BY MODESTUS UMENZEKWE
I have in the last few months been travelling to my hometown of Achina in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State at a high frequency for reasons which need not be stated here. I have been going by road because the road is today much better and safer than, say, this time last year. Another reason I travel by road is to have a firsthand experience with a view to reporting to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who always solicits for such frank reports with a view to taking appropriate action.
Whereas the Onitsha-Asaba-Benin-Ore sections of the Lagos to Onitsha Highway have in the last few years been generally good, the Lagos-Shagamu-Ore sections are in a mess. One is glad to report that tremendous reconstruction work is currently taking place in the worst of all the failed sections. Reynold Construction Company (RCC) has divided the Lagos-Sagamu-Ore sections into four parts and is working on them simultaneously in a rather frenetic manner, even in the rains. In a fashion reminiscent of the mass attack principle, RCC is reconstructing what remains of the Ondo State section of the highway, the Ijebu Ode part, the Shagamu end as well as the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. When I was driving from Anambra State to Lagos two days ago, I had to stop briefly at the Ijebu Ode site because what is going on there looks more like new construction rather than rehabilitation. Rev Sister Christy Okonkwo, an impressed Catholic nun who is from Nnewi in Anambra State and works with the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Congregation at Epe in Lagos State, remarked after watching the massive deployment of equipment, machines and human resources: “There is still hope for Nigeria”.
In the past, such massive reconstruction which always resulted in the closure of at least one side of the highway had invariably led to traffic gridlock. Reverend Sister Christy narrated how she and her colleagues spent three hours on one spot while going for the funeral of a colleague’s relative. Like the rest of her colleagues, she consequently developed a phobia for travelling by road to the Southeast and South-south from Lagos. But this time traffic is directed professionally not just by the RCC workers and Federal Road Safety Corps officials but also by teams of police and army personnel whose presence injects discipline and order in the heads of commercial motorists, especially those of minibuses whose irresponsible driving exacerbates traffic gridlock. What is more, the conspicuous presence of soldiers in particular has driven away armed robbers and kidnappers from the highway. Capitalizing on the failed portions which naturally forced motorists to stop, kidnappers on one occasion shot an Igbo priest with the Warri Catholic Diocese in the hand and took away a young boy with him and on another occasion took away nuns of the St Louis Congregation in Ondo State who were travelling on a bus and hid them in a thick forest for a whole 10 days. Today all this criminal nonsense on the Lagos-Onitsha Highway is history.
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Lest I forget, while driving through Benin, we noticed there were two awfully failed sections of this extraordinarily busy highway. One is directly opposite the NIPCO filling station on the Benin-Agbor section of the road while the other on the Benin Bypass. Mr Fashola was contacted on his personal phone, and he quickly began to ask questions about the exact locations and extent of the failed portions. It was evident that the officials of the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) had yet to report the state of the road to him. When he was satisfied with details of the failed portions, he promised to immediately get in touch with the contractor to assess the rehabilitation and revert to him. Talk of responsive leadership. Talk of working with passion and commitment.
One thing about Fashola is that he executes every assignment as though his life depended on it. He is, to a considerable extent, the face of what the Catholic Church has in recent decades popularized as the common good. He is also a considerable representation of the concept of servant leadership. A few weeks ago when it was brought to his knowledge that the Asaba end of the Lagos-Onitsha Expressway had collapsed, he immediately directed Julius Berger which was working on another project in the neighbourhood to move to the site of the failed part. Work is going on there right now. The rainy season has always been cited by various state governments and the Federal Ministry of Works as the main justification for suspending road construction or rehabilitation by this time of the year, but this explanation cuts no ice with Fashola who, as we have seen right from his days as the Lagos State governor, works all year round.
One has not in the last few months been travelling to other parts of the country, but one understands that road reconstruction is taking place all over the federation everywhere there is a provision in the budget for it. Even the most awfully failed part of the Okija-Ihiala-Uli-Egbu-Oguta-Ahoada linking Anambra, Imo and Rivers states which is not in the captured in this year’s budget is being rehabilitated because it is considered a national emergency.
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It has to be noted that RCC, Julius Berger and Integrated Services Ltd are among several companies which moved to sites before the release of the first quarter of this year’s budget. They went to work without the payment of mobilization fees in these economically hard times because of their trust in the integrity of the minister. As management experts have long noted, integrity or character is a most invaluable asset in business transactions whether in the private or public sector. In other words, as more releases are made, both the scope and intensity of road work by the Federal Government will escalate.
