It was a great project conceived to open business activities on a larger scale on the Lagos/Ibadan axis of the South-West.Being the commercial nerve-centre of the country and the then political capital before General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) moved the capital to Abuja on December 12, 1991, the plan to construct an expressway from Lagos to Ibadan in 1974 by the General Yakubu Gowon regime was received with jubilation in the country.In August 1978 when the then Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, the late Major-General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua inaugurated the highway as a toll road on behalf of his boss and then Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd), Nigerians' joy knew no bound.It was the first of its kind in the country because it was smooth and it took about one hour, 10 minutes to drive from Lagos to Ibadan.The project was particularly important because it is one road that links Lagos to the West, East and North.The dual carriageway became a beehive of activities for all kinds of vehicles. Articulated vehicles conveying goods from the Apapa and Tin Can Ports would ply the road. Trailers with cows, tomato, pepper, onions and others from the North to Lagos markets would also take the same route.Because of the smoothness of the road, some people working in Lagos lived in Ibadan because if they left Ibadan at 7a.m., they would get to Lagos before 8.30a.m. After close of work by 3.30p.m., they were sure of getting to Ibadan before 5p.m.But, gradually, due to the lack of maintenance culture of this country, the road turned into a nightmare and death trap. Today, it is a slaughter slab.With thousands of vehicles plying the expressway on a daily basis, and with successive administrations turning the other eye to maintenance, craters, gullies and potholes became noticeable on the expressway.MFM axis, Deeper Life, Ibafo, Redeemed, Mowe, Sagamu, Ogere and Ibadan end of the road became illegal trailer parks. Due to reckless driving and other dangerous activities, hundreds of people die on a quarterly basis.I remember an accident that happened near Ibafo in 2009. A faulty tanker spilled its content on the road and there was no sign to warn other road users. Some motorists sped into it and started spinning, causing fire. Tens of people died on the spot.Another happened which was caused by a luxury bus coming from the East in the night. The driver took one lane and since the lights were switched off (apparently the driver didn't want to alert armed robbers with his light), an oncoming trailer collided with it. Almost everybody in the luxury bus died. Curiously, a snake also died in the accident.A few years ago, I went to Ondo and while coming back, thousands of motorists had to wait near Ogere because bandits were on the rampage a few kilometres from where we were and there was no security agent to challenge them.On another occasion, I spent more than five hours between Mowe and Lagos (a distance of about 25 minutes) because of the recklessness of some drivers.Thousands of people reading this column also have one experience or the other on this expressway.It is unfortunate that this road was neglected for more than three decades.The Obasanjo regime inaugurated it in 1978 but since then, we had Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), Babangida, Chief Ernest Shonekan, the late General Sani Abacha (rtd), General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) and these leaders didn't do anything on this road until Obasanjo came back as a civilian president in 1999.Even then, it took him eight years before thinking of what to do by involving the private sector to fix this important road.This is another story because Obasanjo started the process, the late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua concluded it and even now, that we have another president in Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, politics is still being played on this road. This can only happen in Nigeria.On April 15, 2009, the then Information and Communications Minister under Yar'Adua, Prof. Dora Akunyili, announced the concessioning of the road to Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited (BCHSL), owned by Dr. Bolanle Olawale Babalakin (SAN), saying the concessionaire would reconstruct and modernise the highway and recoup its investment through toll collection. The Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the concession at N89.53 billion with a concession period of 25 years under a Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) Scheme with 100 percent funding by the concessionaire. The work to be undertaken by the firm includes the full reconstruction of the existing carriageways, construction of additional lanes to the four-lane carriageway and provision of associated facilities for the security and welfare of road users.She said: 'The investors' cost and return on investment will be recovered via tolls subject to regulatory guidance from the Federal Government and other charges on road support service, such as trailer parks and rest areas. To ensure that the highway is in good condition throughout the concession period, routine and periodic maintenance will be carried out at a minimum level of service under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Works, Housing and Urban Development. Electronic traffic control and enforcement measures; highway lighting between 7:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. through the installation of a gas-fire plant; overhead pedestrian bridges on designated locations; modern toll points with electronic tolling system; modern road signs and lane markings are other facilities the Federal Government expected from the concessionaire'.But, trust Nigeria. It took about five months for the expressway to be officially handed over to BCHSL by the