9th March, 2017
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babaunde Fashola has replied Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State’s comment that his ministry is frustrating the state government’s effort to reconstruct the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Road and other projects.
Fashola, in a statement issued by Hakeem Bello, Special Adviser, Communication to the Minister said the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing was not in anyway frustrating Ambode or his government.
The statement said the attention of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing had been drawn to certain statements credited to Ambode claiming that the “Federal Ministry of Works“ has been frustrating the efforts of his administration to carry out a “total reconstruction of the International Airport Road from Oshodi.”
The statement said the Governor also reportedly accused the “Federal Ministry of Works and Housing” and Security Services of denying the State Government access to the Presidential Lodge in Lagos six months after President Muhammadu Buhari approved it off for the State.
According to the statement, the allegations of lack of cooperation from the Ministry and frustration of Lagos State Government development initiatives were simply not true and that the facts did not bear them out.
“In 2016, the Hon Minister for Power Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, approved the use of the Federal Ministry of works yard at Oworonsoki for Lagos State Government to create a lay-by to ease traffic. The Hon Minister also approved that Lagos State be granted the Rights to manage the Street Lighting on the 3rd Mainland Bridge to support the security initiatives of the State, a request which the previous Federal Government administration had denied Lagos State for years.
“During the same year the Hon Minister also supported the approval of the World Bank Loan of $200m to Lagos State, again a request the previous administration had denied Lagos State. As far as International Airport Road which is currently the ground for alleged “frustration” is concerned, the correct position is that the Lagos State Government presented a request for four roads that it would wish to take over.
“This is consistent with the position being canvassed by the Hon Minister for States who are interested to apply to take over Roads that are within their States. The Ministry has presented the Memorandum conveying the request of the Lagos State Government to the Federal Executive Council as was done with a similar request by the Kaduna State Government in 2016,” it said.
It further explained that due to the fact that two of the roads also connected Ogun State, the Federal Executive Council could not reach an immediate decision on them because it requested the input of the other State Government affected.
“The Kaduna State Government requested the Federal Government to transfer two roads within Kaduna Metropolis to the State in November 2015. Due process was followed and the request of the State Government was approved in August 2016, a period of ten months. Federal Executive Council Memorandum are debated and commented upon by all members and in cases of roads, surveys, maps and other material have to be provided to assist members understand the location and connectivity of the roads, (in this case Four roads), in order to assist how they vote on the Memorandum.
“As far as the Presidential Lodge is concerned, it is under the management of the Presidency and not the Ministry. After the approval by Mr President that the Presidential Lodge be handed over to the State Government, there was a directive to the Ministry to work out the modalities for handing over.
“The Ministry has prepared a vesting instrument to convey the transfer and all that is needed is a survey plan. The Presidential Lodge is a high security location and officials of the Ministry also require security clearance to enter in order to do any works,” the statement explained.
The ministry also said that access to the lodge was not under its control and that the motive behind this public accusations must therefore be scrutinized coming barely a week after the Governor spoke with Fashola on the outstanding requests of the State for several minutes and that the Minister took time to explain the situation of things to the governor.
“If there is any lack of co-operation it is on the part of the State Government that has refused to acknowledge not to talk of approving the Ministry’s request for Land of the National Housing Programme in Lagos. The Ministry is not frustrated by this lack of response and remains optimistic that a response will come from Lagos State.
“The Ministry remains committed to serving the Government and Good People of Lagos and will treat all their requests on Merit and in accordance with necessary due process as will be done to other States.
“As far as the refund of N51 billion is concerned, this is not a new item. Almost all if not all states have these claims and the Federal Ministry of Power Works and Housing has verified these claims. What is left is the process of raising the finance to pay the Debt owed to the States. Those who are familiar with the workings of Government will attest to the fact that it is an intricate sequence of processes, consultation and collaboration,” it explained further.