by the resident doctors, in spite of the state government’s recent capitulation on the issue, is the third in the state under his tenure, with the issue of wages a recurring theme. But the state has always blamed the federal government for fixing wages without consulting with the state governments that will pay the wages.

Still Mr. Popular
In spite of the dissatisfaction with infrastructure in Lagos, Fashola’s performance is viewed differently by various stakeholders. To Johnson Adekunle, who has lived in Agidingbi area of Lagos for more than eight years, the governor’s leadership style is “most impressive.” “How many governors can boldly stand in front of the people talking about governance?” he asked. “At least, every 100 days, Lagosians have the opportunity to ask their governor questions without any restrictions. Though, this is the first I am attending but the critical questions being asked by residents shows this is no gathering for praise singing.” Mr Adekunle also asked how many governors will give out his mobile phone number and mandate all his aides and other political office holders to do the same.

According to Janet Akudo, focus is Fashola’s best quality. “He is focused on delivering his promise and you can see that right from the budget,” she said, referring to the governor’s manner of tagging each year’s budget. Akudo no longer has to go to the Lagos Island by road. “My blood pressure is stable now, since I started using the ferry,” she enthused.

Undoubtedly, Lagos State is second largest city on the African continent with an estimated population of about 10 million people (not 15 to 18 million that the state would want the world to believe) living in different parts of the city-state. It enjoys both economic and social cultural advantages and thus is a centre of attraction to Africans and nationals from other parts of the world.
Accordingly, the influx of people to the Lagos urban agglomeration daily generates governance challenges and also provides unique growth opportunities. Currently, the question on the minds of Lagosians is that against the backdrop of multifarious developmental challenges facing the state, how will the government key into genuine rebirth? Physical infrastructure should form the core of any visionary developmental agenda in any society. This is where Lagos under Fashola appears to be missing the point.

Babapupa, shut your dirty mouth. You are a stupid sycophant. You are a stupid fraud and you think others are as stupid as you. Where is the Badagry express? Where is the ultra modern Oyingbo market and which of your family member is selling pepper and fish there? Which metro project is on going? Etc. You just listed Fashola's propaganda projects yet the people are suffering. Floods everywhere, rent skyrocketing, unemployment all over, no water, bad roads, dilapidated schools etc.
Your fellow sycophants are always quick to give excuses like "I agree, Fashola has tried, spent a lot on roads, infrastructure in general, Lagos is a new place. But the state Govt is overburdened". What a dumb statement.
The truth is that Fashola is a failure. Either Tinubu kicks him out or we voters will kick him out period.

Lagos seems to be going down since the last several months.

1. NUC just denied LASU accreditation in 10 core courses namely Law, Economics, Marketing, Chemical and Polymar Engineering, Accounting, Banking and Finance, Political Science, Sociology, Bus Admin, and Mgmt Tech.
Imagine what the poor students and hapless parents are going through. Fashola has lost total control
2. The entire Education and Health sector in Lagos is collapsing due to strikes, neglect and incompetence
3. This Flood is more serious than imagined. So many millions are suffering and yet Fashola went there to blame NEMA. He has no solution of his own. How pathetic!
4. The people of Lekki are going through horrendous traffic jam. Same for Ikorodu, Badagry to Lagos end and many others. No answer from Fashola
5. Millions of jobless Lagosians due to Fashola's obnoxious policies of double taxation, demolition of shops and killing of the building and construction industry

Yet some posters will come here to post rubbish on re-election. Who is talking of re-election when lifes and livelihood of millions of Lagosians are threatened

There is no link or site. We are the Lagos Progressives and I am the coordinator. This is our own publication for Nairalanders and other interested persons on line to sensitize them on the wickedness and greed of both Tinubu and Fashola

THIS LEKKI TOLL GATE MUST NOT STAND

We, the Lagos Progressives Movement recently released a publication on the proposed tolling of the Lekki-Epe expressway.  The publication titled: Gov Fashola and the Lekki Road scam- was widely published in the print media and online (see ThisDay of March 24, 2010 and postings online in forum such as Nairaland.com, etc) and attracted widespread interest and comments. It was these publications that increased the tempo of protest and agitation by Lagosians in general and concerned Lekki residents in particular.  Since then, there have been  protests, agitations and legal action instituted by aggrieved and concerned residents.  These has led to the direct involvement of the Lagos State Government which set up a committee to look at issues raised by the residents, and series of public relations activities by the concessionaire to pacify the residents.

