The Lagos state government has accused the Federal Government of frustrating its plan to rebuild the Oshodi – Murtala Muhammed Airport road.
The State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode stated this on Wednesday after inspecting projects which he plans to inaugurate as part of the Lagos at 50 celebration and the second anniversary of his administration.
He said his administration had put everything in place to fix the road, but the Federal Ministry of Works was yet to give it the green light.
He said, “The road linking Oshodi to the International Airport, you would all agree with me, is a national embarrassment. In the spirit of the regeneration and urbanisation that this administration has set out to achieve, we believe strongly that the image that is exhumed by the decadence of that road must be repaired and we took it upon ourselves to appropriate in the 2017 budget that the House of Assembly should approve the total reconstruction of the Airport Road from Oshodi to the International Airport.
“The State currently has a design of 10 lanes to come from Oshodi to the International Airport with interchange and flyover that would drop you towards the Local Airport. The contractor is already set to go and we already have the cash, but we are having challenges with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. This is a Federal and not a state road. The Federal Ministry of Works believes that they should do the road, but they have not been able to do it all these years past.”
”Lagos is being owed N51billion by the Federal Government for monies spent repairing federal roads in Lagos over the years. In spite of this, the state is ready to fix the Airport road”.
“If given the approval, this administration was ready to begin the construction within two weeks and finish it within six months.
He urged the Federal Government to avail the state of the N2billion appropriated for the Airport Road in the 2017 National Budget to carry out the project as addition to what the state would spend on it.
Ambode said; “I just want to appeal to the Federal Ministry of Works, to let go or reimburse us with whatever it is that they are owing us and even if they are not willing to pay us now, we have the money to do it. It is a national disgrace. We would like to do it as part of the celebration of Lagos at 50,”.
Ambode also added that a year after President Muhammadu Buhari directed that the presidential lodge in Lagos be handed over to the state, it was yet to gain entry.
“As we speak, we are yet gain entrance into that place. It’s frustrating our programme. So, I want to use this medium to appeal and say that the approval of Mr. President should be rightly honoured and the agencies concerned, that is the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the Security Services, should honour that promise by Mr. President.”
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