₦airaland Forum

djustice:
Johnie, you might like living like a wild animal, hunted, or hunting for prey out of sheer hunger, but many of us who live here don't. We will take our Lagos from you lot eventually, and return it to sanity.

Why the attack on my person?

The writer of the article is Abimbola Adelakun of the Punch Newspaper.

Check the link provided!

Misdirected aggression.

Obama to Vacation on Wealthy Island Retreat
Wednesday, 10 Aug 2011 02:09 PM


WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will vacation with his family in Martha's Vineyard, an island off the coast of the eastern state of Massachusetts, at the end of this month as he has done in years past, the White House said Wednesday, despite the weak economy and negotiations on the U.S. debt problem.

Press secretary Jay Carney defended Obama's plans to take a break even as he has pledged urgent action on those issues.


"I don't think Americans out there would begrudge that notion that the president would spend some time with his family," Carney said.

Carney added that there's really no such thing as a presidential vacation since Obama will travel with his aides, receive regular briefings on national security and the economy and be able to return to Washington if necessary.

"The presidency travels with you. He will be in constant communication," Carney said at the White House briefing.

Last August, the president, Michelle Obama and their two daughters spent 10 days at a rented farm on the wealthy island retreat.



http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/Obama-Vacation/2011/08/10/id/406850?s=al&promo_code=CCF2-1

Thanks Mariory,

That's good to know.

.

Does it have to be outside the country?

Yes!

President Jonathan Goodluck on Vacation Of a Lifetime
May 02, 2011

After months of hectic but successful campaigns, the President-elect, Dr Goodluck Jonathan will be winding down at the pristine Obudu Mountain Ranch Resort in Cross River State. Jonathan’s visit, which began at the weekend, is expected to last for about nine days. On hand to meet Jonathan and his team, which also included his wife, Dame Patience, were the Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, and his wife, Obioma.

Jonathan and his entourage arrived the ranch via the cable car, said to be the only one north of the equator of Africa.
According to one of his aides, who preferred anonymity, “the President-elect will be here on vacation. He has been on the road campaigning for two months and he deserves a nice break.” There is however great expectation of his trip being a breakthrough for tourism in Cross River. “This trip is long overdue,” said the Special Adviser in the Governor’s office, Nzan Ogbe.

Ogbe believes that the President’s trip is a strategic and timely one and expressed optimism that quarterly and even monthly strategy retreat meetings could emanate thereafter. “This trip will be good for Cross River State,” he said.
Standing at 1,576metres above sea level and about five hours drive from Calabar, the state capital, the Obudu Mountain Resort also known as the “land where God resides” boasts of breath-taking unparalleled scenic beauty and divine weather. However, traffic to the place has been slow of late.

“Perhaps, this trip will allow the President-elect see some of the constraints we have had here,” Ogbe added.

http://naijan.com/president-jonathan-goodluck-on-vacation-of-a-lifetime/

David Cameron, British Prime Minister, said on Thursday that government might ban the use of social media in the country. Cameron, in an address to Members of the British House of Commons on the riots in London, said ``When people are using social media for violence we need to stop them.

``We are working with the police, the intelligence services and industry to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality,’’ Cameron added.
He expressed concern that the social media which could be used for good was becoming ``a tool for horrific actions'' such as the violence and looting that took place across the city.

The prime Minister said more than 1,200 people have been arrested in connection with the four-day riot that spread across to other cities, adding that those arrested included those whose images were captured on CCTV.

``More than 1,200 people have now been arrested across the country; We are making technology work for us, by capturing the images of the perpetrators on CCTV,’’ Cameron said.

He added: ``So even those that have not been arrested, their faces are known and they will not escape the law.’’ Cameron vowed that no phoney human rights concerns about publishing those images (perpetrators) would deter government from bringing them to justice.

He said anyone charged with the violent disorder and other serious offences would be remanded in custody and not let back into the street. On military intervention, Cameron who said the possibility was not ruled out however added that every contingency was being looked into. (NAN)


http://www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/world-news/25916-london-riot-uk-may-ban-use-of-social-media

British PM proposes social media ban for rioters
By Doug Gross, CNN
August 12, 2011 -- Updated 0741 GMT (1541 HKT)


(CNN) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron thinks he's found some culprits to blame in the recent riots that have rocked London and other cities -- Facebook and Twitter.

Saying the "free flow of information" can sometimes be a problem, Cameron's government has summoned those two social-networking sites, as well as Research In Motion, makers of the BlackBerry, for a meeting to discuss their roles during the violent outbreaks.

"Everyone watching these horrific actions will be struck by how they were organized via social media," Cameron said Thursday during an address to Parliament. "Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill. And when people are using social media for violence, we need to stop them."

Cameron said that government officials are working with authorities "to look at whether it would be right to stop people communicating via these websites and services when we know they are plotting violence, disorder and criminality."

More than 1,200 people have been arrested nationwide, Cameron told lawmakers. One estimate found that UK retailers lost more than than £100 million ($161 million) in stolen goods and property damage over four nights of rioting.

Cameron, a Conservative, seems to have support for a potential crackdown, even from members of the opposition Labor Party.