It is obvious that the protests and agitation by concerned Lagosians notwithstanding, the concessionaire is hell bent in commencing the tolling and has made elaborate arrangement and preparation for the take-off.  Presently, it has posted officials at each booth to take daily traffic count statistics and monitor and observe reaction of people in vehicles and buses as a prelude to take-off of the scheme. The toll plaza is now fully equipped and ready for use.

It is this development that has made it necessary for us once again to reiterate our stand on behalf of millions of Lagosians that the tolling of Lekki road is a major fraud and will not serve the interest of generality of Lagosians and therefore must not stand.  For the benefit of those who missed our earlier publications, we herewith reproduced the salient points below:

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 Tinubu 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.  The government then enacted the Public-Private Sector (PPP) Act as a vehicle to attract private sector participation in these and other viable projects within the state. This was indeed a welcome development which was expected to usher in the rapid development of much needed infrastructure in the Lagos metropolis.  No one expected a few selfish politicians and contractors to take advantage of this for their selfish interest and at the expense of the people.

4.  The selfish desire of a few individuals led to the establishment of The Lekki Concession Company (LCC) by a consortium which included a former governor, an investment company and a major contractor of the state government who became the chairman.  The contractor was recently arrested and questioned by the EFCC in connection with the allegations of corruption made against Governor Fashola.

5.    LCC was awarded the concession without due process. That is with no advertisement for concessionaires, no open bidding process etc.  The agreement with LCC was hurriedly signed in 2006 and it immediately embarked on raising the required funds for the project as described in paragraph 2. As part of the agreement, LCC requested for hectares of prime land as part contribution of the state government to the project.  This was immediately granted and the Certificate of Occupancy released within weeks for 1,000 hectares of prime state land 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 the investment company who is also a major part of the concession). LCC was also granted a 30-year concession to toll the Lekki express road and the 4th mainland bridge while the coastal road would serve as the non-toll alternate road.

6.    The project as was originally conceived was later jettisoned after obtaining the hectares of land and other payments from the state government and in its place a scaled-down part- 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.

10.  LCC was given a 30-year concession with no functional regulatory body in place to monitor critical aspects of the concession agreement like the scope, toll charges, alternate roads, etc. With no checks in place, the concessionaire had a field day.  It immediately dropped the coastal road and the 4th mainland bridge projects and concentrated only on the Lekki-Epe road project.

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 for Lagos State and the concessionaire to jointly fund the project under the PPP arrangement.

8.  Former President Obasanjo made the offer so as not to unduly burdened the people with tolling of the road.  Yet former Gov Tinubu rejected the offer. Obasanjo thereafter withheld approval for a sovereign guaranty requested by the financiers.  This guaranty was later approved by Late President Yara'adua after pressure was mounted on him by the incumbent governor.

12.  The 49.4km two-phased project was awarded to Hitech Construction company- a company owned partly by the famous Lebanese family of Chagouris and in which a former governor owns substantial interest without due process.  The contract was initially awarded at a cost of N50 billion which the innocent citizens and particularly the residents and indigenous communities within the areas will cough out over the next 30 years while  the concessionaire, the construction company and their collaborating politicians will be smiling to the bank.  A simple arithmetic shows that cost of construction averages N1billion per 1km.  This excludes 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, the concessionaire plans to install 3 toll plazas in a 50km stretch!

13.  Already, the rehabilitation work which started in 2006 has only achieved less than 5km in almost 4 years.  This has exposed the incompetence of the contractor and the concessionaire.  It has also shown that they do not possess the financial capability to finance the project.  Their plan has always been to use the tolls collected from the first phase to finance the rest of the project. 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 sometimes spend more than 6 hours daily on the road particularly during the rainy season. 

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 about to be forced to pay toll to enter and exit their fatherland. 

15. It is noteworthy that the Lagos State Government have little or no social or economic infrastructure to boast of in the Lekki axis.  There is no general hospital, no public library, no city or town hall, no university, polytechnic or any other tertiary institution. There is no low income public housing scheme( other than those built by the Jakande administration in the 80's).  Lekki and it's environs have no sporting or recreational facility, no public transportation scheme like BRT, no public water system etc.  Almost all developments have been through the sweat of the people and private initiatives.  The only thing the state government and the political leadership have done is to exploit the wealth of the people by selling off their land to themselves. The people have been deprived of their land and beaches and overtaxed through exorbitant land charges, building approval charges and now the planned toll charges on their road.

