₦airaland Forum

LePhilippe,

Thanks for your encouragement and your eagle-eyed observation. Once you pointed it out, I immediately realized that it was an illustration error, luckily I have a master plan to refer to!. The blue line should have continued to 'Adeniyi Jones Station' before turning off towards 'Ipaja'. I have corrected the error and I thank you for your contribution. One of the reasons it couldn't have been the other way is best seen thru satellite imaging, the area would have been unusable and mainly Airport grounds! Anyhow, this image is mainly for graphic illustration and is not geographically accurate (Illustration is designed to give the best possible visual and logical clarity, rather than precision). The satellite image will be more geographically precise but this will perhaps be at the expense of visual and logical clarity

Horus, asking China to help us build a Metro-system is like asking Mugabe to help advance democracy!. It is like asking a man with impaired vision to lead the blind! This is the kind of poorly conceived and ignorant decision making that keeps plaguing our nation with absolutely no end in sight. So let me scream it: CHINA'S METRO SYSTEM AND RAIL NETWORK IS ITSELF A PRODUCT OF CO-OPERATION WITH FOREIGN MULTI-NATIONALS!!!.

Any Government that intends to make serious decisions with regards to Metro-systems should be talking to such multi-nationals as the Bombardier Corporation, Siemens AG, Alstom Corporation, Mitishi MetroWagon Corporation, Veolia Corporation, Kawasaki Heavy industries, Hyundai-Rotem and so on. These are the movers and shakers who built the technology and helped the chinese accomplish their goals. Obasanjo gave the chinese CCCCP company contract for constructing 1400km of standard gauge railway at a whooping cost of $6.2billion, what has come out of it??. China's railway industry is only just modernising and maturing yet and we keep dealing with those two novice nations - China and India!

The problems in Lagos are so deep in scope and of such massive proportions that there is no way a state government (at least, in its current form) can tackle it successfully alone. Not only does the State government lack the resources (at least, that one is solvable), but more importantly, Lagos State government does not have the constitutional and legal power to help pull itself out of this mess. This is a by virtue of a poorly concieved and laid out National Constitution. For instance, the governor of Lagos cannot do anything about security because the Police force is not under his control. Another example is the fact that the state does not have control over so many infrastructural decisions such as Ports and Airports. Make no mistake, I am not absolving previous and present governors of blame, I am simply pointing out the limitations and constitutional flaws that have terribly affected Lagos.

Lagos has extra-ordinary problems and therefore, it demands and requires several extra-ordinary responses to mitigate the problems and issues.  If I were the president, I would declare Lagos State and P/Harcourt as areas of iminent threat to national security. I will thereby federalise these territories and put them under federal control for a projected period of 7-10 years before being returned to state rule. There is a strategic reason why this needs to be so – Despite what many may think, the federal government and the Nation has too much at stake, national interests has been vested in lagos over years and we now risk allowing it to collapse. Lagos is the heartbeat of Nigeria and there is a saying that says;  “As goes Lagos, so goes the rest of the Nation”. Whatever is established in Lagos (for better of for worse) most often serves as a blueprint for other states to emulate or use. Whatever failures Lagos is experiencing is a multiple magnification of prevailing and impendiing failures in other parts of the Nation, given the right circumstance. Plucking up the courage and taking the bull by the horn in resolving the hydra-headed issues of Lagos would automatically pave the way for fast track developments in other parts of the nation. Aside from these, Lagos houses nearly 10% of the national population and a higher percentage of the national GDP. Finally, Lagos is the gateway of the nation, it is the first point of interaction and first impression and it carries the highest responsibility of national image across the world (for better or for worse)!.

The things that I believe need to be done immediately have been enumerated on another thread, so I will refrain from repeating myself here. You may check it out:

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-190268.0.html

You are right diggler, I expect 10 - 15 years of dedicated hard work and commitment before lagos can start emerging on the global city scene.

You must know that this was not written as a rebuttal for any particular governor. It always amuses me how most people only see obstacles rather than opportunities!. I will repeat what I said earlier - the mark of a great leader is in his resourcefulness! Most massive projects the world over and especially metro projects are undertaken by Governments and not by private enterprises. We may continue to give excuses for poor and mediocre performances or we can demand the higher standards we deserve.
Telling me something is impossible or difficult is just a total lack of imagination. If Awolowo could accomplish the things he did in 1959 with no oil revenue and no federal support I see no reason why Lagos state can't accomplish any number of these objectives. Finally, there are many more ways of financing public projects other than involving private investors. The prevailing private investor madness in Nigeria has been taken too far, it has not only been poorly managed but has also been carried out on a misinformed and misdirected premise. There is a time and place for everything in life, Rapid Mass Transit Systems (Metro-Systems) projects are certainly not for the faint hearted nor are they private investor friendly worldwide! It is certainly not an advisable option for a country having such little oversight, poor stability and questionable reputation.

