Ogun, firm feud may stall Lagos-Ibadan road project

[TGD]

 LESS than 24 hours after the Federal Government gave Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited a 60-day ultimatum to complete palliative works on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Ogun State government has allegedly stopped the installation of the $6.5 million asphalt plant the contractor needs for the project.

But the state government, in a swift reaction, stated that the said parcel of land "was already under government acquisition and therefore it is being designated as trailer park in the public's interest."

According to a statement by Bi-Courtney, Governor Ibikunle Amosun had stormed the Reynold Construction Company (RCC) yard where it (Bi-Courtney) was installing the plant, with a detachment of policemen and bulldozers on Sunday and vowed not to allow the concessionaire go on with its work because he wanted to use the site for a trailer park.

In the statement, Bi-Courtney's spokesman, Dipo Kehinde, described the action as a wrong move. He said: "Since the grant of the concession, Ogun State government was taken as a major partner, given that 80 per cent of the highway falls within the state.

"Ogun State was to give us land as its own contribution to the project. The former RCC yard was identified, visited and allocated to us by the state government. The process entailed joint visit, and assessment before allocation, following all due process.

"To buttress this fact, we duly settled the land owners promptly to demonstrate our commitment to the site. The payment to the landowners was done, after due consultation with the state government and confirmation of the landowners at a joint stakeholders meeting with officials of the Bureau of Land. The state government actually brokered the meeting with the family landowners.

"A search was also conducted at the Ogun State Survey Directorate, and the report revealed that the property is unencumbered."

The Ogun State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, had, on Sunday, issued a statement confirming that the state government had approved the site for Bi-Courtney, after the company submitted application for the use of the site on April 20, 2011."

He continued: "The Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, had, on Saturday, visited the RCC yard as part of his assessment tour, to see what Bi-Courtney has been doing, and how government could assist the company in making an early delivery of the project.

During the inspection tour, which commenced from the Old Toll-Gate office of Bi-Courtney at 9a.m., the minister pledged to give all necessary support to hasten work on the reconstruction of the road.

He mentioned the idea of involving army of engineers in some aspects of the project, saying: "We shouldn't saddle Bi-Courtney with the task of securing the Right of Way (ROW). We are going to bring in army of engineers to assist."

But Olaniyonu, who spoke on behalf of the government, stated that "the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has become a major weak link in our national road network. The road now constitutes a major menace to its users, both those who are resident in Ogun State and those who are travelling to other parts of the country.

"It is to solve the problems and make life easier for all. The Ogun State government started to explore various means by which it can take the trailers and petrol tankers, which usually impede free flow of traffic off the road by finding a temporary site to be used as a park for them.

The government has found a disused site around the Sagamu Interchange which had earlier been occupied by the RCC."

According to him, "the site which is already situated within 2km global acquisition along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will serve the purpose of eliminating the public nuisance constituted by trailers and petrol tankers which are usually parked along the expressway."

Olaniyonu added "it should be noted that the said parcel of land was already under government acquisition and therefore its being designated as a trailer park in the public interest. The government, however, found that a private concern had submitted application for the use of the same site on April 20, 2011 and the application was approved. However, there is no record that the company had either furnished consideration as required nor fulfilled other pre-conditions necessary for it to take full possession."



The Guardian