The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), says contractors will resume work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway next week.

Fashola, who spoke at the inaugural Buharimeter Town Hall meeting in Abuja on Thursday, said contractors had abandoned several projects because the last administration owed them money.

The former governor of Lagos State said even though the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration had yet to release funds to the contractors, they were willing to return to site because they trusted the integrity of the new government.

Fashola stated, “In 2014, we spent N45bn on roads for the whole country and we spent N18bn on roads in 2015. Now, the fallout of meetings with our contractors generally is that they have not been paid for three years but budgets were made for the last three years.

“We have been having meetings with some contractors on the basis of our credibility, our collective integrity, saying to them go back to site.

“Our contractors will go back to site on Monday next week; they have told me they will return to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

“They have not been paid but that is what change means, that this government is credible and believable. If we say we will pay, we will pay. And this is what you will see in places like Iheala and a few other places where we are intervening but what is important now is that we have met with all our contractors and identified contracts that have survived the budget, we have approved those contracts for funding and in the next few days to weeks, the disbursement will start for many of the roads.”

Fashola, however, lamented that the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers were seriously affecting power generation due to the vandalism of oil and gas installations.

He said for Nigeria to be better, citizens must protect government installations like it was done in other countries, stating that the newly constructed railway was already being vandalised.

“The Minister of Transportation (Rotimi Amaechi) just told me that vandals were removing nuts and rails for railway,” Fashola said.

Also speaking, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, said several states had made land available for cattle ranching.

Ogbeh said the cattle ranching programme would start soon, adding that the move would improve animal farming across the country.

He explained that milk production was very low in Nigerian livestock because cows were often dehydrated after walking long distances across the country and not getting enough water and quality grass, noting that with the ranching programme, things would improve.

The minister added, “We want to end the cattle grazing ‘wahala’ between herdsmen and farmers. We have 45 million hectares of land and there is no reason why there should be any fight over where grass is grown, but ladies and gentlemen, grass is not just grass. If the grass does not have up to 15 per cent protein, amino acids and trace elements, it is not good for even a cow to eat, and make no mistakes, the food that cows eat passes unto human beings through meat and milk.

“So, if you give them high quality grass and water, when you eat beef, you are eating good quality food. If not, you’re eating chaff. Finally, when the cows march from Maiduguri to Lagos, the distance is too long. So, the cows in Nigeria have the lowest yield of milk in the world, one litre per day, four months per lactation, because the cows have no access to water.”

Ogbeh said the Federal Government was already having talks with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to train rangers that would fight cattle rustlers and monitor ranches.

“Banditry, rustling and attacks on farmers are increasing. We are looking at asking a unit of the civil defence to train what we are going to call farm rangers to protect investment in livestock and heavy investments in agriculture. We do not intend to invite you to invest in a ranch and come one day to hear that all your cattle were taken away by rustlers in the middle of the night,” the minister stated.

The Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, assured Nigerians that the Buhari-led administration would not renege on its promises.

He admitted that he might have made too many promises during the build-up to the last election after he was told by the Director of Centre for Democracy and Development, Idayat Hassan, that the All Progressives Congress made 221 promises during the campaign.

Other ministers present were the Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udo Udoma.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/work-resumes-lagos-ibadan-expressway-next-week-fashola/

After how many years? What of all the money that bi -courtney collected to initiate that same road years ago? Or una wan just allocate new pepper without probe?


Ministry of works is filled with corrupt idiots!

I bet it's very funny this new administration still keeps mentioning the last administration after one year in govt
I hope this new govt has any good agenda apart from blaming goodluck Jonathan govt
Smh

...and eventually toll gates would be mounted at strategic positions, abi ? Fashola and the mounting of toll gates are like...

Ok

Yam n stew

Benjom:
...and eventually toll gates would be mounted at strategic positions, abi ?
Fashola and the mounting of toll gates are like...

Future tense as usual even fashola d action man of lagos has bn infected wit d virus of future tense statements...Buhari sef

roasted corn

They had better start work on umuhia ikot ekpene express road

that road is worst

I'm seriously tired of all this "we will" and "we shall". This people should stop spewing trash.
The Nigerian populace will like to here "we have done this" instead of "we will do".


APC and Mouth action be like 5&6

Fashola please its been 3weeks since I shouted up nepa.. Please do something..