Who said anything about 18 months?? Development and growth is continuous and always costs money, what makes a great leader is resourcefulness - the ability to search deep into the plethora of options and resources available to the government (and by this I do not mean money alone), and find enterprising ways of financing, funding and advancing the means and aspirations of his/her people.

Written by Olumide Iluyomade

BUILDING A RAPID MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM IN LAGOS (METRO-RAIL)

I have pondered about the possibility of the Nigerian Government building a comprehensive and well integrated Rapid Mass Transit System (Metro-System) that is rail based and truly functional in Lagos. I know that what Lagos state is doing now is supposedly called a mass transit system, however, the truth is that it is actually a Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) and it is limited in its effectiveness (as it is currently being executed) and is grossly inadequate in scope and scale. There is no where in the world where you can find a city or metropolitan area that is the size of Lagos existing without a Metro-System or Rapid Transit System. As a matter of fact, there are very few cities in the world with over 2 million inhabitants that do not have a comprehensive Metro-System. You can go from London to Mexico to Cairo to Bangkok to Shanghai to Moscow to New York to Johannesburg to Rio de Janiero to New Delhi to Sydney to Tunis to Paris to Vancouver to Los Angeles to Berlin to Tokyo - I do not care where you go, the story is the same - all big metropolis are the pride of their respective national governments and they always have an integrated, comprehensive Mass Rapid Transit System (Metro-system).

Lagos is estimated to have a population of somewhere between 9 million and 16 million denizens!. A quick look at Lagos and even a nut-case can easily come to the conclusion that a Metro-Rail service is desperately needed!. Lagos has become a nightmare, a hellish habitation with no evidence of intelligent plan or foresight, an agglomeration of relentless anarchy intermingled with chaotic and miserable depravation, an unworkable and lawless cornurbation of mythical proportions, a convoluted maze of unbearable gridlock and unproductive quadmires. The Denizens of Lagos spend unimaginable hours in desperate transition -  sweating, cursing, fighting, struggling and pushing against all odds and accomplishing little. Billions and billions in productivity and purposeful living is thrown out of the window everyday!. The cost to the nation and to the health of those affected is at the very least inmmeasurable. For any leader or government to observe this and have nothing to offer, year after year, by way of planning and relief is an unfortunate disaster, a collossal error of judgement, a great shame and an outrage! We have never had the priviledge of a government worthy of its name and this is evidenced in the state of affairs in the Nation. If we think the nation is distressed, then Lagos is even more so and the heart of this problem is in the successive elevation of visionless, depraved and worthless men to positions of authority. Needlessly, the current state of Lagos can be described in few words - incomprehensible chasm of despair!!

What Lagos needs is a committed government that is willing to do the following:

1) Carry out a total reorganisation and recomposition of the town planning ministry in Lagos state: This agency or government ministry is the most useless department perhaps surpassed only by the Nigerian Police Force. The heads of this departments need to be fired and the whole department needs to be restaffed and reconfigured with purpose, direction and a long term plan that is not only workable but also scalable. Currently, all we have is barbarians running our affairs and lining their pockets.

2) Build more roads: . By this I mean trunk roads (multiple lane highways like Ikorodu road): It is pathetic that lagos, despite its huge size and population, only has five trunk roads. This are the same roads that have been constructed 30-40 years ago at its infancy. A quick look at Lagos on google earth will reveal to any sensible person the urgent need for major trunk roads to service the metropolis. Currently, Lagos has Ikorodu Road which goes on to become Western avenue and finally spills into Lagos Island via Eko bridge. Secondly, Lagos has Third mainland bridge which starts on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, passes through Ojota and ends up spilling into Ikoyi/Lagos Island. Thirdly, Lagos has Badagry expressway which starts in Badagry and runs parallel to the shorelines through Festac and eventually spilling its traffic unto Eko Bridge and Carter Bridge via Orile-Iganmu exchange. The number four trunk road is the Agege motorway which starts from Ogun state and runs through Oshodi and Mushin, cutting across Ikorodu road/Western Avenue and interconnecting to Herbert Macaulay way into Ebute-Metta and onward to Third Mainland bridge or Carter bridge. The final and fifth trunk is the Apapa - Oshodi expressway which goes on to empty into 3rd Mainland bridge. Ozumba Mbakwe road which leads through VI to Epe road and out of Lagos may be considered as somewhat of a trunk road since it is being heavily used for that purpose having surpassed and exceeded it's design limit. This is the comprehensive arterial traffic building block upon which lagos is built and it is now grossly inadequate!. Lagos will need nothing less than five new trunk roads and highways, perhaps ten, to be considered a reasonably functional city by world standards. That there are only two(2) bridges between Lagos Island, VI and Ikoyi is mind boggling and pathetic - London is a city separated by the thames river and there are no less than 13 major bridges linking the two sides and this does not include train bridges and a vast network of alternatives!.

