Roads report journal

 State Governments Should Embrace Concessioning To Solve Yawning Road Infrastructure Deficit    

The vision of Nigeria to become one of the largest 20 economies in the World by the year 2030, demands accelerated national development and adequate infrastructural amenities to support the full mobilisation of all economic sectors.

In order to achieve this vision, there is a need to, expand, rehabilitate and re-construct the country’s road networks to meet an additional requirement of 200,000km from the existing 196,000Km to make a total 396,000Km road networks between now and the target year. 

Succinctly, someone said, ‘Great country does not make great roads, but great roads makes a great country’, because, the quality of roads found in a country will determine the quality of its economy and rate of growth, poor state of road networks will lead to a crawling economy and ultimate breakdown of its socio-economic and political structures. 

For a country or state to have a well-developed road networks, huge funding has to be in place, which obviously the government alone cannot provide, especially in a country like Nigeria which is presently grappling with economic downturn that is almost at a recessional level, it will require a dynamic investment plan to fully arrive at the full potential of its road developmental goals. 

According to Engineer Adaramoye Sumaila, Senior Partner, Adama Techno Specialists Nigeria Limited, Lagos, he said, “A more dynamic approach to this is to engage in collaboration between the public and private sectors, since state government alone cannot muster sufficient resources to meet its road asset requirement.

“The desire for collaborative engagement between the public and private sectors in order to procure and improve public infrastructure services, rests on the belief that partnerships between the two sectors would deliver greater efficiency and offer better ‘value for money’.

“This is what is what is popularly called – Public Private Partnership (PPP). It is an agreement between the public and private sectors with the purpose of delivering a project or service traditionally provided by the public sector.” He said.

Speaking about the benefits of road concessioning agreements , Fisayo Ajakaye, a director in a leading Asset Management Company in Marina, Lagos, said, “Public Private Partnerships offers a faster delivery of much needed road infrastructure, more cost-efficient design, construction and operation of road schemes, cost savings to the public sector resulting from risk transfer and private sector management skills, innovation and efficiency, high standard of service due to strong supervision and performance requirements.

“Tolling is applied to charge road users for the service benefits gained from such roads. There are principles also undergirding PPP tolling schemes, which includes; an alternative toll-free route must be available, a public subvention to be available for high-cost schemes ensuring that tolls are set at affordable levels, tolled roads must deliver value for money.

Ajakaye revealed that in Europe for instance over one third of motorways are tolled. “Most are found in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal where a large number of cities, towns and villages are bypassed. Tolled roads are also found in other European countries such as Greece, Croatia, Slovenia and Turkey. In many of these countries there is a mix of tolled and non-tolled national routes and can be replicated in this country to fast-track road infrastructural development.” He added.

Statistics in Nigeria indicates that less than one percent of roads in Nigeria have private investment inputs. It means that about 99.9% of road infrastructures in the country are provided by the government through tax payer’s funding’s.

This could be drastically reduced through a well-orchestrated PPP programme and the burden transferred to private investors. A fairly successful road concession programme we could reference to in the country today is the Lekki-Epe highway concession project existing between the company and the Lagos state government.

However some have also argued that the few road concession agreements existing in the country leaves much to be desired, with a call that government should do more to shore up its reputation going forward.

Abegunde Adebayo, a Quantity Surveyor said, “Controversies, breaches of contracts, failed projects, project abandonment and protests, circumvention of court orders is the order of concerns for most concession projects in Nigeria. Notoriously, when there is a change of government in Nigeria, contracts agreements of the previous administration may be subject to 'review' or 'probes', which are sometimes politically motivated, and not driven by public consideration.

“Nigeria's developmental journey underscores the need for operational and functional public facilities, and bridging infrastructural gaps, which can be accelerated by involving the private sector players through PPPs. Therefore the FG and State Governments need to be more proactive and ensure to wear commercial hats when entering into concession contracts.” Adebayo said.  

In continuation of its effort to raise funds needed for accelerated road development across the country, the federal government recently announced that a total of 75 companies are bidding for 12 federal roads to be concessioned under the first phase of the Highway Development Management Initiative (HDMI).

Mrs Abimbola Asein, Head Public Private Partnership (PPP) Unit of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, made this known, stating, that the HDMI was created by Federal Government to develop and manage the federal Road network through sustainable Private-Sector investment.