I remember saying good things about Lagos- Ibadan expressway and 3 minutes later, we were almost attacked by armed robbers. 5 days after I got to 9ja. God help us!

Uncle Fash. hope its not one of those holloywood talk?

kolnel:
I bet it's very funny this new administration still keeps mentioning the last administration after one year in govt
I hope this new govt has any good agenda apart from blaming goodluck Jonathan govt
Smh

Don't be too surprise the truth is "A FAILURE ALWAYS HAS EXCUSES" something must be link or the cause of his or her failure that is full sign or logo to identify a failure, surely something must happen something must be blame.

Bloody failures

I think what we need to know is when it'll be delivered, that shagamu to ore is another headache too.

One thing I'll always say is this:

If Fashola can not fix the power supply in this country.

Then this generation should forget about electricity

Shikena !

I no dey believe this man again. Oga, na when I see the construction company before I accept say you no lie.

Fulani armed robbers are constantly operating at OGERE ogun state along lagos ibadan express way. government should come to our rescue

Dats Fashola 4 u, our Functioning Fashola.
Unlike leaders from some lazy region Wu don't know ow 2 do anything but bombing pipeline. IPod and NDA terrorist and their sympathizers will not b happy wt this news.

[quote author=dolpaz post=46446562]One thing I'll always say is this:

If Fashola can not fix the power supply in this country.

Then this generation should forget about electricity

Shikena

So fashola is the only saviour?
There are people better than him just that they are yet to be discovered











Be wise man!!!!

Initially i felt Fashola will perform miracle but unfortunately he have disappointed us bitterly

[quote author=Tolulopefinest post=46446870][/quote]

And you are the opposite of wise abi

Goan fix it now..

Odekeye !!!

TheNonce:




After how many years? What of all the money that bi -courtney collected to initiate that same road years ago? Or una wan just allocate new pepper without probe?


Ministry of works is filled with corrupt idiots!

Speaking of Bi-Courtney, what's happening with the old Federal Secretariat in Ikoyi?

all I can say is its well...

I wish this government can leave the talk for us and do the work

I saw clearing works this money. Contractors are back on site. I guess this news is belated.

lumydee44:
I think what we need to know is when it'll be delivered, that shagamu to ore is another headache too.

Never.
Just like the Lagos light rail after $1 billion World Bank loan since 2010 for a project cancelled by Buhari in 1984.

Fashola visited Toronto earlier this year to inspect the TTC trains.
AUGUST 10, 2011

The Lagos deal would be the first of its kind for the TTC. Decommissioned cars are usually sold for scrap metal and can fetch up to $1,500 dollar each. While Ross declined to discuss specific figures, he says the sticker price for Lagos is "significantly more" than scrap prices, putting the potential profits to the TTC in the millions of dollars.

It is not unusual for technology from western nations to end up in poorer countries. Marketplaces in Africa and Asia are flooded with North American clothes, computers, and even cars, but the purchase of larger technology like trains is rarer.

The cars will have to be significantly refurbished to fit existing infrastructure in Lagos, and some Nigerian media reports have lamented that the government appears to have settled on "tokundo," or used, trains instead of brand new vehicles.

Although half the cars are more than 30 years old, Ross is adamant they are perfectly safe and are only being decommissioned for capacity reasons. But he also admitted the TTC is not required to make sure the cars meet any safety standards before selling them.

"Once sold, it's up to the new operator to ensure they are in good working order," he said. "They do need to be maintained much more frequently than the new trains, simply because of their age. At some point they will run out their useful life."

Murtaza Haider, director of the Institute of Housing and Mobility at Ryerson University, said the age of the cars is definitely a cause for concern.

"We should be ensuring that there is some service life left in these vehicles and we're not going to be playing havoc with the lives of those who would ride these vehicles," Haider said. "There's metal fatigue, and that metal fatigue could result in dangerous conditions. I would be paying a close watch on this for the next ten years to see how many accidents do happen in Lagos."

