PRESS STATEMENT

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF POWER, WORKS AND HOUSING NOT FRUSTRATING AMBODE OR HIS GOVERNMENT
· Lists several requests it has approved for LASG
· Says Governor failed to acknowledge he spoke with Minister who explained on going processes to him
· Reveals that LASG has refused to provide land for National Housing Programme


The attention of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has been drawn to certain statements credited to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode claiming that the “Federal Ministry of Works“ has been frustrating the efforts of his administration to carry out a “total reconstruction of the International Airport Road from Oshodi.”

The Governor also reportedly accused the “Federal Ministry of Works and Housing” and Security Services of denying the State Government access to the Presidential Lodge in Lagos six months after President Muhammadu Buhari approved it off for the State.

This response is to ensure that members of the public are not misled by deliberate or inadvertent mis-statements.

The allegations of lack of cooperation from the Ministry and frustration of Lagos State Government development initiatives are simply not true and the facts do not bear them out.

In 2016, the Hon Minister for Power Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, approved the use of the Federal Ministry of works yard at Oworonsoki for Lagos State Government to create a lay-by to ease traffic.

The Hon Minister also approved that Lagos State be granted the Rights to manage the Street Lighting on the 3rd Mainland Bridge to support the security initiatives of the State, a request which the previous Federal Government administration had denied Lagos State for years.

During the same year the Hon Minister also supported the approval of the World Bank Loan of $200m to Lagos State, again a request the previous administration had denied Lagos State.

As far as International Airport Road which is currently the ground for alleged “frustration” is concerned, the correct position is that the Lagos State Government presented a request for FOUR roads that it would wish to take over.

This is consistent with the position being canvassed by the Hon Minisiter for States who are interested to apply to take over Roads that are within their States.

The Ministry has presented the Memorandum conveying the request of the Lagos State Government to the Federal Executive Council as was done with a similar request by the Kaduna State Government in 2016.

Due to the fact that TWO of the roads also connect Ogun State, the Federal Executive Council could not reach an immediate decision on them because it requested the input of the other State Government affected.

The Kaduna State Government requested the Federal Government to transfer two roads within Kaduna Metropolis to the State in November 2015. Due process was followed and the request of the State Government was approved in August 2016, a period of ten months.

Federal Executive Councill Memorandum are debated and commented upon by all members and in cases of roads, surveys, maps and other material have to be provided to assist members understand the location and connectivity of the roads, (in this case Four roads), in order to assist how they vote on the Memorandum.


As far as the Presidential Lodge is concerned, it is under the management of the Presidency and not the Ministry.

After the approval by Mr President that the Presidential Lodge be handed over to the State Government, there was a directive to the Ministry to work out the modalities for handing over.

The Ministry has prepared a vesting instrument to convey the transfer and all that is needed is a survey plan.

The Presidential Lodge is a high security location and officials of the Ministry also require security clearance to enter in order to do any works.

Access to the lodge is not under the control of the Ministry.

The motive behind this public accusations must therefore be scrutinized coming barely a week after the Governor spoke with the Honorable Minister, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN on the outstanding requests of the State for several minutes and the Minister took time to explain the situation of things to the Governor. (The first telephone conversation the Governor has had with the Minister since May 29, 2015).

If there is any lack of co-operation it is on the part of the State Government that has refused to acknowledge not to talk of approving the Ministry's request for Land of the National Housing Programme in Lagos.

The Ministry is not frustrated by this lack of response and remains optimistic that a response will come from Lagos State.

The Ministry remains committed to serving the Government and Good People of Lagos and will treat all their requests on Merit and in accordance with necessary due process as will be done to other States.

As far as the refund of N51Billion is concerned this is not a new item. Almost all if not all states have these claims and the Federal Ministry of Power Works and Housing has verified these claims.

What is left is the process of raising the finance to pay the Debt owed to the States.

Those who are familiar with the workings of Government will attest to the fact that it is an intricate sequence of processses, consultation and collaboration.

Equating processes to a lack of co-operation is therefore akin to creating a storm in a tea cup.


HAKEEM BELLO
SPECIAL ADVISER,
COMMUNICATIONS
TO THE HON. MINISTER
9TH MARCH, 2017

Ok.....

Click like for Fashola's position
Click share for Ambode reaction.

I click like....Fashola needs Lagos lands to build affordable housing...but Ambode is blocking same.

Where is lalasticlala sef

Hmmm..., Oro sunugun

Both Ambode and Fashola needs some serious beatings.

He has presented the fact but what is the truth. Anyway, they would settle it soon.

instead of them to work together smh

...