3) Construct a 4th Mainland bridge from Ajah Area to Ikorodu Area: The need for this has been screamed and stressed over end over again. This could be one of the new trunk roads that lagos so desperately needs today. A 4th mainland bridge could be extended to continue as an 8 laned highway that goes beyond ikorodu and loops round across Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and running as a primary trunk highway across Ogba and Abule-egba area, south of Ota and Ogun state border before looping south into Badagry Expressway. This could serve as the primary belt-way and the approximate distance would be about 96km. A highway or motorway is essentially a multiple lane road designed for fast moving vehicular traffic WHICH does not allow grade entry or exit except at designated exit ramps - this is the true meaning of a highway!(not the nonsense we have all over the place now).Third mainland could be a good example.

4) Invest in and build a Rail based Rapid Mass Transit System (Metro-system): Lagos could start with one line of Light Rail. There is an existing railway right-of-way that runs through all the transportation nerve centers of the city (this is an incredibly lucky break for Lagos!). The existing line runs through Agoro/Abule Egba, Alagbado, Ogba, Ikeja, Agege, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, Iddo park and Ebute-metta. A sensible government will invest money and extend the line into lagos Island by building a rail bridge parallel to carter bridge. If all this major transportation nodes where adequately and frequently serviced by this Light Rail, this will experience ridership never before seen plus the fact that it will reduce traffic on roads and reduce cost of transportation for the people. This can be systematically followed by another line from Ikorodu to Ojo (badagry way). My plan, which is obviously not the only way to do it, ultimately calls for four(4) Metro lines which are mainly non-electric grade level rail lines. It proposes the use of Diesel-Electric Multiple Units (DEMU) on separated grade tracks, making as much use of existing rights-of-way as possible. This Metro system includes 186km of urban two-way tracks with up to 106 Surface train Stations. Rolling stock consists 180 DEMU units - each unit consists of (2) slave-wagons sandwiched between (2) powered bi-directional carriages. System will be capable of moving 1.5 - 2.2 Million passengers per day. Fare system will be by reloadable charge card and will be a fixed amount regardless of distance within the Metro line. Future upgrades may include the electrification of train operation and the addition of new lines. The only section of this proposed metro system that would be underground is the section that runs from Muritala mohammed Airport to MMA-2. This is because neither 'Grade' construction nor 'Elevated' construction option will be suitable, Underground would be the only solution to avoid Runway and facility intrusion at both the international and the local side of the Airports.  The total cost of this kind of project in Lagos, in my estimate, will be in the neighbourhood of $4.0 billion (and this is extremely cheap when compared to the cost in other parts of the world). It is worthy of note that a great deal of that fund, up to $1.5 Billion, will be used to purchase Right-Of-Way by property acquisition processes (and thus a lot of that money will be stimulating the local economy directly!). It is my estimate that 15,000 to 22,000 homes will have to be eliminated. Not only is the cost to benefit ratio unparalleled in the modern world but it will also be capable of a revenue turnover of between N65billion and N96billion per annum. Over several years, I have gathered and researched a plethora of feasible options and possibilities in executing this laudable project, but I can only briefly summarize the concept here.

5) Invest in, revamp and expand water transportation alternatives: Many cities of the world that are blessed with extended waterways make use of it in the most beautiful and attractive ways. Water transportation can be very efficient in moving large volumes of people and cargo at minimal cost. Water transportation can be both convenient and practical alternative because of the unique geographical topography of Lagos, it can also be a major element in easing traffic congestion,  Furthermore it adds character, style, entertainment and draws tourism to the city if used properly.