"Free speech is central to our democracy, but so is public safety and security," said Ivan Lewis, the shadow secretary of culture in the House of Commons, according to London's Guardian newspaper. "We support the government's decision to undertake a review of whether measures are necessary to prevent the abuse of social media by those who organize and participate in criminal activities."

Home Secretary Theresa May has called for meetings with the three companies in the coming weeks, according to British media.

Many UK rioters reportedly used BlackBerry Messenger, a free, private instant-messaging tool, to organize. A recent survey found that 37% of British teens prefer BlackBerrys to other smartphones.

Twitter and Facebook have been used as well, although those sites also have been used to organize cleanup efforts and calls for peace in the wake of riots that started in London's Tottenham district on Saturday after police shot and killed a man.

[b]Representatives of Facebook and Twitter said they're happy to meet with the government, although both would presumably object to being censored or shut down in the UK.

Twitter has said it has no intention to block accounts or delete posts, while Facebook has said publicly that it already shut down pages that explicitly incited violence.

Research in Motion's Inside BlackBerry blog was hacked Tuesday after the Canadian smartphone maker suggested it would cooperate with London police to help identify rioters who may have used BlackBerrys to plan mayhem.

Open-Web and free-speech advocates immediately objected to Cameron's language.

"It may be tempting to smother that kind of speech when a government feels it is under siege, as Britain seems to feel that it is," wrote Matthew Ingram of tech blog GigaOm. "But doing this represents nothing less than an attack on the entire concept of freedom of speech, and that has some frightening consequences for any democracy."

Ingram questioned whether the government would be cracking down on telephone use or people talking about the unrest at their local pub if social media didn't exist. "That seems unlikely (although not impossible). But the British government's apparent willingness to consider shutting down or blocking access to Twitter and BlackBerry's BBM falls into the same category."

On ReadWriteWeb, writer Curt Hopkins said Cameron "joins the long line of powerful men who totally miss the point of social media."[/b]
"Banning those convicted of crimes from accessing social networks (the idea being that they used such access to organize criminal activities) is no different than banning the same criminals from accessing goose quills and ink pots," Hopkins wrote. "It will have zero effect on crime, aside from criminalizing social media itself."

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/08/11/london.riots.social.media/

Lagos na jungle, na so I like am
By Bimbola Adelakun, Published: Friday, August 05, 2011


I saw an article online written by a Nigerian who, according to the article, just returned from the United Kingdom. According to the writer, on the way to wherever in Lagos, he took a taxi and somehow, stumbled into a street scene where a man was being roasted live and direct on the streets of Lagos for stealing whatever!
The article writer said he began to call Governor Babatunde Fashola’s name and asked what the governor, with all the noise they make about his giant strides, was doing about such barbarity. The taxi driver (a sensible man, obviously) asked him if he saw Fashola standing near the jungle judges who were roasting their fellow man. The write said he was prompted to write an article to tell the rest of Nigerians how to behave.

Until I read the article, I didn’t know they still set fire to petty thieves and robbers in Lagos. I would have thought it is the kind of thing they do everywhere else but definitely not a metropolitan city like Lagos. I think it is a shame and such an act ought to be investigated and the people involved tried and hanged, if found culpable. I think that roasting people alive because they stole a handbag or even a fistful of cash is utterly despicable, reprehensible and should be condemned in strongest terms.

Those who do it are not interested in justice but roasting people to death is simply sport for them. I am totally against such form of justice and I will speak out against it any day.

However, I must say that I find the attitude of some of these returnee Nigerians annoying. Most times, when they return from the UK or the US, they always try to tell the rest of us who live at home the sort of jungle we live in and why we should try and clean up our act so that we can be like those who live in the YooKay and the YooEss.

To those returnee Nigerians, I say a profound thanks. Yes, we appreciate you pontificating about your own country but if you are not satisfied with the way we live here in the jungle, donate some dollars and pounds (if you can afford it) and let’s spend it to clean up Nigeria. Otherwise, leave us to our fate. We live in a jungle but, yes, we like it that way.


http://www.punchng.com/blog_read.aspx?read=255

What impact will this have on the Lagos-Badagry Light rail project seeing that the construction is being handled by a chinese company?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


China recalls bullet trains in new blow to technology showcase

By Fayen Wong and Chris Buckley | Reuters – 2 hrs 22 mins ago,

SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - China's second-biggest train maker will recall 54 bullet trains used on the new showcase Beijing-Shanghai line for safety reasons, the firm said on Friday, dealing a fresh blow to the nation's scandal-plagued rail system.

The recall of the trains by China CNR Corp Ltd comes three weeks after 40 people were killed in a high-speed rail crash, which triggered public fury, unusually bold media coverage and a freeze on approvals for new railway projects.

China's high-speed rail drive was until recently held up by senior government officials as a trophy of the nation's technological prowess. Now it has become a political albatross, drawing scorn from many citizens already frustrated with the hulking railways ministry.

China's fast-growing microblog websites have served to amplify that public anger, and the recall drew more catcalls on Sina's popular Weibo site (http://weibo.com).

"Wasn't this locomotive the most advanced type, and put into use only after many tests? So how come the problems were discovered after they were put into operation? What a miracle," wrote one Weibo user.