then Minister of Works, Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Hassan Muhammed Lawal, on Thursday September 3, 2009.During the handing over, Babalakin said: 'We promise to carry out the required works as speedily as possible and above all, with minimal disruptions to traffic flow. We require the cooperation of all Nigerians, especially users of the highway.'But, two years after, the project has been delayed due to politics and selfish interests of some individuals and groups.Progress on the project was also slowed down by the bureaucracy of having its design approved as required by the terms of the concession.The final approval of the design was not obtained until May 10, 2011. Can you imagine this: April 15, 2009 to May 10, 2011'Worldwide, Public Private Partnership (PPP) is the way to go in modern projects, of course, with supervision from the government and it is understandable why some elements in governments are still against it.Given the mentality of those in public service, 'government job is not my father's business'. And that is why NITEL is dead today and Airtel, MTN, Glo, Etisalat are thriving. That is why banks owned by governments are dead while GTBank, FirstBank, UBA, Zenith and others are churning out billions of naira in dividend.The only way to fix our roads is to privatise them. There is no alternative to this. I was in the United States (U.S.) in September and I had a pleasurable ride in a double-decker luxury bus from Baltimore, Maryland to New York (a distance of four hours). There was even internet facility and charging points in the bus.To start describing the state of this road, vis a vis Nigerian roads, is like comparing death with headache.In Nigeria, embracing the PPP has a lot of challenges. It was the same obstacle Babalakin faced while rebuilding the MMA2 in Ikeja, Lagos. Today, it is the cynosure of all eyes. Anytime I want to travel locally, I always want to go through the MMA2 which is better than the old domestic wing.The apparent neglect of the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway for decades is not without grave consequences in terms of the consistent deterioration of the road surface and with the Federal Government facing challenges in other sectors, Nigerians have no time to wait for more people to be killed before something urgent is done on the road.The BCHSL project starts at Oworonshoki in Lagos, traversing Ojota, Sagamu junction, Ogere, and terminating at Ojoo in Ibadan, Oyo State. To show its seriousness on the life-saving project, the concessionaire has expended billions of naira on materials and equipment deployed towards the attainment of the set goal.BCHSL, in its drive to facilitate the quick delivery of the project, procured new equipment and machinery, notable among which are excavators, dozers, tippers, graders, pavers and pay loaders.According to the concession agreement, the road will be expanded to eight lanes from Lagos to Sagamu and six lanes from Sagamu to Ibadan. Because of this expansion, structures that fall within 60.35 metres from the median on both sides of the road will be demolished, and government will compensate owners of the affected properties.The company has provided eight temporary trailer parks with a total capacity of 1,800 trailers in Ibafo (Omoba, South Bound) - 550 trailers; Ibafo (Opposite MFM) - 50 trailers, (Northbound ' 150 trailers), Ibafo Gideon College (Northbound) 150 trailers); Ibafo (Rainbow College Northbound) - 150 trailers, Ogere (Opposite Tabeorar Northbound) - 100 trailers; Ogere (Opposite FRSC Southbound) 350 trailers; Ogere (Opposite FRSC Northbound 150 trailers), Ogere (beside Kwakyama oil Northbound) - 300 trailers. This was done to reduce the pressure on the road shoulders and provide a safe abode to the trailers, which hitherto were parked on the highway, hindering smooth flow of traffic. It has applied for sites to construct permanent Trailer Parks, Scrap and Works yard at 16 locations within the three States of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo.While preparing for the take-off of the re-construction, BCHSL imported a $6.5 million asphalt plant, and the concessionaire commenced the installation at the RCC yard, near the Sagamu interchange.But for political reasons, the Ogun State Government stalled the installation, seized the plant, and took over the RCC yard because Governor Ibikunle Amosun said he wanted to site a trailer park at the yard.The state government also took steps to prevent BCHSL from securing the Right of Way (ROW), which is a major step that must be taken before commencing the task of expanding and reconstructing the road.But, despite this, Bi-Courtney has signed an agreement to handle the project with two South African giants, Rand Bank and Group Five.Group Five is a multi-disciplinary construction group with an established and growing international client base engaged in resources, energy and infrastructure delivery.Incidentally, Group Five was formed in 1974 when the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway began.The highly-rated Group Five has completed five major highways like the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in Africa and many more around the world.Its accomplishments also include the successful delivery of the King Shaka International Airport, KwaZulu-Natal, and a range of contracts related to the FIFA 2010 World Cup.For years, there had been a great hue and cry about the bad state of Nigerian roads, especially the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which is the major artery that carries the lifeblood of the nation's economy.The project must begin now and President Goodluck Jonathan should ensure that obstacles from anybody or groups are removed immediately. Enough of politicking and 'playing kite' with Nigerians' lives on this expressway.
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