6) Outlaw police roadblocks and other intransigent road obstacles of government agencies: The reason for this is obvious and should need no further pontification. Not only are they constituting themselves as a nuisance, they extort money from public, cause traffic jams, damage our image (especially for a nation that is trying to attract foreign investors) and fail to prevent crime. Also I would strongly recommend scrapping that nonsense contraption called LAMSA - it's purpose and essence is questionable and probably unlawful and this is aside from the fact that it's actions, methods and approach are a throwback to the 18th century!

7) Security, security, security : This doesn't mean roadblocks or Nigerian police brutality, this means establishing a Lagos State Metropolitan Police Department (depends on what the constitution allows). Essentially it should be a highly mobile, community based police department which will be trained and tailored to serve and protect the people rather than oppressing them as the Nigerian police force does. Note that I did not call them a "police force" (which is  a paramilitary police organization fashioned for citizen suppression!) but rather a civilian based department for enforcement of 'laws' and for maintaining 'Order', thereby evoking public trust and cooperation. One of the primary purpose of this Police department will be traffic violation enforcement by way of ticketing and the establishment of a highly dynamic Lagos State Traffic Court. This is a court where thousands of cases will be heard in multiple courtrooms within a week and penalties are monetary and not jail time. There would also have to be an impound department under the police department that deals with impounded vehicles in certain cases as stipulated by the law. It is a simple process, citizens will be issued a ticket for violation of traffic laws and they have the option of either paying the ticket or going to contest it in traffic court. A driver who has been given a ticket will have his/her license impounded until fine is paid or court appearance is made. In the interim, a provisional paper license is issued by the ticketing officer until the case is concluded. There are actually many ways of ensuring ticket is paid but this is just an example. The benefits of this methods are endless; volume of traffic violations in lagos will reduce drastically, traffic will improve, Lagos state will raise billions in revenue, lifes will be saved, quality of life will improve, etc The Department will also be charged with armed robbery interception using thoughtful, intelligent, modern technics - There will be 2 officers to every patrol car, every officer will be equipped with a two-way police radio with dedicated bandwidth that is broadcasted through a central communication command to every police officer's radio. Use of deadly force will and must be approved by HQ, back-up call is a primary tactical defensive strategy with the use of non-lethal weapons in necessary circumstances. Officer weapon training and public courtesy training will be required every 6 months.

8.) Re-organise Transportation Industry: Immediately outlaw NURTW and all it’s components and gangster activities. There can only be one government and authority to which commercial drivers are subjected to. We cannot continue to live in this state of anarchy where we are continuously subjected to the wimps and caprices of hoodlums, touts and social misfits. This phenomenon can also be directly linked to common acts of violence, extortion, robbery, criminal activities and all forms of lawlessness in Lagos. Secondly, the government needs to establish and construct hundreds of functional transport or bus terminals which are located and designed to integrate and compliment the Metro-rail - these transport terminals are suppose to feed and disperse the train station passengers. Finally, the Government should immediately proceed to establish a four(4) pronged policy implementation by establishing and creating the following: 
A)- Commercial Drivers Licence – this will be a class A professional driver’s licence that must be acquired before anyone can drive a commercial vehicle in Lagos. Acquiring this licence will require going to perhaps 90Hrs of classes and training. All applicants must pass both a driving test and a traffic law test before being issued a licence. This licence can be revoked, suspended or withheld by a Traffic court.
B)- All commercial vehicles must have a "Privately Operated Commercial Transportation (POCTRA)" Permit which will be like a Hackney permit that enables transporters to legally operate within the state.  This permits may be local government specific and all operators will be required to get permit for whatever local government(s) they operate in. All commercial vehicles shall have a POCTRA registration number that is boldly written on vehicle for easy identification.
C)- All commercial vehicles will be required to pay Road Tax, a levy which is pro-rated according to the category of the vehicle. Road tax payment proof shall be a dated, security embossed windshield sticker which every commercial vehicle shall be required to have. Road Tax will be renewable every six(6) months.
D)- All commercial rated vehicle will be required to pass a standardized Lagos state ministry of transportation test (MOT). This approval shall be valid for only twelve(12) months from date of first issue. A repair order may also be issued by a traffic court. No vehicle shall be issued any of the other required licences and permits without passing MOT.
An active and effective implementation of these policies will sanitise the transportation industry, bring a higher standard and establish government oversight whilst eliminating undesirable elements and creating much needed revenue for both state and local governments.