"Can we also recall the Ministry of Railways?," asked another.

Officials blamed July's crash first on a lightning strike and then on faulty signals technology. But on Friday, Chinese media quoted a senior investigator as saying the crash also exposed management failings and could have been avoided.

"There were serious flaws in the system design that led to an equipment failure," said Luo Lin, the minister of China's State Administration of Work Safety, who is leading the probe.

"At the same time, this exposed problems in emergency response and safety management after the failure occurred," the Beijing Times cited Luo as saying.

"This was a major accident involving culpability that could have been totally avoided," he said.

Industry analyst Lu Zhou said the recalls added to signs that China's high-speed railway boom faced bleak times.

"The government is putting a sudden brake on China's high-speed railway story, and we must wait for the bad days to pass over," said Lu, an analyst with Everbright Securities in Shanghai who follows China's high-speed railway train makers.

"A Great Leap Forward-style movement in China's high-speed railway is changing abruptly to a period of silence, and that could last a few years," he said.

The Great Leap Forward was Mao Zedong's disastrous effort in the late 1950s to catapult China into communist prosperity.

But China could not afford to curtail train investment in the longer-term, said Luo.

"After all, China's railway system can't go back to the old days of shabby green cars," he said.

RECALL COULD HIT STEEL, CEMENT DEMAND

The recall and a recent decision to slow down bullet trains nonetheless reflected a rethink by government leaders jolted into considering the risks of high-speed rail growth, said Zhao Jian, an expert on rail at Beijing Jiaotong University who has long criticized the bullet train expansion.

China has been working for years to develop a high-speed rail network to rival Japan's famed bullet trains, and last year investment on the sector hit a record high of 749.5 billion yuan ($117.2 billion).

By contrast, however, Japanese bullet trains have not had any accidents involving injuries or deaths since they started running in 1964, according to a Transport Ministry official in Tokyo.

An alarm system on the Japanese bullet automatically applies the brakes if two trains come too close each other, and braking was triggered by an earthquake detection system when the country was hit by a massive quake and tsunami in March.

Even before last month's crash and resulting furor, China's railways sector was under a cloud. The railways minister, Liu Zhijun, a key figure behind the investment boom in the sector, was dismissed in February over corruption charges that have not yet been tried in court.

As well as the embarrassment for the ruling Communist Party, the slowdown in high-speed rail construction could bite into demand for steel, said UOB Kay Hian commodities analyst Helen Lau.

It was unclear how drastically CNR's recall will disrupt services on the flagship Beijing-Shanghai route. Even before CNR announced its step, the railways ministry said it would cut the number of high-speed trains running on the route by a quarter, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday.

Passengers waiting to board bullet trains from Beijing to Shanghai said they were not worried by news of the recall.

"The risk of an accident is definitely greater on these fast trains, but flying isn't any safer," said Zhang Kelong, a building materials salesman who said he was taking the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed service for the first time.

The government is stepping up safety demands, he noted.

"So the likelihood of another accident happening is small," he said. "Let's just say I would have to be very unlucky for that to happen."

Train maker CNR did not explain what technical problems prompted its recall. But in an earlier statement, the company said it had found faults in signaling systems on the CRH380B-trains, which it blamed for delays in service.

CNR's rival, China South Locomotive, built both of the trains involved in the crash last month.

The worries over high-speed rail are likely to force central government leaders to drastically reform the Ministry of Railways, quite possibly merging it into a transport super-ministry, said Zhao, the Beijing professor.

The ministry thwarted an effort to do that a few years ago.

"Now, it's going to happen sooner or later," said Zhao, referring to the merger. "That's the whole direction of reform, and it won't change. But I don't know when it will happen."

(Additional reporting by Zhou Xin, Sally Huang, Michael Martina and Chris Buckley in Beijing; Editing by Ken Wills and John Chalmers)

,

http://news.yahoo.com/china-recalls-bullet-trains-blow-showcase-technology-040304347.html

And now probably the world's richest prisoner.

I watched the latter part.

Na you talk am o!

Nice try. PHCN does not own the land.

Can someone else guess who owns that "wide expanse of land."

mbulela:
Not even the complete picture.

Not only have i been vindicated by the conduct of these CEOs as confirmed by insoders

Can you give details confirmed by the insiders?

mbulela:
it seemed another set of funny characters have been hired for these 3 banks.I know a few who i would not expect the CBN to touch with a long pole.I suddenly see their names announced as part of the mgt of these banks and i simply shake my head in amazement.

So we are in for another round of "tricks" by some of the new managers?

A group called "Concerned Citizens of Eti-Osa" took out a full page advert in today's edition of the Guardian Newspaper.

They are making a special appeal to the governor on the threat to the Ajah Market with the expansion of the expressway.

They begin by highlighting the massive electoral victory of the governor in the area during the last elections:

Ibeju Lekki:      ACN-25,410      PDP- 9,187
Epe:                 ACN-46,076      PDP-9,458
Eti-Osa             ACN-52,130      PDP-14,147

They emphasise that Ibeju-Lekki used to be a PDP stronghold.

