• As Ambode bans VIOs permanently from Lagos roads

Leader of the South-East caucus in the Senate, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has protested against the alleged exclusion of the eastern rail line from the ongoing rail projects by the Federal Government.

Abaribe, in his motion at the plenary on Tuesday, alleged that the South-East would not benefit from the projects for which the government was obtaining a loan of $5.851bn from China Exim Bank.

The motion was titled, ‘Outright Omission of Eastern Corridor Rail Line in the Request for Approval of Federal Government 2016-2017 External Borrowing (Rolling Plan)’.

The lawmaker, who is representing the Abia-South senatorial district, recalled that the Federal Government, on April 26, 2017, laid a request seeking an approval for the loan before the National Assembly to execute the modernisation of Lagos-Kano, Kano-Kaduna, Lagos-Ibadan and Lagos-Calabar rail segments.

Abaribe, however, said, “The Senate observes with dismay that the above sections of the rail line that the loan was being sought for covers only a section of the country i.e. the western corridor.

“The Senate notes that the eastern section of the rail segment, which has a link between the southeastern to northeastern parts of the rail line, is completely excluded from the request.

“The Senate further notes that the loan, being a Federal Government borrowing, would be repaid by all sections of the country; therefore, every section of the country should be taken into consideration.”

The lawmaker, in the prayers of the motion, urged the Senate to suspend consideration of the loan request until the correction of the omission of the eastern parts of the country.

He also called on the Senate to ‘invite the Minister of Transport to appear and explain the reasons for the exclusion of the eastern corridor of Nigeria’s rail lines from the proposed loan from China Exim Bank’.

Abaribe, however, withdrew the first prayer, while the second prayer was unanimously granted by the lawmakers.

Seconding the motion, the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, said the Senate belonged to all parts of the country and ‘the implication, therefore, is that any wrong done to any part of this country is a wrong to all of us’.

He said, “I am aware that the Federal Government is committed to rehabilitating and upgrading the railway infrastructure in Nigeria since (the days of President Olusegun) Obasanjo’s administration. Regrettably, from the inspection of that programme, the Federal Government has an attitude about the eastern line of this country – that the line is not profitable – and emphasis has not been placed in fixing that axis.”

In the meantime, the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday said Vehicles Inspection Officers had been permanently banned from all Lagos roads.

The governor also asked the Federal Road Safety Corps to restrict the operations of its men to highways and stay off state roads.

Ambode spoke while inaugurating pedestrian bridges, a lay-by and a slip road at Berger bus stop.

The governor said the VIOs and the FRSC contributed significantly to gridlock in the state, adding that his government would employ technology to track and monitor vehicle registration and certification.

“The Vehicle Inspection Officers have been asked to stay off our roads permanently. The Federal Road Safety Corps is also advised to stay on the fringes and highways; and not on the main streets of Lagos.

“It has become evident that these agencies contribute to the traffic challenges on our roads. We will employ technology to track and monitor vehicle registration and MOT certifications,” Ambode said.

Ambode said his administration identified the Ojodu Berger area as one of the major traffic flashpoints that required urgent attention.

“What we set out to achieve with this project is to ensure a smooth flow of traffic along the expressway, safeguard the lives of our people, who have to run across the expressway, and project the image of a truly global city to our visitors.

Ambode said a food court would be built where people could relax before climbing the pedestrian bridges as well as an interstate bus terminal within the Ojodu Berger area for buses coming from outside Lagos to drop and pick passengers, while intercity transportation system would move commuters within the city.

Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, who also oversees the Ministry of work, Adebowale Akinsanya, said the project was a response to the yearnings of the people of Ojodu Berger for an efficient and gridlock-free road network.

When contacted, the Head of Media Relations, Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, said the corps had already asked its officers to concentrate their efforts mainly on the highways.

He said, “The FRSC has already, as a matter of policy, asked its officers to concentrate their efforts mainly on highways, especially in all the states that have traffic management outfits such as LASTMA. Our number three strategic goal for 2017 has to do with this.

“We encourage states to have their traffic management outfits to combat the menace of traffic congestion in the metropolises, while we double our efforts in ridding the highways of traffic crashes. The governor is corroborating our policy stance.”

Punch