The fraudulent nature of this project cannot be over-emphasized.  We highlight below a summary of some of the objectionable and questionable aspects of this transaction for the benefit of Lagosians:
 
(a)     LCC was appointed and the agreement signed without conforming with due process.  There was no public bidding process, no competing bids from other consortium and the fact that a former Governor have substantial personal interest in the concession company and the construction company is criminal in nature.

(c)   LCC plans to collect toll from the taxpayers of Lagos over the next 30 years.  The amount to be collected was not subject to any negotiation 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).  There is no plan yet to develop the coastal road or any other non-toll road as alternate to the tolling of Lekki road.  LCC recently announced that the Oniru estate road will serve as alternate road.  This is a fraudulent claim by LCC meant to deceive the public.  The Oniru estate road is a private estate road not suitable for large traffic and was constructed to serve as internal road for the estate residents.  This cannot be an alternate road for millions of people in that corridor.  LCC must comply with the agreement signed to provide standard alternate road(s) along the Lekki corridor for the benefit of the people before they should start tolling the Lekki road.

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

 (f)   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 where residents have 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!

 (f)   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.

(g). The contractor and the concessionaire have demonstrated high level of incompetence and greed and have shown that they lack financial capacity to handle the project.  The quality of the work done so far is suspect and have expended so much resources on the toll plaza alone. This shows their real intention is to use the toll collected to fund the rest of the project.

In view of the above, we call on the government to immediately stop the tolling of the Lekki road until an alternate road is built and ready for use. It should also direct the LCC to remove the toll plaza immediately as it constitutes a bottleneck to free flow of traffic and a source of dangerous impediment to residents in case of emergency.

We also call on the residents and citizens of Lekki, Ajah, Ajiran, Badore, Ibeju, Abijo, Sangotedo, Epe and other communities within these areas to ignore the delay tactics and divide and rule strategy of government, and continue the agitation through peaceful and legal means for the discontinuation of the toll system. This government should take note that no amount of committee report and other time-wasting and face-saving tactics will change the people's resolve to get the TOLL PLAZA REMOVED UNTIL A  STANDARD ALTERNATE ROAD IS BUILT FOR THE ENTIRE AREA.

We, The Lagos Progressives Movement will continue our agitation for good governance for the benefit of all Lagosians

Wale Onilere Esq
Coordinator, Lagos Progressives Movement

lagosprogressives@yahoo.com

Lagosians should note that Fashola's 3+years administration in Lagos State appears to be dying of suffocation. The Governor seems to have lost focus and appears either distracted or incompetent. Examples:
1. Doctors have been on strike for several months, and public hospitals are incapable of delivering normal services to poor Lagosians. Result: medical services in total disarray
2. University teachers are also on strike, students of higher institutions are protesting and some were actually arrested. Result: higher education in disarray
3. LASU have just been denied accredit ion in certain courses by the NUC. Nobody seems to be in charge
4. A large part of Lagos metropolis to Ikorodu is submerged in water due to Oyan dam release of dam water. Ikorodu people are suffering seriously and Fashola appears clueless. He visited the scene but only mumbled and blabbed.
5. Nearly every road in Lagos is now bad, pot-hole ridden and unmotorable. People are suffering daily, trapped in endless traffic jam, harassed by Lastma, Kai, vio etc.
6. Above all, months after several allegations of corruption were made against him, he has not responded to these allegations. He has kept mute but prefer only to use the courts to frustrate the matter
7. Tinubu, his godfather is still holding him to ransom. He is busy begging Tinubu to give him a second term. He is the only sitting governor eligible for a second term who is not brave enough to announce his intention to contest.

My fear is that this guy is going to mortgage Lagos further to his god father to get re elected and Lagosians will be worse for it

this story smells false

Jimi Agbaje has not declared yet. Either way, he should join Femi Pedro in the race too if he desires. If he likes, he should go and pick up PDP nomination form for all i care. We need the best possible crop of candidates to spell out how they can get Lagos out of the filth it is in. Especially this rubbish called traffic. And if the people choose Fashola, they get Fashola. But Lagosians are not silly. They will hear everybody out from head to toe before making their choice. Me personally, I am anti-elitist and pro-masses, so I know where my vote WON'T be going.

@oyb there is no need for us to be rude or disrespectful when we are expressing our opinion. I show respect to fellow posters, and at the very least I expect to receive the same level of respect. My advice to you: refrain from such, it makes the candidate of your choice look bad.

Besides, are you 'lagosians'? unfortunately, you can only speak for yourself. chances are, you don't even live in lagos.

oyb:
dude , you can blather about fashola's 'accountability troubles' until you are blue in the face.

the fact is lagosians can actually see and feel what he is doing.