They then appeal to the governor to prevail on LCC to stop the planned expansion of the road by 30 metres on the side of the popular Ajah market.

They suggest that rather than expand on the market side, LCC should liasise with the PHCN to move back the high-tension lines on the other side of the road as taking space from the market side will deprive a lot of market women who voted massively for the governor their sources of livelihood. They posit that taking space from the other side of the road (not the market side) will result in litte or no damage to properties and business.

They promise to continue on the path of civility and respect for the office of the governor as they have done in the past despite the pains the expansion has brought.

Page 53, (The Guardian Newspaper)

Quote
the cbn appointed the present mgt but greed and selfishness has blindfolded them that they can't act right again-an average nigerian's habit.
The cbn did not hint them on this move at all. One of them went to abj to get update from sls but did not succeed.
If not that the apex bank took them unawares.

I am convinced that a major reason for this action is the activities of these CBN appointed managers.

There have been allegations that they were not better than the original managers removed by SLS.

Details of these peoples' "crimes" please.

Oops. I meant atrocities committed by the CBN-appointed management.

There was an uproar for instance about Cyril Chukwuma of PHB when he first took over.

Can anyone provide details of the "attrocities" committed by the CBN management?

[size=18pt]I thought the maximum limit for cheque payments is N10m?[/size]

LAGOS STATE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP OFFICE
I – INTRODUCTION

1. Project Background

In pursuit of its road infrastructure development, the Lagos State Government (LSG) embarked on the upgrade and expansion of the Eti-Osa Lekki - Epe Expressway through a public-private-partnership – the Lagos Infrastructure Project (LIP) Toll Road. This culminated in the signing of a 30-year concession agreement between the Lagos State Roads (PSP) Authority and Lekki Concession Company (LCC) in April, 2006, and achieving Financial Close in November, 2008.

2. Project Summary

A brief description of the project scope is as below.

1. Design and building road infrastructure (rehabilitate or remove and replace the existing assets and develop new infrastructure), in phases, entailing:
a. Phase I - Expansion and upgrade of 49.4km of the Ozumba Mbadiwe
Avenue/Eti-Osa Lekki - Epe Expressway divided into the following sections:
i. Section 1: km 0 - 6
ii. Section 2: Km 6 - 15
iii. Section 3: Km 15 – 21.9
iv. Section 4: Km 21.9 – 49.36
b. Phase II - Construction of 20km of Coastal Road, plus an option to build the
Southern Bypass

2. Operation and maintenance of new road infrastructure.
The project cost is in the main financed by LCC and will be recovered principally through charging of user tolls.
The Concession conditions include the following rights and obligations of LCC:
• Design, construct, finance and operate the infrastructure
• Charge, collect and retain for its account monies arising from operations (tolls and ancillary revenues).
3. Project Status
Phase 1, Section 1 (Km 0 – 6) works of the project have been substantially completed and hence toll traffic counting at plaza 1 is now on stream. Against the backdrop of certain host communities related issues that are currently being addressed amongst the stakeholders, a shadow toll regime as opposed to user-based tolling is in place.
II - TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR ROAD TOLL SPECIALIST
A. Objective of Assignment

The LSG wishes to ascertain that the traffic data emanating from toll plaza 1 provide a reliable basis for the shadow toll regime. For this purpose the LSG wants to engage a Road Toll Specialist (RTS) to undertake a comprehensive technical and operational audit of the Automatic Vehicle Counting (AVC) system and its output. The RTS should identify any design and operational problems that could invalidate the traffic data derived from the AVC output, and recommend remedial measures such that reliable data are generated by the system.

This exercise is expected to assist in establishing trust in the AVC system so that any data generated by the system are recognized as legitimate.

B. Scope of Assignment
The RTS will undertake the following tasks:
1. Desktop review of:
a. Handover and testing documentation – a review of the documents associated with the handover, testing, completion and certification of the equipment
b. Documentation relating to the type of equipment specified and installed for the AVC compared with other market suppliers
c. Problems identified as common with similar projects that could possibly be applicable to the installed system
d. The (i) split methodology between Classes II and II A adopted by LCC, (ii) classification business rule adjustments (e.g. Class II based on 1.05 meter height) and (iii) treatment of exempt users.


2. Evaluation of the functionality and fit-for-purpose of the AVC system. The equipment should be inspected to ascertain quality of performance, installation and maintenance. Investigations should include, but not be limited to, the following potential problem areas:

a. Incorrect configuration of the AVC equipment
b. Difficulties in software integration between AVC and toll controller c. Damage/degradation of treadles
d. Damage to road surface in vicinity of treadles
e. Degradation caused by increased dust/dirt due to increase in construction traffic
f. Maintenance/cleaning not keeping pace with requirements.


3. Verification of the traffic data generated by the AVC system. A substantive testing of the AVC and a thorough audit of the toll plaza 1 tolling system output should be undertaken. This will include the following tasks, among others:
a. A manual survey involving both (i) reviewing CCTV footage and (ii) manually standing in each lane and recording the vehicle throughput; appropriate random sampling techniques will be used to generate an acceptable degree of precision of these data
b. Identification of any discrepancies between (i) the above manually collected data and (ii) the toll system ‘hourly traffic by lane’ reports generated by LCC.