I have spent many months taking a look at the problems of Nigeria and using Lagos as a case study. It is a well known fact that whatever problems may exist in other parts of Nigeria, is magnified 10 times more in Lagos!.  Based on this premise, it would be  reasonable to start with Lagos and to assume that he who can solve the problems of Lagos, can make a headway against Nigeria's other problems. Lagos is the 800Ibs gorilla in the room! - no one can be master of the room until they tame the gorilla!. I have spent months and hundreds of my free hours developing a comprehensive and integrated development plan for Lagos that spans all this areas I spoke about. It is not practical for me to put it all here because of it's sheer volume however, I thought it imperative to start a discussion along this line - perhaps it may lead somewhere!.

Lower Image is the graphical representation of a comprehensive and Integrated Rapid Mass Transit System. (Below). An updated satellite image will soon be added.

According to the constitution, Nigeria has 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Each local government area is administered by a Local Government Council consisting of a chairman who is the Chief Executive of the LGA, and other elected members who are referred to as Councillors.
The functions of Local Governments are detailed in the Nigerian Constitution and include:
1.   Economic recommendations to the State;
2.   Collection of taxes and fees;
3.   Establishment and maintenance of cemeteries, burial grounds and homes for the destitute or infirm;
4.   Licensing of bicycles, trucks (other than mechanically propelled trucks), canoes, wheel barrows and carts;
5.   Establishment, maintenance and regulation of markets, motor parks and public conveniences;
6.   Construction and maintenance of roads, streets, drains and other public highways, parks, and open spaces;
7.   Naming of roads and streets and numbering of houses;
8.   Provision and maintenance of public transportation and refuse disposal;
9.   Registration of births, deaths and marriages;
10. Assessment of privately owned houses or tenements for the purpose of levying such rates as may be prescribed by the House of Assembly of a State;  Control and Regulation of Out-door advertising, Retail Shops and kiosks, Restaurants and other places for sale of food and commodities to the public.

It is obvious from the above that Nigerian Local governments do not have a whole lot of responsibilities when compared to their counterparts in other Nations. It is also true that some parts of this constitutional mandate have been overtaken by the passage of time and are thus, for all intents and purposes, completely obsolete and of no consequence whatsoever!
Regardless of this, however, most Nigerian Local government areas get allocated an average of N1.0 Billion - N1.5 Billion per annum (federal Ministry of Finance website). This may not be a lot of money by developed Nation's standards but it is certainly a heck of a lot more than we do see and enjoy in terms of services and provisions from these government agencies with regards to their responsibilities. I asked the question of budgetary allocation from my fellow nairalanders because I had been unable to get concrete information to either support or disprove a little experiment I have been working on. I had spent the last several weeks developing what I thought should be a reasonable and achievable budget implementation and development program for an any Nigerian Local government area. I used my local government area of Ondo West as a case study, absorbing their problems and difficulties and using it to guide my conceptual budgetary allocation to fund the various Local government functions, programs and policy implements.


In my experiment, I set up a budget using an Excel spreadsheet software and inputing all necessary variables and fixed factors. My assumption was that the Local government would have a budget in the neighbourhood of N1.2 billion (which I have now found to be pretty accurate). What I discovered was that a Local Government could maintain 12 fully funded departments namely – Public Works Dept., Sanitation & Refuse Management Dept., Health Dept., Planning & Permit Dept., Public Records Dept., Business Registry & Services Dept., Internal Revenue & Finance Dept., Human Resources & Personnel Dept., Fleet Management Dept., Fire & Emergency services Dept. and the Executive Office. I also went on to add an Education department, even though I know this responsibility is not demanded of a LG, however, I felt that it would be socially irresponsible for a LG to neglect to invest and assist in ensuring the provision of quality education for the children in its constituent. Although the specific organizational structure can be contested and configured different from mine, however, it should not take away from the overall effectiveness of the Local government function. Taking the structure listed above, I estimated a fully employed staff strength of 500 workers being paid an average of N420,000.00 per annum each (I know this is far higher than currently prevails, but it is the least we can do if we truly expect commitment and loyalty from these employees). This works works out to cost the LG just N210,000,000.00 (N210 million) for the year. To simplify my conclusions here, I will split LG expenditures into (4) four types: Recurrent Expenditure (Salaries); Operational Expenditure (Rent, Utility bills, hardware, software, tools, fixtures, furnitures & fuel) and Capital Expenditure (Public Projects) and Procurements (Equipments, Machineries & Vehicles). My budgetary tools reflect the following: N210,000,000.00 (N210 million) for Salaries and Wages; N182,500,000.00 (N182.5 million) for Operational expenditure; and N547,500,000.00 (N547.5 million) for Capital expenditures (Public projects) and for equipment procurement priorities, I will estimate an expenditure of N229,200,000.000 which when pro-rated over a period of 4 years at 8.5% interest rate, the annual cost to the LG will be only N67,793,000.00 (N67.793 million). From the above, we can easily deduce the total annual budget of N1,007,793,000.00 (approx. N1.008 billion) which is lower than the expected average local government annual income. This makes for a budget surplus!