@Becomrich0 That is a fair analysis. but do you think goodluck will be affected too? In other words is it a possible scenario that jonathan will loose the south west? I doubt it.

Frankly, people are fed up with corrupt politicians all around the country. It is not just a PDP thing. Fashola's accountability troubles have been greatly chronicled. Oshiomole is doing nonsense in Edo. Mimiko, we hear, forged court documents to get elected. So as you see, it is not quite rosy on the other side of the pillow. The devil under an umbrella is better than the one that dresses as an angel with a broomstick (but devil is bad regardless  )

Becomrich0:
yes God too. It is hard for pedro to beat fashola. To beat fashola you need a yoruba activist. Yoruba people love artivist that why they voted for Tinubu when he came back from abroad. 

And PDP does not stand any chance in Yorubaland at the moment in a true fair election. That why PDP want to rig it. Look at Oyo state, there is no way they would win. Ogun state too. Ondo is with labour. It would be hard for PDP to win a single seat in Yorubaland. because the PDP have failed Yoruba people. And Yoruba people are just waiting for the election to get rig of PDP.

Nobody would vote for a PDP who conduct a census figure and cheat them and even when the truth came out, still refusing they would not change. Jonathan should go and look for his vote outside Yorubaland.  Do you think Yoruba people are fools. To be honest with yoruba, the PDP is insulting Yoruba people for even been bold to think they can win a seat in Yorubaland. It is an insult to Yoruba people. That PDP still exist in Yorubaland.

The PDP has not merited Yoruba vote.

The Yoruba people cant return a party which has refuse to fight for thier right back into Government. It has never happen before and it would be an insult to the Yoruba race.  And Yorubaman who support sure a cheating is considered to be a naughty person. Do you know what Omo ale is.?

yes

and God

Becomrich0:
pedro cant beat fashola, only a yoruba activist can beat fashola.

what does that mean? i do not follow

ola olabiy:
Naturally anti.
GBENGIRO.
Naturally anti.

besides, the problem is that so many people in Lagos have been so disillusioned with government that they have become desensitized and vulnerable to nonsense.

ok. what are femi pedro's plans for lagos? the last thing lagos needs is another man like fashola who makes empty promises and delivers nothing but published achievements. I remember he served under Tinubu. How can we be sure we wont turn out to be another fashola, disconnected from the people


i will like to see an a plan.

Progress for who? The thieves, the rogues, the land grabbers, those who own the choicest plots and hotels in Lekki, the likes of Olowolafe and other contractors fronting for both Tinubu and Fashola.

The common man and woman is suffering under this Govt. Ask the tejuosho market women, the printers, vulcanizers, auto mechanic, the transporters, common traders, landlords and tenants etc. These are the real Lagosians suffering under the brutal and wicked officials of LASTMA, KAI, Local Govt touts, the inland revenue tax officials, land bureau officials, physical planning officials etc. Now LCC wants to charge toll in Lekki etc

And you fool! You are calling somebody enemy of progress. Which progress have you witnessed in Lagos? Flooded Lagos? Slum Lagos? Traffic congested Lagos? Tout and area boy Lagos?

Shut up fool

Yeah right! Second term my foot. He will be lucky if he doesn't end up in prison for his corrupt ways.

This is a serious matter that should be thoroughly investigated. The main stream media will not carry the story because most of them are on Tinubu's payroll. It's really a pity. This is colossal waste of public funds and a fraud of highest proportion. Whether Tinubu and Fashola likes it, they will end up in jail for this and other corrupt practices.

The HiTV deal is no secret. It was hatched several months back when Toyin Subair, the owner of HiTV approached the Fashola Govt for financial support for the bid. In exchange, he promised the govt free propaganda and media support in preparation for the elections. HiTV was to make it's airwaves and in particular the premier league channels available for Fashola for the 2011 elections

You can all see the recklessness and stupidity of this guy-Fashola. He is mortgaging our future and wasting our tax money on a venture that has little or no bearing on the life of Lagosians.

With collapsing roads, dilapidated schools, flooded streets, growing slums, homelessness of his people, joblessness of youths etc, this guy is busy throwing good money after a bad venture.

A senseless and stupid act indeed.

The paid agents on nairaland can continue to expose their small minds, the rest of us know better and in good time, we shall make Fashola, Tinubu and their thieving gangs pay for their misdeeds

The poster didn't even go far enough. Fashola's government is a failure not only in roads but in education, youth employment, housing,public health care, poverty reduction,transparency, and security.