4. Review of the control processes and procedures used by LCC for the AVC system and confirmation that they accord with best practices.

C. Reports/ Deliverables
The RTS will submit reports to the Lagos State PPP Office which shall, amongst others, include the following:

1. An Inception Report one week after mobilization containing preliminary observations on the assignment and highlighting any problems that could interfere with the RTS successfully completing his work.
2. Reports on progress with respect to each of the main 4 tasks listed above.
3. Final report on all findings and recommendations.

D. Timeline
It is expected that the RTS will complete the assignment over a period of 4 to 6 weeks from contract execution.

E. Inputs to Be Provided by LSG
Data: The LSG will ensure that relevant data and information related to the assignment are made available to the RTS.
Counterpart Assistance: The LSG PPP Office will assign staff to work with the RTS as needed.

Support Facilities: LSG will provide an office and support facilities for the use of the RTS when carrying out desk-review tasks. The RTS will make his own local transport and support arrangements when undertaking tasks in the field.

III - REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSALS
Proposers for the RTS should be reputable international firms or consortia with the requisite skills and experience as demonstrated on similar assignments.
The proposal will consist of a technical proposal and a financial proposal. The proposal should be sent in an e-mail entitled “Proposal from [name of bidder] for Road Tolling Specialist” containing two attachments in pdf format, one for the technical proposal entitled “Technical Proposal from [name of bidder] for Road Tolling Specialist” and one for the financial proposal entitled “Financial Proposal from [name of bidder] for Road Tolling Specialist”.

Proposals should be received by the following officer by 5 PM on 9 June 2011: Team Leader – Compliance

Lagos State Public- Private Partnership Office
Governor’s Office, Lagos House,
Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria
e-mail: sotuyalo@lagosstateppp.gov.ng
Firms and consortia that intend to submit proposals should advise the above officer accordingly by email in advance of the above due date.

Technical Proposal
Proposers for the RTS should have relevant experience in designing, installing and maintaining AVC equipment and systems. This experience should be described in detail in the technical proposal, referring to actual clients of the firm.

The technical proposal should detail the following:
1. Description of methodology to be used in line with the scope of services
2. Detailed work plan to achieve the objectives of the assignment
3. Detailed timeline and milestones for implementation of the services.
Experts proposed by the firm should have demonstrable and highly relevant experience in examining and auditing road tolling systems. Detailed CVs of the experts should be included as part of the proposal.

Financial Proposal

The contract will be a lump sum agreement with payments linked to report deliverables. The financial proposal should detail the total lump sum proposed and the stages of payments thereof linked to the assignment deliverables.

Evaluation of Proposals
The evaluation process to be used by the Lagos State PPP Office is as follows:
1. Technical Proposals will be opened
2. Technical Proposals will be scored against evaluation criteria
3. Firms whose Technical Proposals score above a pre-determined threshold will then have their Financial Proposals opened and scored in terms of lump sums proposed
4. The firm whose Technical and Financial Proposals have the highest combined score will be invited for negotiations. 

http://www.lagosstate.gov.ng/showspecial.php?eventidd=28

EFFECTS OF FLOODING: FG’S ASSISTANCE FOR LAGOS AN URGENT IMPERATIVE – FASHOLA

Date Posted: 2011-07-14 15:17:25

Says President Jonathan has shown concern as he tours affected areas for third day running


Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Wednesday continued his on the spot assessment of areas affected by last Sunday’s heavy down pour in Lagos State saying the State would seek assistance from the Federal Government to address the effects of the flood which now has a national impact.

Governor Fashola who toured flood affected areas in the Eti-Osa local Government Area, including the Alpha Beach where erosion had been further aggravated, said the Atlantic Ocean was currently redrawing the geographical map of Nigeria adding that the State Government would do an estimate of the cost of providing palliative measures to stem the encroachment of the Ocean and present same to the Federal Government for assistance.

According to the Governor, who spoke in an interview with newsmen at the back of NICON Town in Ajah after the inspection, “I am told that we need to put a shoreline protection like we did at the Bar Beach over a minimum area of three metres on the Alpha Beach . We are going to do an estimate and expect that we should get support from the Federal Government and the President”.

He said President Goodluck Jonathan has been very concerned and has called him to express concern and sympathize with the Government and people of Lagos State , adding that the next step was to do the financial costing which would be sent to the Federal Government.

On what the State Government is doing on its part, Governor Fashola disclosed that 10 major storm channels are under construction in the area, adding that the storm channels would assist in draining water from the Atlantic Ocean side of Eti Osa into the lagoon across the expressway.

The Governor explained that the storm water construction would ensure that year in year out and going into the future there is a reliable drainage infrastructure for Lekki and Eti-Osa region of the State.

Governor Fashola, who inspected the Alpha Beach which has been severely eroded, explained that what has been witnessed at the beach was a natural erosion which, according to him, “is a consequence of the rise in water level which is a result of global warming”.

“What we need to do there is to reclaim the beach. We have lost about 50 metres of land to the ocean and it is continuing. You could see that the road has begun to cave in there. It is a natural disaster which is not as a result of the rain”, the Governor said.

