Netherlands Partners Lagos on Infrastructure and Environmental Challenges

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As Fashola receives Netherlands' Vice-Minister, trade delegation

Lagos and the Kingdom of the Netherlands Tuesday, in Lagos, sought ways to partner with each other to tackle challenges posed by infrastructure deficit and coastal erosion, even  as the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), revealed that the infrastructure deficit that his administration has to deal with in the State was in the region of $51 billion.

Governor Fashola, who spoke at the Lagos House, Marina, while playing host to the Vice Minister, Foreign Trade of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mr. Simon Smits, who paid him a courtesy visit, said with the State's annual budget in the region of only about $3 billion, the challenges of infrastructure deficit constituted an uphill task for his administration, especially in the areas of the number of roads and highways that need to be built as well as other public support facilities such as bridges, schools and others.

"There are much more facilities to be built such as ferries, terminals and those other life changing infrastructure that will ultimately unleash the capacity of the economy, not only in the participatory opportunities it will provide during the period of the construction, but also the exchange of goods and services they will facilitate during the constructions and after they are completed", the Governor said.

He cited the on-going expansion of the 61 kilometre Lagos – Badagry Expressway from four lanes to 10 lanes accompanied with an intra-city rail line designed for 27 kilometres in the first phase saying it would ease the movement and boost trade and commerce between Lagos and countries in the West Coast of Africa.

Noting that the global challenges of housing, occasioned by global urbanization, have not spared Lagos, Governor Fashola declared, "These are some of the challenges which I think we can create partnership with your construction companies on Private Public Partnership development basis", adding that the State already has an office created by law that serves as negotiator between Government and private enterprises coming to do business in Lagos.

On environmental challenges, Governor Fashola, who particularly expressed deep concern over coastal erosion, said the State would require engineering solutions "in order to control the challenges of nature that we have to deal with" such as unusual weather patterns, rising water levels and the problem of beached vessels.

The Governor explained that often some ocean-going vessels anchored on the Atlantic coast near the State break anchor, may be as a result of high tide, and such vessels drift to the shoreline where they run aground adding that such vessels gradually litter the coastline and the current begins to deposit sand in them thereby hastening their further sinking into the sand of the shoreline which, as a result, begins to experience escalated coastal erosion.

"There is clearly no local capacity to remove them promptly when they break anchor", the Governor said adding that he had intended to discuss with the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Nigeria "to know if there is a Dutch company that has the capacity and what it will take to do an audit and make proposal for the removal of all of those vessels in a prompt and efficient manner".

Another area the Governor seeks partnership with the Dutch nation is Water Transportation where he said Government has expanded existing facilities such as jetties and terminals in the State adding that Government is now looking for partnerships to provide  technical support for the management  of the terminals.

"As I speak, Lagos has expanded existing facilities - jetties  and terminals - in the State", Governor Fashola said adding, "We are now looking at partnership that will bring technical support for the management of those terminals and also the operation of a large fleet of jetties that eases transportation problems of the State", the Governor said.

Thanking the Vice Minister for the visit and his "very kind words" about his administration, Governor Fashola, who attributed the achievements of the administration to his team and the people of Lagos, promised to reciprocate the visit in the very near future adding that the discussions during the current visit of the Vice Minister would form the basis for more fruitful discussions during his own visit to the Netherlands.

In his opening remarks earlier, the Vice Minister commended Governor Fashola for what he described as "tremendous progress" in the living conditions in the State saying he observed it even while driving along the streets of the city of Lagos.

The Vice Minister, who said he visited Nigeria six years ago, declared, "In the short time here, I have seen tremendous progress on the streets; changes for the better. It all goes to your personal commitment for Lagos and the people of Lagos. I complement you on that".

On the purpose of his visit, the Vice Minister said, "We come to offer our assistance from our government and our industries wherever you want to improve the living conditions further and to expand what is basically the economic heart of Nigeria and maybe the economic heart of Africa".

Earlier, in her introductory remarks, the State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Sola Oworu, described the relationship between Nigeria and the Kingdom of the Netherlands as "very good and cordial" adding that the two countries also have very strong economic ties "depicted by the investments of companies like Shell, Heinekens" and others.

According to her, the reason for the visit was "to explore opportunities to collaborate with Lagos State in particular, extending this relationship and to see how we can explore opportunities in the areas of construction, in the areas of water and road infrastructure, to mention a few".

Also present at the occasion were the State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Toyin Ayinde and his Water front Infrastructure Development and Special Duties counterparts, Prince Adesegun Oniru and Dr. Wale Ahmed respectively, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Foreign Affairs, Ms Toyin Caxton-Martins and Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Mr. Hakeem Bello, while accompanying the Vice Minister on the visit were the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Nigeria, Mr. Bert Ronhaar, Ambassador of Nigeria to Netherlands, Dr. (Mrs.) Nimota Akanbi, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Economic Affairs based in Abuja, Mr. Hans de Brabander, Director, African Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Desiree Bonis, Trade and Economic Adviser, Mrs. Pearce Quadt and Unit Manager, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Paul Zwelsiloot.

Website Unit,
Lagos State Government.

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