The truth is that most Lagosians are worse off in terms of quality of life than they were few years ago. He is in government to serve himself, serve Tinubu and do the basic and make the loudest noise.

Fashola's Govt has earned more revenue than Tinubu and Jakande combined. Where has he spent the money?

What is this noise about mega city? Have you noticed any significant improvements in Lagos? Flowers are already dying, roads are collapsing, brt buses are looking more like molues and the energy and drive he started with seems to have disappeared.

We are fed up with the serial lies and media propaganda of
> Fashola. Can you imagine that the LASU-Iba road contract
> that was jerked up and awarded for several billions of naira
> and which the contractor claimed to have completed ready for
> commissioning was last week destroyed by flood. Not only did
> the flood completely cut and divided the road into two
> because of the shoddy work done, the culvert that was
> erected by the contrator was removed by the flood, hence,
> erosion water sacked occupants of the houses thereby
> destroying property worth millions of naria. And this is a
> clear example of how all their projects which they have over-
> inflated are handled in Lagos in spite of the media hype
> that BRF is performing.
He should forget about his second term illusion. A la
> ti o le se!
>
>

TINUBU AND FASHOLA IN LAGOS LAND SCAM WORTH BILLIONS
We, the Lagos Progressives Movement once again wish to update fellow Nigerians online on the various land scams perpetuated by Former Governor Bola Tinubu and now aided and covered up by Governor Babatunde Fashola. The facts stated below are true and verifiable. We have gone further to quote real names of collaborators and addresses of properties for readers to verify themselves.
We had posted a similar piece but this is an updated and slightly abridged version with new facts added. We are reposting this due to popular demand by many well meaning Lagosians. Please read and digest:
Tinubu is the number one landlord in Lagos and has turned Lagos land worth trillions of naira into his personal possession to be used freely or given away unaccounted for. Even after he left office, Tinubu still continues to steal Lagos land under the watch of Fashola. He gives out Lagos land to curry political favours and still occasional sign certificate of occupancy even as ex governor and backdating them to period he was in office.
These brazen acts of corruption are with the active collaboration of select few public officers who are obscenely wealthy at the expense of Lagos tax payers. Most notable are Gbenga Ashafa-formerly executive secretary and now Permanent Secretary, Land’s Bureau since 2001; Mrs Awofisayo-formerly Permanent Secretary and now Special Adviser, New Town Development Authority (NTDA), and a relation of Bola Tinubu from Iragbiji, Osun state who has been in charge of NTDA since 1999; Hakeem Muri-Okunola-PA to former Gov Tinubu and now Executive Secretary, Land’s Bureau; Mrs Nike Animashaun-Director, Land Services and known to be close to Bola Tinubu and Tunji Olowolafe. These people are arguably the wealthiest unelected public servants ever in the history of Lagos state. They are major wheelers and dealers of prime land. We mentioned in our earlier publication that the Land’s Bureau at Alausa stinks of corruption.
We catalogue below a few brazen acts of stealing and corruption committed by Tinubu and aided by Fashola on the good tax payers of Lagos
Tinubu’s greed and primitive acquisition tendency knows no bound. In fact, it is believed that Lagos land personally converted by him is worth over N500 billion and growing because he hasn’t stopped. A few of them are listed below:
1. 4 Oyinkan Abayomi (formerly Queens) Drive, Ikoyi. A 5 bedroom detached house on 1 acre of Land which was a Lagos State Governor’s guest house since 1979 now belongs to Bola Tinubu. The C of O was signed and released to him by Fashola in 2007 shortly after he assumed office. The property is valued at N450million
2. Tinubu’s residence at 26 Bourdillon road, Ikoyi was initially falsely presented as Oando Plc guest house. Later, he purportedly bought it from Oando, and used public fund to rebuild and renovate it. Recently, the Lagos state government bought the property and paid undisclosed sum to him and thereafter gave the property back to him under the bogus Pension Bill he signed to law shortly before he left office in 2007. The property is worth over N600million
3. The annex of the Lagos State Guest House in Asokoro, Abuja was bought by the State Government in 2006 for N450million purportedly to protect the main house from security breach. Shortly after he left office, the property was transferred to him under the pension plan he signed into law before he left office.
4. The 250 hectare land valued at about N35billion strategically located at the Ajah junction on Lekki Road which was initially meant for a General Hospital for the people of Eti-Osa local government was stolen by Tinubu and handed over to Trojan Estate Ltd- a company owned by Deji and Wale Tinubu to develop as Royal Garden housing estate at the expense of the tax payers of Lagos
5. The 1,000 hectares of land valued at about N75billion located at Lakowe near Abijo at Ibeju-Lekki LG and given to LCC which is part owned by Tinubu and Fashola and being developed as golf course and housing estate by Assets and Resource Management Ltd(ARM) as ADIVA project
6. The prime land of 157 Hectares with 2.5km of Atlantic beachfront valued at about N10billion and stolen by Tinubu from the communities of Siriwon, Igbekodo, Apakin, etc in Ibeju-Lekki LG and given to Ibukun Fakeye-his crony to build a golf course and luxury villa with little or no compensation to the villagers. In addition, Tinubu paid $20million (N3billion) out of public treasury to Ibukun Fakeye to commence the project in late 2006. Fashola has since released additional funding for this project which is not owned by the state government.
7. The 14 Hectares Parkview Ikoyi Estate foreshore land reclaimed by Lagos State Government is now owned by Bola Tinubu.
8. While in office, he allocated to himself the former Strabag yard beside the Lagos state secretariat at Alausa, Ikeja. The property is now being developed into a shopping mall as big as the Palms in Lekki. This is public property brazenly stolen and now owned by Tinubu aided by Fashola
9. Also the choice property at Lekki-Epe road on which he built and owns the multi-billion naira Oriental Hotel and the extension of multi-storey car park beside it. Also the multi-level recreation centre by Mobil in Oniru Estate on Lekki-Epe road jointly owned with ARM and Tunji Olowolafe. All these assets valued at over N25billion were obtained without paying a kobo to the Lagos State Government.
10. Tinubu and Fashola sold the following prime Lagos properties to their personal friend and front-Prince Dipo Eludoyin at very ridiculous prices:
• The 3.8hectares of land of Lagos State Fisheries office in VI(beside the Institute of Oceanography) valued at N3billion
• The Fishery landing jetty at Badore (where the Ilubirin fishermen were to be relocated) valued at N500million
• The entire Ogudu foreshore scheme initially earmarked for low cost housing scheme valued at N5billion
• The Ilubinrin housing estate (which used to house Lagos state civil servants and judges up till 2007) valued at N2.5billion
• The former Julius Berger yard at Oko Orisan, Epe valued at N450million