Governor Fashola, who also spoke on health risks to the residents of the flooded areas, said Government was concerned by the body of water brought into the area by the flood which may carry some dangers in terms of water borne diseases.

“We are just appealing to the citizens to be extra careful. As much as possible, wash your hands and feet regularly if you have to walk through the water, using regular soaps. Our health workers have been mobilized and will go round in the fullness of time to assist in the sanitization and also give you disinfectant where it is possible across communities”, the Governor told the residents.

He appealed to local government chairmen and community leaders to help and support the people in the area of hygiene, adding that the State Government has opened collection centres in the Ministries of Health and Special Duties where public spirited people who want to donate relief materials to the people could go and donate.

Governor Fashola who also responded to a question on whether activities of some traditional rulers may have been impeding the construction of some of the drainage channels, said he would rather not identify the problem as the challenge of traditional rulers alone.

The Governor who spoke specifically about the NICON Estate in Ajah, said it does not have a traditional ruler yet adding, “Government is having challenges about building a storm water channel through the estate to drain water into the lagoon”.

“It is a judgmental call really about the value you put on land and I think that really is the issue. People place so much value and premium on their land, but at the end what is the value of a flooded land and a depreciating real estate. So, it is a question of real judgment to say, let me yield some of this land because Government has no interest to take your land except to build a storm water channel through it so that your property is secured and safe and that is our responsibility”, the Governor said.

According to him, “One way to do this is by building storm water channels and if you say we cannot use your land to build the storm water channel, maybe in 10 years time you will have no land at all. If I were in a position that I would give away some land to keep more land instead of putting the whole estate at risk, I would do so. These are the kind of proposals that we will make”.

He added, “We have a similar problem with Chevron Estate at Okun-Afa and Igbokuta where the water drains from the drainage we are constructing from Silver Bird Television area in Maiyegun. This is the final outflow into the lagoon. If we can’t cross through here, we can’t solve the problem of that side”.

Continuing, the Governor said, “The water has to come through this storm channel to get to the final drain which is the lagoon. So, if estates like NICON and CHEVRON and all of those community interests stand in our way, clearly they would have helped to endanger this whole community because we are ready to go”.

Other places visited by the Governor during the tour include Ilasan where he inspected the channels at Igbokusu and Silver Bird Road where he stopped by to address the residents to be ready to remove some of the buildings that are on the drain line.

He sympathized with residents who lost properties during the 16-hour rain, adding that there is a need for the people to respect the drain line and have patience with the contractors who are working on them to complete the contract.

He urged the land owners to desist from selling land indiscriminately especially those on drain lines, adding that when they do this they set off a chain of action which causes anguish to the whole community.

Governor Fashola also visited the Maiyegun Beach to see the suspended alignment to drain Igbo Efon, Alpha Beach to inspect Coastal erosion and also inspected the 11.8 kilometre culvert point Channel 7 near UBA.

At the Agungi Channel where he inspected construction alignment on Channel 6 and was briefed that some residents are preventing the contractor from going ahead with the work, Governor Fashola gave a directive to State officials to remove any culvert that is disturbing the progress of work on the alignment insisting that Government will establish all drainage channels to safeguard life and properties of the residents. He also visited Osapa London where he inspected the drain along the community.

The Governor was conducted round the affected areas by the Permanent Secretary, Office of Drainages in the Ministry of the Environment, Engineer Muyideen Akinsanya, Other officials who accompanied him on the tour include the Commissioner for Environment, Mr Tunji Bello, Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr Wale Ahmed, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Remi Ibirogba, Special Adviser on the Environment, Dr Taofeek Folami, House of Asembly members representing Eti-Osa I and II, Hon. Kazeem Alimi and Hon. Gbolahan Yishau, their counterpart representing Ibeju/Lekki I, Hon. Mojeed Fatai and officials of the Department of Drainage Service.


http://www.lagosstate.gov.ng/index.php?page=news&nid=1276

Here is the Lastman and the car.

The building in the backgroud is the Polo building.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR A TECHNICAL AUDIT BY A ROAD TOLL SPECIALIST OF THE TOLLING SYSTEM OF THE LAGOS INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT TOLL ROAD
Date: 2011-06-01 17:48:56


LAGOS STATE PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP OFFICE
I - INTRODUCTION


1. Project Background
In pursuit of its road infrastructure development, the Lagos State Government (LSG) embarked on the upgrade and expansion of the Eti-Osa Lekki - Epe Expressway through a public-private-partnership – the Lagos Infrastructure Project (LIP) Toll Road. This culminated in the signing of a 30-year concession agreement between the Lagos State Roads (PSP) Authority and Lekki Concession Company (LCC) in April, 2006, and achieving Financial Close in November, 2008.

2. Project Summary
A brief description of the project scope is as below.
1. Design and building road infrastructure (rehabilitate or remove and replace the existing assets and develop new infrastructure), in phases, entailing:
a. Phase I - Expansion and upgrade of 49.4km of the Ozumba Mbadiwe
Avenue/Eti-Osa Lekki - Epe Expressway divided into the following sections:
i. Section 1: km 0 - 6
ii. Section 2: Km 6 - 15
iii. Section 3: Km 15 – 21.9
iv. Section 4: Km 21.9 – 49.36
b. Phase II - Construction of 20km of Coastal Road, plus an option to build the
Southern Bypass


2. Operation and maintenance of new road infrastructure.

The project cost is in the main financed by LCC and will be recovered principally through charging of user tolls.