So what's Ambo's aim??
*in Keneking's voice* Amazing response!

mimitee:
Both Ambode and Fashola needs some serious beatings.

You're very correct. They both need serious beatings to correct their brains

What's this storm in a tea cup they're quarrelling about? Can't they settle this any other way?

I thought Yorubas are united according to my brothers from the west and resident nairaland zombies flat heads oooo come and see my brothers oooo

you mean there is no form of fast-track except for lasg to wait for about a year plus? moreover, no correlation between the road and ogun state that should stop the approval.
AkwaIbom(Akpabio) did ikot ekpene road down to Abia boundary with the state, ditto for the one at Itu linking CrossRiver, yet the portion of that of Abia and CrossRiver was an eyesore, are you now telling us that Akwaibom had to wait for the other two states to approve the project?
On the lodge, how long does a security clearance take before you access a building? haba, fear God now, your statement is more political than logical.
If you have no clearance despite the presidential order, i think the right thing to have done is to write the president.
On survey plan and the likes, na FEC wan do survey for your ministry, was there no existing survey of the roads and lodge, why not work with that, alter that which needs to be altered. Daddy Fashola, you are not making sense sir.

When you finally meet your girlfriend's mother and she says, "So you are the one who is always dropping of my daughter at 3am with a black car ?"....But you ride a bike

there's always three side of the story

One talks too much and is a compulsive liar. The other talks sparingly but his actions speak louder. Guess you know who to believe.

It was totally unfair for Ambode to have gone to the press to make such claims that Fashola's ministry is frustrating him. Ambode is close to the vice president. He could have just called a meeting between themselves to resolve the matter instead of stoking unnecessary tension.

This present FG has done so much for Ambode within a shortwhile, something Fashola never enjoyed while he was in power as he was frustrated by the then FG led by GEJ.

OlujobaSamuel:
you mean there is no form of fast-track except for lasg to wait for about a year plus? moreover, no correlation between the road and ogun state that should stop the approval.
AkwaIbom(Akpabio) did ikot ekpene road down to Abia boundary with the state, ditto for the one at Itu linking CrossRiver, yet the portion of that of Abia and CrossRiver was an eyesore, are you now telling us that Akwaibom had to wait for the other two states to approve the project?
On the lodge, how long does a security clearance take before you access a building? haba, fear God now, your statement is more political than logical.
If you have no clearance despite the presidential order, i think the right thing to have done is to write the president.
On survey plan and the likes, na FEC wan do survey for your ministry, was there no existing survey of the roads and lodge, why not work with that, alter that which needs to be altered. Daddy Fashola, you are not making sense sir.

Have you worked before in the ministry or in the government so you can explain to us how Fashola is not making sense?

Everything written in the response is very clear and what was highlighted is the big issue we have in the country - a long list of processes to follow before something can be done.

If Fashola didnt follow due process and goes ahead to do things illegally, when the news leak, same folks like you would come out and call for his head as a fake lawyer who cant follow due process.

The article stated that the Road which the LASG wants has a link with Ogun state. Are you in a better position or do you know more than the minister to say that the road has no correlation with Ogun state?

On the lodge, the minister said they are waiting for security clearance and that is under the office of the President. Why not ask the security operatives what is the cause for the delay or are you expecting Fashola to force their hands.

In the article, it was stated the Minister and Governor had a discussion where Fashola explained the delays and made it clear to him he'll do his best to secure the approval, why would the Governor now go to the press to stoke unnecessary tension?

It is not fair, seriously. Ambode didnt try here at all.

Ajibel:


Have you worked before in the ministry or in the government so you can explain to us how Fashola is not making sense?

Everything written in the response is very clear and what was highlighted is the big issue we have in the country - a long list of processes to follow before something can be done.

If Fashola didnt follow due process and goes ahead to do things illegally, when the news leak, same folks like you would come out and call for his head as a fake lawyer who cant follow due process.

The article stated that the Road which the LASG wants has a link with Ogun state. Are you in a better position or do you know more than the minister to say that the road has no correlation with Ogun state?

On the lodge, the minister said they are waiting for security clearance and that is under the office of the President. Why not ask the security operatives what is the cause for the delay or are you expecting Fashola to force their hands.

In the article, it was stated the Minister and Governor had a discussion where Fashola explained the delays and made it clear to him he'll do his best to secure the approval, why would the Governor now go to the press to stoke unnecessary tension?

It is not fair, seriously. Ambode didnt try here at all.

weldone sir, but you are not making sense.

Politics of bitterness.

Fashola is a hater who failed at rocket science but was indeed an effective garderner of Lagos state

Fashola the former gardener of Lagos