In the light of my conclusive discovery and the aforementioned responsibilities stated in the constitution, I find it appalling that our local government leaders have been so hopelessly incompetent and incapable of bringing the slightest glimmer of hope to the people, unable to accomplish anything of purposeful significance, even the most basic services for the people in their jurisdictions have been neglected and at its very best, is a pathetic attempt at ostentatious government function. The magnitude of such irresponsible decadence and mind bogling corruption as is being exhibited by these leaders while flounting an absolute disregard for accountability, transperency and a total dereliction of duty which is awash with bullish and unashamed malfeasance leaves me seething with anger!. It is difficult form me to fanthom how much more the people and the Nation can take! Indeed, we who are blessed with a higher understanding and capacity to make a difference need to overcome our indifference and make a decisive effort to be what we have been called to be - responsible leaders!

Thank you for the answers - Fhemmy and Landis, I found that they adequately answered my question and fed my curiosity.
Fhemmy, my statement earlier was not an indictment of the people or citizens but was rather a sad observation about the state of affairs in Nigeria where simple public statictics and information can be so tough to come by, especially at the local government level. Sometimes you wonder how the National media lets them get away with so little oversight and transparency!

No sweat!
Car was sold in april anyway. Keep up the good work.

Na wah oo!! Una don take over my thread o!

Pearl01,
You have to email me at midas02@yahoo.com. Essentially what you want is a brand new Yaris. You will have to be more specific about the options you want in it and I can advise that you use the tool on MSN auto to get a MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price). The price you see is the price you will get it, but you must add the 6% Government Sales Tax and another 5% procurement commision for my effort. It is simple and I have laid it all before you.

Can anyone tell me what the average annual local government budget in Nigeria is?? I have tried to educate myself by looking for figures all over the web - all to no avail!
It would be really helpful if anyone with an insight into the activities of this level of government could please furnish us with some figures. There is so little known about the activities of local governments, such little oversight! it is pathetic!

Those who already own a Mitsubishi Montero Sports need to update to this one! . Those who love the Full sized Pajero (called Montero in the US) for its ruggedness and reliability will find the same capabilities in the Endeavor since it shares the same engine with the full size Montero (called Pajero elsewhere).

Correction Xpensiv,
Didn't say it has been used by military, I said it was used on a military base meaning by a military personel and thus didn't get a lot of miles because they are often posted abroad for months at a time and the car/truck just sits there!. Regardless though, truck is low miles and never got much use.
Sorry, 2.9M doesn't even nearly cut it!!!!

More pictures,

Hello,

This SUV has just landed in Nigeria and should be cleared by next week (before August). This is a Mitsubishi mid-sized crossover SUV that is exclusive to the US market - this is the SUV that replaced the Mitsubishi Montero Sports. Vehicle is in excellent condition and has 45,000 miles of use . All my cars come with a minimum of two(2) sets of keys and two(2) remote FOBs. Interested parties should get in touch with me at midas02@yahoo.com. Thanks.

YEAR: 2004
MILEAGE: 44,884
ENGINE: 3.8L V6 SOHC 24Valves
TRANSMISSION: 4 Speed Automatic with Manumatic features

EQUIPMENTS INCLUDE:

Air Conditioning
Alloy Wheels
AM/FM/CD Stereo
Cruise Control
6 Air Bags
Intermittent Wipers (Front & Rear)
Power Door Locks
Remote Keyless Entry
Power Door Mirror(s)
Power disk brakes
Power Steering
Power Windows
Rear Defroster
Tilt/Slide Steering Wheel
Roof Rack

Note: Hood mounted bug deflector was removed just before shipping due to damage.

PRICE: N2.85 Million

More Pictures

Hello,

This SUV has just landed in Nigeria and should be cleared by next week (before August). Vehicle is in excellent condition, was leased in a Florida US military base and only has 11,000 miles of use . All my cars come with a minimum of two(2) sets of keys and two(2) remote FOBs. Interested parties should get in touch with me at midas02@yahoo.com. Thanks.