11. Tinubu raised a loan of N4.7billion on Eko Akete Project for which nothing was achieved before he turned around to sell the property to his Chagouri friends of C & C and Hitech Construction Ltd at ridiculously low price at the expense of the tax payers of Lagos.
12. Tinubu applied to personally purchase the Federal Secretariat building while in office. When he couldn’t get to buy it, he directed Fashola to stop the eventual owner of the complex to develop it. The complex is presently wasting away courtesy of the Lagos State Government.
13. It took several months of horse trading and underhand payments before Gov Fashola could allow the new owners of 1004 flats to redevelop the complex.
14. Several other buyers of Federal Government properties and developers of properties in Ikoyi, VI and GRA Ikeja were forced to succumb to the outrageous demands of Tinubu, Fashola, Commissioner Abosede and other officials of the Lagos State Physical Planning Ministry and were made to pay ridiculous amounts to private accounts before their redevelopments were approved. Those who refused or are unable to pay could not develop their properties. This is a major economic strangulation of property developers and has contributed largely to the sky rocketing rent in Ikoyi, VI and Lekki axis.
15. Tinubu converted all the plots of land where Lagos Polytechnic was located at Ikosi near the old toll gate. He chased away the polytechnic in 2006 and went ahead to locate the choice plots to himself, his cronies and political associates. The headquarter of Television Continental (TVC) which is owned by him is located there. He deprived the youths of Lagos of decent education because of his greed.
16. Tinubu single handedly sold the prime land on Aboyade Cole, VI which was recovered from some allotees, to UACN Properties Plc. The amount of proceeds was shrouded in secrecy.
17. Eludoyin, fronting for Tinubu built the estate directly opposite Goshen Beach Estate in Lekki area
18. Tinubu’s wife Remi Tinubu built the massive New Era Foundation youth camp at the junction of Eleko off the Lekki-Epe express road with Lagos state funds and has now converted it to personal use
19. Tinubu also owns the Fara park estate and the Beach wood estate both in Lekki
20. The Critical care unit at the LASUTH in Ikeja built and equipped with state funds is now owned personally by Tinubu. He has put one Dr Sikiru Tinubu (a supposed cousin of his) to run the outfit. It is run as a private unit and the proceeds are pocketed by the duo. The unit charges its users exorbitantly and most Lagosians can hardly afford to pay its high charges. Much of the revenue is derived from fees paid by the state govt for patients referred there by its General Hospitals.
21. Several prominent Nigerians in the judiciary, police, INEC, and other sensitive agencies have obtained prime land from former Gov Tinubu and Gov Fashola over the years without paying a kobo. Many of them had turned around to sell the land to third parties at substantial profit.
Many top officials in the police, INEC and the judiciary who participated in the 2003 and 2007 elections and tribunals in states where Tinubu has interest were compromised with parcels of free prime Lagos land and cash. If the Lagos State Land’s Bureau could publish the names and identities of beneficiaries of land allotees from year 2000 to date, the scandal that will result is better imagined. Gbenga Ashafa and Mrs Awofisayo are the conduit through which these acts are being perpetuated. Both are also personally involved in various dubious land transactions on their own
22. Prime land and properties have been used to pay off public officials who are personally close to Tinubu and Fashola for ‘job well done’ or for being privy to sensitive information:
(a) Dele Alake, former commissioner for Information and Strategy was sold a whole house on Alexander road, ikoyi where he lived as official quarters at a giveaway price.
(b) Rauf Aregbesola, AC Osun State governorship candidate and former commissioner and Muiz Banire, still a serving commissioner got detached houses at Ladoke Akintola st, GRA Ikeja for the “good job” while serving under Tinubu.
(c) Yemi Cardoso and Wale Edun both former commissioners were sold houses on Iru close, and other location in old Ikoyi at giveaway prices by Tinubu. The list is endless.
23. Gov Fashola in the wake of the petition against him presented by “The True Face of Lagos” to the House of Assembly has succeeded in buying his way out of trouble temporarily by bribing each of the 40 members with cash and prime state land at Abijo GRA off Lekki-Epe road. In addition, he bought a N40million bullet proof jeep for the speaker in a desperate bid to ward off investigation by the assembly
These corrupt acts have deprived the tax payers of Lagos billions in revenue which could have been used for public projects. Indeed, the prime land stolen from the Lekki axis is enough to build the Lekki-Epe road without burdening residents and other tax payers with a 30 year concessioned toll road,
We know that people will say why don’t you take this matter to EFCC? Well the EFCC appears compromised on matters concerning Tinubu. If not, how come he has not been charged to court despite several petitions against him and in spite of Nuhu Ribadu’s boastful claims that he had enough evidence to nail him. Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi once fought hard to get the Supreme Court to rule that that the Police could investigate Tinubu for certificate forgery and perjury and prosecute him after he leaves office. He left office 3 years ago and lost his immunity but where is the Nigeria Police? But we know that eventually, his cup will run over and he will be brought to justice.
And why is there a conspiracy of silence by those known to be dogged fighters of corruption? Why are they watching as both men seems to be getting away with corruption?
We hope Lagosians will wake up and fight for their rights. The elites should speak out now and force the EFCC to take action. We once again call on the elders of Lagos, the elites at the Lagos Island Club, Ikoyi Club, Lawn Tennis Club, Yoruba Tennis Club, Ikeja Country Club, Eko Club, Metropolitan Club, The Boat Club, Apapa Club, etc. We also call on the religious leaders of both faith, prominent traditional rulers, the media, opinion molders and members of civil society to speak out
Let us join hands in the collective effort to call on the anti-corruption agencies, and in particular the EFCC, to act now and move into the Land’s Bureau and the State’s Treasury Office at Alausa to conduct a thorough investigation on Land matters from year 2000 to date. We assure the public that if this is done transparently, it might be possible to recover trillions of naira stolen from the tax payers of Lagos.
We thank the numerous members of the public who have responded with mails of commendations, moral and financial support. We want more of this from you and feel free to contact us by email lagosprogressives@yahoo.com. And those who think they can intimidate us with their scare tactics, they have failed woefully.
The Lagos Progressives
lagosprogresives@yahoo.com