The Concession conditions include the following rights and obligations of LCC:
 Design, construct, finance and operate the infrastructure
 Charge, collect and retain for its account monies arising from operations (tolls and ancillary revenues).

3. Project Status
Phase 1, Section 1 (Km 0 – 6) works of the project have been substantially completed and hence toll traffic counting at plaza 1 is now on stream. Against the backdrop of certain host communities related issues that are currently being addressed amongst the stakeholders, a shadow toll regime as opposed to user-based tolling is in place.
II - TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR ROAD TOLL SPECIALIST

A. Objective of Assignment
The LSG wishes to ascertain that the traffic data emanating from toll plaza 1 provide a reliable basis for the shadow toll regime. For this purpose the LSG wants to engage a Road Toll Specialist (RTS) to undertake a comprehensive technical and operational audit of the Automatic Vehicle Counting (AVC) system and its output. The RTS should identify any design and operational problems that could invalidate the traffic data derived from the AVC output, and recommend remedial measures such that reliable data are generated by the system.

This exercise is expected to assist in establishing trust in the AVC system so that any data generated by the system are recognized as legitimate.

B. Scope of Assignment
The RTS will undertake the following tasks:

1. Desktop review of:
a. Handover and testing documentation – a review of the documents associated with the handover, testing, completion and certification of the equipment
b. Documentation relating to the type of equipment specified and installed for the AVC compared with other market suppliers
c. Problems identified as common with similar projects that could possibly be applicable to the installed system
d. The (i) split methodology between Classes II and II A adopted by LCC, (ii) classification business rule adjustments (e.g. Class II based on 1.05 meter height) and (iii) treatment of exempt users.


2. Evaluation of the functionality and fit-for-purpose of the AVC system. The equipment should be inspected to ascertain quality of performance, installation and maintenance. Investigations should include, but not be limited to, the following potential problem areas:
a. Incorrect configuration of the AVC equipment
b. Difficulties in software integration between AVC and toll controller c. Damage/degradation of treadles
d. Damage to road surface in vicinity of treadles
e. Degradation caused by increased dust/dirt due to increase in construction traffic
f. Maintenance/cleaning not keeping pace with requirements.


3. Verification of the traffic data generated by the AVC system. A substantive testing of the AVC and a thorough audit of the toll plaza 1 tolling system output should be undertaken. This will include the following tasks, among others:
a. A manual survey involving both (i) reviewing CCTV footage and (ii) manually standing in each lane and recording the vehicle throughput; appropriate random sampling techniques will be used to generate an acceptable degree of precision of these data
b. Identification of any discrepancies between (i) the above manually collected
data and (ii) the toll system ‘hourly traffic by lane’ reports generated by LCC.


4. Review of the control processes and procedures used by LCC for the AVC system and confirmation that they accord with best practices.

C. Reports/ Deliverables

The RTS will submit reports to the Lagos State PPP Office which shall, amongst others, include the following:
1. An Inception Report one week after mobilization containing preliminary observations on the assignment and highlighting any problems that could interfere with the RTS successfully completing his work.
2. Reports on progress with respect to each of the main 4 tasks listed above.
3. Final report on all findings and recommendations.

D. Timeline
It is expected that the RTS will complete the assignment over a period of 4 to 6 weeks from contract execution.

E. Inputs to Be Provided by LSG
Data: The LSG will ensure that relevant data and information related to the assignment are made available to the RTS.
Counterpart Assistance: The LSG PPP Office will assign staff to work with the RTS as
needed.
Support Facilities: LSG will provide an office and support facilities for the use of the RTS when carrying out desk-review tasks. The RTS will make his own local transport and support arrangements when undertaking tasks in the field.

III - REQUIREMENTS FOR PROPOSALS

Proposers for the RTS should be reputable international firms or consortia with the requisite skills and experience as demonstrated on similar assignments.

The proposal will consist of a technical proposal and a financial proposal. The proposal should be sent in an e-mail entitled “Proposal from [name of bidder] for Road Tolling Specialist” containing two attachments in pdf format, one for the technical proposal entitled “Technical Proposal from [name of bidder] for Road Tolling Specialist” and one for the financial proposal entitled “Financial Proposal from [name of bidder] for Road Tolling Specialist”.
Proposals should be received by the following officer by 5 PM on 9 June 2011: Team Leader - Compliance
Lagos State Public- Private Partnership Office
Governor’s Office, Lagos House,
Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria
e-mail: sotuyalo@lagosstateppp.gov.ng

Firms and consortia that intend to submit proposals should advise the above officer accordingly by email in advance of the above due date.

Technical Proposal

Proposers for the RTS should have relevant experience in designing, installing and maintaining AVC equipment and systems. This experience should be described in detail in the technical proposal, referring to actual clients of the firm.