Fashola assumed duties as the Minister of Power, Works and Housing only last November, that is, less than a year now. Before he could settle in office, take stock of things, make his own projections and then mobilise funds, critics had gone to town, with some wondering if he could run this enlarged ministry successfully. If Fashola could excell as the Lagos State governor in a way which earned him great praise and awards from the greatest global media and think tanks, he should be expected to continue on the trajectory of high service delivery. Now that work is going on even in the rainy season on federal roads, why have even the media been shy to report it? Well, if the media fail to report these developments, frequent road users like us who feel and experience the massive work daily cannot deny the evidence of our eyes.
God bless Nigeria.
Umenzekwe ([email protected], 08037202353) is immediate past president, Odunade building materials dealers association, Lagos
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Views expressed by contributors are strictly personal and not of TheCable.
17 comments
KUDOS BABA FASHOOOO.. #BRF IS WORKING!!!
Keep it up BRF
We have faith in the Minister. he will deliver
This eye witness account is gladdening. It is sad that mist media houses being bankrolled by the looters of yesterdays do not carry any news besides the break up of Nigeria.This is an evidence that this Administration is working.
It is noteworthy that we are experiencing an aspect of change from what we are used to in the past. Let us keep our leaders in prayers that God should keep on strengthening and endue them with knowledge, wisdom, understanding and fear of God to deliver the good intentions they had for our Country Nigeria. God Bless our Leaders and Nigeria as a Country. Nigeria will rise again IJMN.
Bravo Dear Minister.Kindly look into the Aba- Ikot Ekpene Road.This is the only road that links the whole of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States to the rest of Nigeria,this road has been completely unmotorable.Commerce in Akwa Ibom wholesomely depends on Aba,and people have been suffering for so long,this is an SOS to you Dear Minister.More grease to your elbows.
I also believe that theres an improvement in power supply
Indeed there is an improvement in the power supply. However there is still room for more improvement. Keep it up Sir.
This is laudable from our Amiable minister that belief in hardwork and less talk…I strongly belief he would deliever on most National connecting roads in the country and also improve in the capacity of power generation…
I travelled through Ore-Ijebu Ode road yesterday in a commercial vehicle, the passengers including I were impressed though after so much argument that a lawyer cannot fit in as a Minister of work. I hope BRF will disappoint the wailing doubters!
Pls d minister of works shld come to our rescue on Lagos Abeokuta Expressway especially frm toll gate to Sango Otta to OWODE ijako and ifo area these roads r in terrible state causing a lot of gridlock. We will appreciate his swift action
I live in Ijeshatedo area of Lagos state, just off the oshodi-apapa expressway and power supply is still a big issue. Honestly, there hasn’t been any improvement. It’s worse now, barely 10hours a week yet we pay inflated estimated bills to the disco’s. We need help urgently. Omilani axis to be precise.
Unnnnn, Nigerians, Six (6) months ago they were shouting “cucify him”, “round peg in square hole, remove him”. This was the style of Fashola all along. He plans very well before moving to field. Even myself, I once wrote that Fashola was given job beyond his capacity, now I know better. For electricity, I was told it was the rainfall that made Kainji dam to be functioning and hence the regular power power supply we had in recent time. To me, there is sunrise in the horizon.
In Akute, a surburb of Ogun State very close to Lagos State, we had Power Supply for 5 days Non-stop. That is from Sunday night to Thursday night. When there was outage on Thursday night,it lasted for just 30 Minutes, then non-stop power supply for the whole weekend.
This has remained the trend since.
These days, we now take light for granted in this neighbourhood, we dont bother ourselves again, because we know “they will bring light”
Nigeria is getting better
raining season is the reason we see improved light and we will know dry sea comes, they given good roads they could not maintain it,they realize that they have work after much propaganda.
Good day Sir,
I read your article in ‘The Cable’ and I must agree with you as I recently travelled up to Ore (Ondo State) and witnessed the level of work being done.
Evidently; without any announcement/fanfare; the contractor is back to work on the road. I noticed some patching were also done in areas that had a lot of portholes before now.
This confirmed my concerns that this administration either has a defective communications/information framework or (in a bid to seem modest) deliberately choose not to publicize their works!.
While it is good to be modest; reality in modern days is that you need to let people know what you are doing per time. I understand the President is a rather quiet person and will rather prefer to work quietly; but that may not be the best especially in this recession period. Imagine if the government blows their trumpet just a little; it will create a ripple effect of raising confidence and hitherto flagging morale of the people and boost hope in the government and the future of the country.
Why recession seems to be seriously affecting most people now in Nigeria is not that recession is unique to Nigeria alone but that most people seems not to have hope of when it will end. This ‘Hope’ can be given by a communicating leadership.