Rubbish post. Stupid and retrogressive law! This Lagos State Govt will go down in history as one that has caused the most damage to the construction and building industry. It's polices are anti-people and retrogressive. All the Govt is after is revenue and revenue at the expense of the people.
The effect of this law and other policies is to milk innocent lagosians and frustrate their desire to own homes. If in doubt readers try one or more of these tasks: go to alausa(seat of Govt in Lagos)
1. try to get a building permit to erect a building
2. Make effort to acquire state land
3. Make attempt to obtain consent for land bought from private party
4. Make attempt to obtain consent for residential or commercial property acquired.
Please share your experiences with fellow nairalanders

Fashola has worsened the housing problem in Lagos by inflicting serious damage on developers and home builders.
The people are suffering and descent housing is the scarcest thing in Lagos.
Yet praise singers will not let us be. They continue to insult our intelligence with posts like the above.
The people are no fools

Faashola and his noisy and loud mouthed sycophants should go round Lagos whenever there is moderate to heavy rainfall to see for themselves the plight of the people. Flood everywhere along with this comes pain, anguish, suffering, financial losses, health challenges, serious traffic logjam and other social malaise. This is a regular occurrence in Lagos every year.
This Govt has no clue except to mouth propaganda in the media and deceive the people
Fashola is a total failure

As expected, cyber sycophants are already at work. 10-point agenda my foot.
Now let us review Fashola's performance 3 years in office on his 10 point agenda
Roads:  how many km of roads has he rehabilitated in Lagos in 3 years?  How many new roads has been constructed? Has the road to your own house been rehabilitated? The answers are that he has only rehabilitated few high profile roads to get public attention.  Over 90% of Lagos roads are still bad, pot-hole ridden and not motorable. Score= 10%
Transportation: Fashola did not do BRT, Pedro (not even Tinubu) did. BRT has been implemented by Fashola wrongly and has caused more congestions for motorists. There is also no accountability and transparency in the scheme. And only a minority of lagosians enjoy BRT. Most still move around in molue and danfos.  Where is the integrated transportation he promised. Only exists on paper. Score= 15%
Power and Water: where is the new power project?Do you have clean piped water in your own house? Less than 10% of lagosians enjoy public water supply from the state water corporation-a cesspool of corruption that has gulped billions of public funds. Score= 2%
Health: the state is riddled with poor health infrastructure. If in doubt, visit Ikeja general hospital for treatment and share your experience. Score= 5%
Education: where are the millineum schools in the LGAs? Lagos schools are sub standard and facilities are dilapidated in many schools. If in doubt, visit your local primary school near your house. Score 10%
Employment: Lagos is riddled with millions of unemployed. This Govt has aggravated the problem by closing and demolishing markets, levying high taxes on businesses and creating a disabling environment for businesses. They have only created jobs for their political thugs in lastma uniforms and lawma street cleaners. Score 5%
Shelter: no new low cost housing in 3 years, arbitrary charges an land and building transactions, Corrupt land policies, etc have created the worst housing crisis ever in Lagos. If in doubt, try and rent a room or apartment and share your experience. Score 5%

The honest truth is that Fashola thrives on propaganda and lies. He has done little to improve the lots of the masses in Lagos. He only plant flowers on the highway and make noise in the media.
I tried to be as objective as possible.  If you have undisputed facts to counter my scoring please come forward.  No insult or abuses, just facts please
My conclusion is that Fashola so far is a failure and have corruption allegations hanging on his neck.
We are waiting for him and his sycophants to seek re-election.  We shall then release more facts

That's the problem with most of you. Alloy+emeka lied and deliberately distorted the news. The true report was in the dailies. Check today's punch story captioned "Attempted murder: court awaits DPP on Alake's aide's case" on page 10.

Most of you allow these cyber terrorists to mislead you and distort facts for selfish reasons. Alake's aide truly shot at Alapini's vehicle and injured him. He was briefly hospitalized. The aide later said he thought Alapini was an assassin. He has been properly charged for attempted murder. Alake was briefly arrested and released on bail and he might be charged to court as an accomplice. There is no where Akala's name was mentioned in the news report. It was just a creation of the cyber terrorist called alloy+Emeka who is spreading falsehood and most of your fell for it because you have small and biased minds.

Thank you Ohsis. It is better to be objective. Please when next you come to Lagos, go round to see the growing slums in ijora, amukoko, ajegunle, ipaja, makoko, Otto, itire, iganmu, Agege, iba, ojokoro etc. Slums all over. Army of unemployed youths, army of homeless families, army of destitutes, flooded neighborhoods, bad roads etc.

You really wonder what magic this Fashola has performed. What you see are army of cyber mercenaries and hired sycophants on the Internet and other media thriving on the propaganda machinery of Fashola and his godfather.

But you can only fool some of the people some of the time, you cannot fool all the people all the time. The time will come when the wind will blow and the yanch of the chicken will be exposed

Mr desigiezd, you are either uninformed or mischievous. The truth from news report is that Alapini was injured, his car damaged and his windscreen broken. He could have been killed. Now put yourself in Alapini's shoes. What would you have done?