I hope they will not embezzle the money for the construction
This is coming at a time that the
traffic situation at several bad portions of the road has worsened due
to the advent of the rains. And as the condition of the road continues
to deteriorate, gridlock has become a constant feature on both sides of
the highway.
The names of the shortlisted firms,
according a source at the Federal Ministry Works, have been sent to the
Bureau of Public Procurement for ratification.
The source said the BPP was expected to
issue a certificate of no objection, which would clear one or two of the
construction companies for the project.
“Once the BPP has issued the certificate
of no objection, the ministry will present the name(s) of the
contractors to the Federal Executive Council for final approval,” the
source said.
Although the cost of the reconstruction
could not be ascertained at press time, it was learnt that the Federal
Government would fully fund the project.
The Minister of Works, Mr. Mike
Onolememen, had last year announced the termination of the concession
agreement with Bi-Courtney Highway Services for the reconstruction of
the 125-kilometre road, accusing the firm of serially breaching the
terms of the contract signed by it and the Federal Government on May 26,
2009 under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and RCC
Nigeria Limited were immediately hired to take over the job. The former
was given the Lagos-Sagamu Interchange end, while the latter got the
section between the interchange and Ibadan.
However, their remedial work was only to
prepare the road for the high volume of traffic during the 2012
Christmas and the New Year festivities.
Since the two contractors withdrew from
the road at the beginning of this year, motorists and commuters have
been encountering serious gridlock and have been exposed to avoidable
accidents and robberies following the deplorable state of the road.
But the ministry said it had to return
to the drawing board to prepare a fresh design for the road and get
contractors to bid in line with due process guidelines.
The minister had said on a television
programme monitored in Lagos last week that the new design would
incorporate a fly-over at the Redeemed Camp area to reduce traffic jam.
He said, “We plan to construct a flyover
around the area where we have a number of churches, which usually lead
to bottleneck, particularly around the Redeemed Church.
“We have now introduced a flyover around
there to separate the traffic to the church and the thorough traffic
that is traversing from Lagos to other states. That is going to solve
the problem around the Redemption Camp permanently.”
Onolememen also said, “We opened the
bids (for Lagos-Ibadan Expressway) last year and we have finally
analysed the bids and they have gone to the Bureau of Public Procurement
for letter of no objection.
“Once we receive the letter of no
objection from BPP, the project will be awarded and Nigerians will once
again see contractors in full swing.”
Under the Design, Build, Operate and
Transfer agreement with Bi-Courtney was expected to refurbish the road
with N89.53bn and collect tolls on it for 25 years in order to recoup
its investment.
The scope of work involved the provision
of two additional lanes in either direction between Lagos and the
Sagamu Interchange, making it four lanes; the provision of associated
facilities for the security and welfare of road users, as well as
ensuring a free flow of traffic.
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