YEAR: 2005
MILEAGE: 10,600
VIN: 5N1AR18W95C704126
ENGINE: 4.0L V6 24V EFI
TRANSMISSION: 5 Speed Automatic


EQUIPMENTS INCLUDE:

4 Wheel Anti-Lock Brakes
VSC -Vehicle Stability Control
Air Conditioning
Alloy Wheels
AM/FM/6 CD In-dash Stereo
Cruise Control
6 Air Bags
Intermittent Wipers (Front & Rear)
Depowerable Air Bag
Power Door Locks
Remote Keyless Entry
Power Door Mirror(s)
Power Front Seats
Power Steering
Power Windows
Rear Defroster
Leather Seats (ventilated)
Steering Wheel Radio Cntrl
Tilt/Slide Steering Wheel
3RD Row Seats
fog Lamps
Bug Deflector
Side Running Boards
Load Rated Roof-Rack
7000Ibs Tow Hitch

PRICE: N3.8 Million

oh boy, this thing is not as complex as some will have you believe. You do not need a degree in mechatronics and electromechanical engineering, nor do you need an Einstein to propound the theory of kinematic velocity and all kinds of useless gibberish!.

It is tooo much work to write, I am feeling lazy, however my advice:
Listen to Sultaan, listen to Siena, listen to Promise72 and the guys who concur with them and you will be fine.
Most new cars and cars after 2000 use the thinner grade of oil which is 5W-30 or 0W-40 (depending on recommendation)
However cars before this mainly used 10W-30 (recommended)
When the car gets to be over 100K - 120k miles you may move to 10W-40
If your car is really advanced in use and age and has started to exhibit signs of wear/loss of compression/smoke, then you should use 20W/50 to reduce its inevitable decline in performance and blow-by.
The most important thing is to change your oil regularly (every 3 months or use mileage) and make sure you change your oil filter too, otherwise the purpose is defeated!

I believe either the mechanics messed your engine up by forgetting to do something vital or they used adulterated oil and not the original. Cos even if you use oil that is not recommended, it shouldn't mess your engine up (especially over such a short term), it usually only affects the performance, response and long term durability of an engine. As long as your engine has some oil lubrication (whether recommended or not) it should not knock. Period!

"V6" is an acronym for an engine with six (6) cylinders configured in a V-shaped vertical arrangement over the Main crankshaft (with 3 cylinders in each bank of the engine block). All internal combustion engines are configured with certain number of cylinders, it could be 1,2,4,6,8,10 or even 12 cylinders. All of these configurations are normal and actively used in engines all over the world!. Four (4) Cylinder engines (which I am sure you are referring to as normal) are however most commonly used in cars in many parts of the world (including Nigeria) because of its balance of decent  power, economy, smoothness and reliability. It must be noted that it is possible to have a six (6) cylinder configuration without neccesarily using a "V" arrangement - as a matter of fact, until the last decade the most common arrangement of 6 cylinder engines was the Straight-Six and not the V-6. Examples of cars that used straight-six engines in the last decade include; MB 260/300E V-boot (W124 series), Nissan Laurel, BMW 325/525 (up till date), Volvo 960, Toyota Cressida and Crown (up till 1992) and most trucks including Canter, Dyna, Coaster bus , etc. Whether an engine configuration is arranged as a V-6 or a straight-six has both merits and demerits, however, I will refrain from pushing too deep into such territories here as I do not want to digress!. In automobiles today, the most commonly used configurations are 4-Cylinders, 6-Cylinders and 8-Cylinders, with a popularity in that order. The obvious advantage of having extra cylinders is to give more Power, smoother performance and durability. The disadvantage on the other hand, is that of increased gas consumption and a slightly higher cost of maintenance and purchase. I hope this helps.

LagosShyn,

I checked out your website and I must commend you for all your efforts, I left a candid opinion in the guestbook.
If you wanted to get maximum exposure and impact, I would advise you to start a thread just like this on nairaland and paste the website there so that more people who are unaware of this one could see it!. I believe after all your effort you might as well go all the way cos this guy ain't planning to pay you without a fight. Just my advice.

How come I keep seeing them on the road in lagos?. Is it banned or people just assume it is banned?. Is there anyone with a sense of clarity on the law concerning RHD vehicles?? Or perhaps an experience in using one in Nigeria will suffice!!

Igbudu1,

You can be rest assured that I need no research to know why!. I happen to sell cars for a living, I am Nigerian and I spend considerable time in Naija, so I know Nigeria, the conditions and the people. Possibly the biggest advantage for toyota cars may be the availability of spare parts in Nigeria. Before Toyota, it was Peugeots that were ubiquitous with an intermitent dash of Mercedes Benzes, VWs and japanese cars. I spent almost my entire teenage years (late 80's) trying to convince my Mom that her beloved "504 SR" was a piece of junk inspite of societal praise!. Eventually, she tasted a Honda, she never looked back again!.