The 12 roads to be concession under the first phase of the HDMI are: Benin – Asaba, Abuja – Lokoja; Kaduna – Kano; Onitsha – Owerri – Aba; Sagamu – Benin; Abuja – Keffi – Akwanga; Lokoja – Benin; Enugu – Port Harcourt; Ilorin – Jebba; Lagos – Ota – Abeokuta; Lagos – Badagry; and Kano – Shuari – Potiskum – Damaturu.

The initiative is aimed at creating alternative sources of financing road development and management in the country while unlocking the massive economic potential of the project routes with attendant job creation.

 

Lagos, Contractor Committed To December Completion Of Lagos-Badagry Expressway

Olorundare Enimola, Lagos

Relief beckons as the Lagos State Government and CCECC had at separate platforms expressed strong determination towards the completion of the reconstruction and upgrading works on the Lagos Badagry Expressway by December.

Special Adviser, Works and Infrastructure, Engineer Aramide Adeyoye who disclosed this while reacting to the unnecessary agony commuters are facing on the road, acknowledged the hardship road users encounter daily on the road.  She however appealed to all stakeholders to continue to cooperate with the contractor to ensure speedy delivery of the project, promising that the completed section of the road will be opened to vehicular movement immediately.

According to the Special Adviser, as part of efforts to boost international economic activities-Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olus Administration prioritized the construction of the road because of its “economic importance to the African Sub-Region and the road is the gateway of Nigeria that connects Seme, Republic of Benin and other neighboring countries”

The reconstruction and upgrading of Lagos-Badagry Expressway from Eric Moore to Okokomaiko from 4 lanes to 10 lanes comprising 2-Toll lanes, 2 service lanes, 1-Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane, Central reserve for 2-way Light Rail Mass Transit and various support infrastructures

She said in fulfillment of the promise of Mr. Governor we have since delivered the Agboju to Trade fair segment of the road last year and already, the contractors have completed the ten lanes from Mile 2 to Volks and the service lane of Lagos bound from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko.

The scope of works according to Adeyoye include provision of Lay-bys for buses and service ducts, construction of Pedestrian Bridges, BRT Bus stops, Park&Ride and BRT depots, Tolled link interchanges, Flyovers, Construction of Toll Plazas, Road Markings, Road signs and traffic lights and landscaping.

The project manager of CCECC, Jiang Yaowu, during a visit to the construction site by reporters explained that the delay in the delivery is caused majorly by traffic management challenges of following the huge population of people using the road per day. According to him, more than 26000 vehicles ply the road daily, adding that this has contributed to safety and security challenges on the site. He added that the high cost of acquiring materials for the project which is now higher than the year the project was awarded is also a challenge.

Yaowu promised to speed up work and deliver to time, assuring that despite these challenges the road component of the project will be completed by the end of the year. He advised motorists to exercise patience with the company while revealing that temporary routes have been created to ease traffic congestion.

On the Bridge components, Yaowu said that construction works will be completed before the end of year 2022.

The project manager however maintained that the Lagos State Government is aware of the current situation, adding that both parties are maintaining cordial synergy and cooperation to ameliorate the hardship faced by motorists.

Lagos Announces 28 Days Traffic Diversion At Brewery, Ijora Level Crossing For Railway Project

OLORUNDARE ENIMOLA, Lagos 

In line with the Nigerian Railway Modernization Project (Lagos-Ibadan section) with extension to Lagos Port at Apapa, the Lagos State Government will divert traffic flow at Brewery and Ijora Level Crossing for construction from Sunday July 4 to August 1, 2021, a period of 28 days.

In a statement released by the Ministry of Transportation, the Commissioner, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde disclosed that the Construction Company, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) Nigeria Limited would commence asphalt and drainage works on the first lane from the 4 to 18 July and proceed to the second lane from July 18  to the  August 1, 2021.

He explained that a counter flow will be created on the lane that is free when rehabilitation works is ongoing on the other, to enable motorists ply the route and reach their various destinations without much difficulty.

Oladeinde urged Road users to comply with the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA to minimize inconveniences that may be experienced while the construction lasts.

Lagos State Government is hereby appealing to residents of the State, especially motorists to cooperate fully with the interventions made available to ease traffic flow, as the project is aimed at achieving a seamless Multi Modal Transport System that will provide viable options for movement and subsequently meet the transportation needs of a larger population.