If Baba (due to his natural nature) is unwilling to talk; what stops the Economic Management Team (or at least a combo of Finance Minister 7 CBN governor) to hold forthnightly press addresses (until things stabilizes) where critical issues are addressed; fears allayed and ‘Hope’ rekindled. What stops the ministry of information from being more engaging?. As jamboree like as the former minister of Information (Labaran Maku) was, the programme of going state by state to showcase achievements of the FG achieved something (at least at the inception before it turned to a jamboree). A serious administration need to showcase what they have achieved.
I used to dream that when I am in a position of leadership; I will wait for my works to speak for me. I later realized that will only work where all (100%) likes me and trust me. Reality now is that the initial few who don’t like the government have been succeeding to recruit more to join their ranks – why? – because the current government seems rather uncommunicative and unresponsive therefore leaving a lot of minds confused and unengaged, ready for any opinion flying around. In a world of fast news dissemination; if you allow doubts or a vacuum; lies will fill it so you need a proactive information management strategy.
The above is what I think is fundamentally wrong with the present administration aside from the initial mistakes in the early days.
Let me leave the above though and go to my main issue. I have been trying to reach the Honorable Minister of Works; Power & Housing in respect to an issue.
BACKGROUND:
This is in respect to the lack of power/total disconnection/total blackout for over 5 years in Mowe; Ibafo; Magboro axis of Ogun State, Nigeria. This area is also popularly called Second Lagos.
SITUATION:
The area has been without power; not even a flash since 5 years now (some reports actually claimed 7-10 years).
This was documented recently in some newspapers a few of which I provide the links to below:
1. http://newtelegraphonline.com/ogun-residents-protest-10-year-power-outage/
2. http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2016/03/07/magboro-ibafo-mowe-residents-protest-
3. http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/ibafo-electricity-consumers-protest-10-year-old-
4. http://punchng.com/contractor-responsible-for-blackout-in-ogun-communities-ibedc/
5. http://www.untoldng.com/phcn-tarif-increase-amosun-calls-for-better-service/
The areas affected are quite large and well populated. I recently moved to the area and it is indeed a shame that every household have to be burning fuel daily just to listen to news or charge phones. Not to talk of school children having to study for few hours especially now that fuel is expensive. The alternative is Solar power which the set up cost is extremely prohibitive.
I had to do a simple repair work recently and to rent a generator towards getting the job done costs more than the cost of the repairs itself. The story has been that an NIPP’s contractor has failed to deliver quality work so the entire communities continues to stay in total pitch darkness.
ACTIONS TAKEN:
I am aware that the communities association have severally tried to pursue speedy resolution but so far no positive result leading to the frustration that led to the protest as can be gleaned from some of the newspaper links above. Initially the promise was last year’s December (2015) but that is 9 months past now and still no ray of hope in sight.
On my own I have tried to engage IBEDC and NERC via emails/twits. No one has been able to give a definitive response; rather passing the buck. NERC is asking a get an acknowledged copy of letter written to IBEDC. In this age of technology I still have to write a paper letter. And until that is done no action by NERC. What makes or invalidates electronic submissions?. NIPP either do not have a responsive website or decided not to be bothered. REA listed the connection on its site with a blank date meaning they don’t know when the contract will be awarded. In simple language nobody is giving ‘Hope’!!
I am currently trying to get the direct email contact of the honourable mister for power; housing and works as he has not been active on twitter and has not responded to messages sent to his personal websites and the ministry of works website.
REQUEST:
There is a need for a firm and definite timeline when the issue will be resolved. Alternatively and in the meantime the communities can be reconnected to Shagamu/Abeokuta even on power rotating basis.
It is still better to get 2 hours of power daily than none at all. Might sound as a negative mindset but that is the reality now.
Also interesting is the fact that a local prepaid meter company (Memcol) is located in Olowotedo/Orimerunmu which is right in the midst of the challenge.
Imagine if the environment is powered; the company could be given the contract by IBEDC to ensure metering of all the households in the community which will boost the sales of the meter company; revenue to IBEDC and the economy of the communities. Quality of lives and services will improve tremendously. Most people in the area seems to have given up already. Hope delayed makes the heart sick indeed.
It takes a little effort to rekindle hope. While those that have some form of light/power daily may not be impressed with additional 2 hours daily, the people in these areas (popularly referred to as 2nd Lagos) will leap for joy with 2 hours daily (case of quarter bread better than none!!).
That is why I believe that the current administration could still impact on lives significantly even before the end of the year. Those without light for years will have hope rekindled if some form of light is restored, it can be gradually built upon and increased.
This is an appeal to Honourable Minister BRF to please look into this and (at least) give a response as to when the issue will be resolved. I am sure he knows this area and I believe some people in the government too are aware but the need now is to move from awareness to action and reassurance.
Thank you.
God bless Muhammadu Buhari for appointing BRF in his cabinet. And may God also Strengthen Babatunde Raji Fashola to deliver beyond expectations. Ameen.