More from: https://nowtoronto.com/news/next-stop-nigeria/

www.nairaland.com/attachments/986954_227085_217133764973083_1665116_n_jpg748f7881e9a4a7029d746ce618b9e883



www.nairaland.com/attachments/986970_226204_217133461639780_436735_n_jpg881704f0a82d9e191193a6cb576f8d24




* In January 2013, i.e. some two years after the Toronto visit, our excellent governor said the trains will be ready by June, i.e. five months after the unsolicited statement, based on his inspection & assessment of work done so far at the time =>

Lagos light rail’ll be ready in June – Fashola
JANUARY 9, 2013

The Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola on Tuesday said the first phase of the state Blue Light Rail project would be completed by June this year(2013).

He expressed confidence that Lagosians would start enjoying the services of the lrail project immediately.

The first phase would run from Marina and terminated at Okokomaiko area in Ojo Local Government.

Fashola spoke during an inspection of ongoing projects in the state which took him and his cabinet members to Orile-Iganmu, Alimosho and Ejigbo areas among others to assess the level of works being done by contractors.

The governor, who inaugurated the trackwork of the blue light rail at Alaba Suru, Coker-Agunda Local Council Development Area, said the level of work on the road and those of the National Theatre and Alaba-Mile 2 rail stations, would ensure early completion

He said, “In order to finish the project, the contractor did not go on vacation during the festive period. This will ensure that the project is delivered on time for the use of Lagosians.

More from: http://www.punchng.com/news/lagos-light-railll-be-ready-in-june-fashola/

* Last year, our fine-boy-no-pimples Misita Gomina confessed he had already spent a whopping sum of N160 billion on the light rail that was supposed to be in use since June 2013. Depending on the exchange rate he used that could be $1 billion to $1.2 billion spent

How We Spent N160bn World Bank Loan on Light Rail Project
11 Sep 2014
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He, therefore, explained that the state government already “has in place, strategies to repay the loan. The federal government was in the know of the state’s decision to take the bond and it approved it.”

He added that the truth “is that what they do not also say is that no state in Nigeria can borrow money outside, from any multilateral agencies without the approval of the federal government.

“What they did not say is that they approved it. No state can raise money by bond the way we have done without the federal government’s approval. Both SEC and NSE are all federal regulatory agencies through which we must pass. If they said okay, it means there must be something good about the debt.

More from: http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/lagos-how-we-spent-n160bn-world-bank-loan-on-light-rail-project/188736/

As of today, we nor see train, even sef all the billion, billion $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ don disappear enter Toronto. We prayer be sey make dem nor turn around small time sey na bad business like the N8 billion Sunborn floating hotel

In fact their candidate, Ambode now dey tell us sey na to restructure the financing and delivery will be in 18 months time. Laakulilai, we don suffer finish in the hands of these scam masters and smooth operators =>

Why I reached out to Igbo voters –Ambode, Lagos APC governorship candidate
APRIL 4, 2015
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When is the light rail going to be delivered, the project seems to be going on for years?

I just said it, it’s being funded by Lagos State and the Federal Government support is not there. But I believe strongly that we will create a financial restructuring that will allow us to deliver that light rail within the next 18 months.

More from: http://www.punchng.com/feature/hotseat/why-i-reached-out-to-igbo-voters-ambode-lagos-apc-governorship-candidate/

Una wey sabi financial management small go know sey the man just dey tell us sey money don finish dem must BORROW plenty $$$$$$$$$$$ loan again to have any hope whatsoever of using the trains in 18 months lohun lohun far away longest time!
Can anyone reconcile the fact that the federal government approved LASG's World Bank loan for this project yet the atohunrinwa Ondo man dey spin us long tales of no federal support. He must think we are all baby pikins wey mama fit tell FAKE tory

Is this the band of rogues, crooks and thieves that Oba Akiolu wants to send a whole tribe of Nigeria to the lagoon for?
Why would a respected Oba call for political GENOCIDE of a people in the 21st century?
For the crumbs falling off JagbaJantis of Bourdillon's table?

That should not & will not be our portion, ever :exclaim:
Enough is Enough!!!

dolpaz:
One thing I'll always say is this:

If Fashola can not fix the power supply in this country.

Then this generation should forget about electricity

Shikena !

So fashola is the only saviour
There are better people just that they are yet to be discovered.

RCC has already begun...

TheNonce:




After how many years? What of all the money that bi -courtney collected to initiate that same road years ago? Or una wan just allocate new pepper without probe?


Ministry of works is filled with corrupt idiots!

If the probe starts you will be same people shouting witch hunt.