Being an adventurous, free spirited person with a knack for being 'different', I consider it critical to encourage anyone who like me, is interested in thinking outside the box - freeing oneself from the self-imposed constraints of the society - these are the people that make a difference as far as I am concerned!. Toyota makes good vehicles however, you can be rest assured that there are also other fine automobile products. As a matter of fact, it is rare that Toyota releases any ground breaking design or wins "Best Car in its Class' award - Toyota is a company that has perfected the art and science of quality production, excelling in marketing practical cars that can do everything considerably well without doing anything exceedingly well!  - Toyota products are practical, reliable and durable and this is why it is so popular - the fact remains, however, that these are virtues that are shared by many other automobile manufacturers!

I am firm believer in variety being the spice of life. The diversity of choice and outlook is one of the keys to a successful socio-economic environment, thereby encouraging free capitalistic endeavours. Unfortunately, we are a people that is so easily herded and consumed by branding and perception. We discover one window and everyone wants to looks out from only that one window! It just bores me to death when the automobile landscape of a nation becomes so monotonous and fixated!!

I agree totally with sultaan of brunei
Go for it! Good reliability and durable products. Hyundai cars are excellent value for money and having been top-rated for reliability and build quality in the US.
Unfortunately, most people are boring, colorless and not adventurous - only having a fixation for toyotas.
Toyota, toyota, toyota,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, that is all you hear!!. What a bore!

I was watching some Nigerian movies and I saw some Right-Hand-Drive (RHD) cars being driven in the movie. I was wondering if it is legal to drive a RHD vehicle in Nigeria or is it one of those gray areas where Nigerian police uses you as a meal ticket. Does anyone know for sure if it is legitimate or illegitimate??. Just curious!.

Thanks.

nothing like good old Legxus
You only need a meal a day and no gasoline to waka!

V-booth or V-yash = W124 Mercedes Benz (1985-1995 mid-size benz)
Regular = W123 Mercedes benz (1975-1984 mid-size benz)
Frog Eye/Beauty = W210 Mercedes Benz series (1996-2003 E class)
Concord/Shagari = W126 (1980-1991 S class)
Flying coffin = Commercial 504 Stationwagon
Pure water = used for any car that is too common and is seen everywhere! (e.g 1997-1999 Toyota Camry)
Coja = BMW 3 series (1999-2004)

Viperman,

Fire on joo!!
Why are people acting alarmed like they do not know where most cars in lagos come from??. The truth is that a good 60% to 70% of the cars on the road in Nigerian came in through Cotonou/Lome. If the question is about legitimacy, perhaps you should buy a newer car! People do what they have to do to survive because their government only caters to the needs of the noveau-rich!! Next time you see Obasanjo in his farm, ask him if his wealth is legit and if them ask you to serve as government minister, ask if Yardua's government is legitimate

Dem talk say make hungry man come chop, he talk say se na ajino-moto or na maggi them take cook am?? Wetin concern hungry man with that one!!
For many people, the choice is between Cotonou car or Molue, you come dey ask silly question!!

The Nigerian government is loosing billions annually in revenue to Cotonou, while the Beninous government has deliberately set its policies to continue to cash in on the gaping hole left by the harsh and unrealistic policies of a government that is insensitive to the needs and plight of its people!

Siena,

I awed by your attention to detail and professional expertise!!
I beg take a look at this thread and tell me what you think, since I know you have done it before. Thanks

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-119865.0.html

Listen to the mad ranting of a charlatan!
Ivvie,
I would not do myself the disservice of joining issues with you - it only lends credence to your arrogant and stupifying ignorance!.
Plastic is plastic, metal is metal - you cannot interchange the words!. You do not have any understanding of the things you often lay claim to and that is sad in itself. What makes it terrible is the fact that you act and talk with such misinformed and half-witted zeal that it is ridiculous and laughable. those guys in pg(2) and pg(3) tried to educate you and reason with you, but like a child throwing tantrums, you would neither listen nor learn.  It is said that:

Do not argue with a fool or people will not be able to tell the difference

Exaggerating your qualifications or experience doesn't help clothe the unclothedness of your ignorance and your limited knowledge.
I hope and trust that nairalanders will apply prudence and sound judgement - taking the things you have to say with a pinch of salt.
Have a nice one