The technical proposal should detail the following:
1. Description of methodology to be used in line with the scope of services
2. Detailed work plan to achieve the objectives of the assignment
3. Detailed timeline and milestones for implementation of the services.

Experts proposed by the firm should have demonstrable and highly relevant experience in examining and auditing road tolling systems. Detailed CVs of the experts should be included as part of the proposal.

Financial Proposal
The contract will be a lump sum agreement with payments linked to report deliverables. The financial proposal should detail the total lump sum proposed and the stages of payments thereof linked to the assignment deliverables.

Evaluation of Proposals
The evaluation process to be used by the Lagos State PPP Office is as follows:
1. Technical Proposals will be opened
2. Technical Proposals will be scored against evaluation criteria
3. Firms whose Technical Proposals score above a pre-determined threshold will then have their Financial Proposals opened and scored in terms of lump sums proposed
4. The firm whose Technical and Financial Proposals have the highest combined score
will be invited for negotiations.




http://www.lagosstate.gov.ng/showspecial.php?eventidd=28

Ogun repairs parts of Lagos-Ibadan expressway
By Dimeji Kayode Adedeji

July 28, 2011 11:31PM

In order to ameliorate the hardship being experienced by commuters on the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, the government of Ogun State has begun repair works on the completely dilapidated portion of the highway at Mowe, opposite the Redeemed Christian Church of God Camp.

While briefing journalists during an inspection tour of the road, the state commissioner for Works, Lekan Adegbite said the state government was uncomfortable with the "appalling" state of the 500-metre stretch of the road and its socio-economic cost to the indigenes of the state, who transact business on the axis.

"The state governor, Ibikunle Amosun was distressed by the horrendous hardship being imposed on the people by the dilapidated road and has therefore decided to effect its repair with or without the concessionaire, Bi-Courtney," Mr Adegbite said.

A major drainage is also being constructed along the stretch in order to ensure the durability of the repaired portion.

Ironically, the state government has been engaged in a battle of wits with Bi-Courtney, the company that won the federal government's concession to manage and repair the largely failed road about four years ago.

Controversial road

The company said the decision of the state governor to allocate a former construction site to tanker drivers who park indiscriminately along the road, is going to affect its work as it had previously won the right to make use of the place. But the state government said the agreement was never sealed and that it had to do something about the trailers, whose activities has led to several accidents and deaths.

The state has also launched remedial work on another failed federal road within its territory, the Lagos-Abeokuta road.

Shortly after a visit by the governor, Ibikunle Amosun to Sango-Ota, where he trekked several kilometres while inspecting the poor road network in the area, minor repairs were effected on the failed portions of the road, specifically at Joju, Garage, Dalemo and Toll Gate.




http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5736110-146/story.csp

In my years of driving the streets of Lagos, I have come to understand why some things happen.

One of the things I have learnt is that traffic jam (or go-slow) is a very veritable tool employed by various people to boost their "trade".

The go-slow hawkers readily come to mind. The slow moving traffic creates a market for them to sell their goods.

Some other people who have found the go-slow very useful are those robbers who attack motorists and their passengers in the traffic.

Wherever there is go-slow you would find the hawkers (unless KAI officials are about). If the go-slow is a regular one and other conditions are right, you would surely find the robbers striking.

To create this "market", these robbers sometimes create pot-holes or increase the size of existing pot-holes. I have seen this happen along various roads in the city.

Even in a place like the Lekki waterfront where those with 4x4s used to drive over the sandy beach to avoid the heavy traffic caused by construction works being carried out on the expressway, area boys dig ditches along the regularly used paths and wait for motorists to drive into the ditches at which point they emerge in their numbers to harass the hapless motorist to part with huge sums of money before being dug out and allowed to go.

Now, another trend I have seen emerging is that of law enforcement agents and traffic management
officers using the traffic situation to create markets for themselves.

A good and recent example is Ozumba Mbadiwe Street on Victoria Island.  Every year (https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-367311.0.html#msg5156043, https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-367311.0.html#msg5304707), a crater-like ditch appears just in front of Total/Oceanic Bank along the road near the Falomo Bridge . The crater always starts off as a little pothole that slows down passing vehicles for a few seconds.

The ditch within a few days however  grows “mysteriously” into a large crater and becomes the source of a traffic hold-up that stretches from that point sometimes all the way close to the Walter Carrington junction.

This year, the crater appeared again just after the heavy deluge that hit Lagos recently. As usual, the crater has been causing go-slow.

What is however interesting is that I have now noticed a particular LASTMA official who lurks around Radisson Blu Hotel along the road waiting for motorists who would use their cell phones while in the traffic. Immediately he sees such a motorist, this LASTMA official would dash out of hiding and get the motorist to park at a lay-by. And I imagine that what follows is a shakedown of the motorist.

Policemen have also cashed in on the “market” by apprehending motorcyclists who ply the route without helmets.

Please understand, I do not have any objections to people doing their job but when a LASTMA guy is ambushing motorists presumably to extort money from them at around 6 p.m. I am left with no option but to wonder what is the difference between him and the robbers who attack motorists in go-slows or the area boys who dig ditches along the beachfront?

Fee-Dee-Fee Over to you!

The Apapa-Oshodi expressway leads to Badagry.