SOKOTO-BADAGY HIGHWAY: FG SET TO COMMENCE PROJECT DESIGN-UMAHI
…Fine-tune compensatory criteria for property owners on coastal highway
By Omoloju Azemata
The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, over the weekend gave hints that effort is being ramped up on the design of the Sokoto-Badagry highway even as he said that it will be constructed through Engineering Procurement and Construction +Finance (EPC+F).
Briefing stakeholders and journalists in Abuja and via zoom in Lagos on Thursday, he said…we have phase two (2), of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway which is going to have a spur connecting the Sokoto-Badary road.
He emphatically added: “We are presently about designing the Sokoto-Badagry road. So, the Sokoto-Badagry is also going to be under EPC+F.”
According to the Minister, the project will start from Sokoto, explaining: “Anytime we mentioned that the project is going from Sokoto to Badagry, it means that the zero point is Sokoto.
On modalities for compensation on properties on Right of Way (RoW) on the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, he assured that the exercise will be meticulously carried out in consonance with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which is predicated on transparency.
According to him, the terms of reference for the newly inaugurated committee include: Review proposal made by the Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and the consultant for compensation and work with all stakeholders within 10 days ultimatum to complete the assignments.
He said: “At the moment, the Ministry will be using the federal rates to the enumeration. I know very well that there is nobody that that you will ever enumerated that is ever satisfied with what is going to be paid, but then government is bound by the law.
“So, the Ministry will be using federal rate and our federal rates are higher than that of Lagos State and so we are adopting that of federal rates.
“And so the moment the property owner signs and indicate a detailed bank account given and the moment that is done within 72 hours we will authorize payments and the contractor will be paying directly to all those who are affected.
On the timeline, the Minister, said: “And this we are committed to doing and this verification will start latest on Wednesday.
On qualification for compensation, he explained: “But where there is a title challenge it will need presidential waiver for such property owner to be paid and so only those with proven titles will be paid as they are brought to us in the Ministry but will still undergo the whole process by the committee recommending the Director passes through the Permanent Secretary and it gets to me and so that will at that stage before the contractors will be authoritised to pay.
“We have shortened the process and we don’t delay files and so the owners will be assured that in 72 hours for this to happen.”
The Minister reiterated that it has to be made clear that legally, 250 metres belong to the federal government, stressing: “So if you have a title within this 250 metres and if it is not a title from the federal government then it is encumbered and only Presidential Bola Tinubu that can give the waiver for that person to be paid.
“We shall be getting inputs from ESIA and we look at it the inputs and then pass it over to the committee and so to the glory of God and within the limits of my responsibilities, I hereby inaugurate this committee to the glory of God.
Making clarification on use of federal and state governments’ rates, he acknowledged that it will based on areas and volumes stressing that government will not pay for shanties that are within the Right of Way (RoW) and outside of it.
“We don’t pay for untitled property but that is not to say that we will not verify those that are without titles because it is within the power of President Tinubu to approve or not to approve.”
While still making clarification on the 700km coastal high way, he said: “We have awarded contract and as you know that there are two (2) phases of this project, which is Phase 1: running from Ahmadu Bello Way down to Cross River which is about 700km.
“We have Phase two (2), which is going to have a spur connecting the Sokoto-Badagry road. We are presently about designing the Sokoto-Badagry road.
“That one is to start from Sokoto and anytime we mentioned that the project is going from Sokoto to Badagry, it means that the zero point is Sokoto.
“Just like we have Lagos to Calabar and so section (one) 1 is concluded and section two (2) is awaiting FEC’s approval which is running from where section stops the deep sea port in Lagos down to the boundaries between Ogun and Ondo States that is section two (2).
“Graciously President Tinubu, has approved that the section three (3) will start from Calabar, which is the end of the project and start running towards Akwa-Ibom and so the 700km is procured under phase 1 in phases based on EPC+F).” he said.
According to Umahi, under this kind of arrangement, the contractor is expected to bring in certain amount of money and federal government is expected to pay certain counterpart funding as it was done for the Makurdi-Keffi road in the past administration and it is under EPC+F.” the Minister said.
He acknowledged that federal government paid 50% under that arrangement.
He said: “Currently we have a project ongoing now awarded by the past administration and it is under EPC+F and it and its Makurdi to Enugu State and it is also being done by China Harbour. So, the Sokoto-Badagry is also going to be under EPC+F.
“We are going to inject foreign funds into the system and I have emphasized the benefit of this route especially the section one (1) because we pay a lot of money to do trans-shipment because the debt of the sea at Apapa is not good enough and so we trans-load sometime from Benin Republic down to Apapa because the big ship cannot get there.
“But with this development and the development of the deep sea port at Lekki, it will be a win-win situation and so it is going to be a great benefit to the federal government in terms of Returns on Investment (RoI).”
He admitted that the project has started using concrete pavement that is installed over I.2km by 4 lanes in a number of multiple sections of phase 1.
On title/C-of-O, the Minister said: “If you have a title that is properly titled and if you have a title from the state within the RoWs of the federal government you don’t have a title because you don’t place something on nothing.
“So it is up to President Tinubu to qualify such people and I work within the limit of my oath of office and that is by respecting the Constitution, but President Tinubu is the president of all he will take that decision and not me.
“But if you have a title within the RoW of the federal government you will be qualified for compensation, but if you also have a title and if the RoW is going outside our own entitlement of 250 metres outside the coastline then that is Lagos State government and they may present their own enumeration but we will use our own enumeration to also pay them.”
The 19 COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INCLUDE: 1. ENGR. (MRS) OLUKOREDE KESHA (FCW, LAGOS STATE)-CHAIRMAN, 2. REP. OF DIRECTOR, BRIDGES AND DESIGN-ENGR-OLADELE SOLA, 3.REP OF HONOURABLE MINISTER, BARR. JOSEPH EKUMANKAMA, 4. ENGR OLUFEMI DARE, FMW, LAGOS, 5. ESIA CONSULTANT-DR. EUGENE ITUA, 6. REP 1 ESIA-SUV. POPOOLA LATEEF, 7. REP 2 ESIA-EMMANUEL ENEH, 8. REP. OF OBA ONIRU, -MR. YEMI STEPHEN, 9. REP. OF OBA ELEGUSHI-MRS. PEJU OMOTAYO, 10. REP. OF OBA OJOMU OF AJIRAN LAND -HON. JIDE AKINTOYE, 11. REP OF OBA ONIBEJU OF IBEJU – MR AGBAJE ADESEGUN, 12. REP. OF ETI OSA LOCAL GOVERNMENT- ADEOLA ADETORO, 13. REP. OF IBEJU LEKKI LOCAL GOVERNMENT -HON. MORUF ISAH, 14. OLAWALE OJIKUTU (MIN OF LANDS, LASG)-SECRETARY, 15. REP. OF LASG SURVEYOR, GENERAL-MOYOSORE FAJI, 16. REP. MIN OF PHYSICAL PLANNING LASG-KUNLE BELLO, 17. REP 1 HITECH-MR. WILLIE, 18. REP 2 HITECH-MR. ASHTON, 19. REP DLS-MRS IGBOKO.