Fashola denies frustrating Lagos over airport road reconstruction

The Minister of Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has debunked the allegation that it was frustrating the developmental initiatives of Lagos State Government regarding reconstruction of the international airport road from Oshodi. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode recently accused the ministry of frustrating his administration’s efforts to carry out a total reconstruction of the road from Oshodi. Ambode reportedly accused the ministry and security agents of denying the state government access to the Presidential Lodge in Lagos, six months after President Muhammadu Buhari gave approval.


 A statement yesterday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Communications, Hakeem Bello, said Fashola had last year approved the use of the Ministry of Works yard at Oworonsoki for the state government to create a lay-by to ease traffic. It further said Fashola also approved the state government’s request to manage the street lighting on the 3rd Mainland Bridge to support the security initiatives of the state.

 It said the ministry also supported the approval of a World Bank loan of $200 million to Lagos, a request denied it by the previous administration. On the airport road project, it said the state government had presented a request for four roads it wished to take over, which was inconsistent with its conditions for states to take over roads within their jurisdiction. “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.”

 Bello stated that the ministry had prepared a vesting instrument to convey the transfer and all that was needed was a survey plan, adding that since the Presidential Lodge is a high security location and officials of the ministry also required security clearance to enter to do any works, access to the lodge was not under the ministry’s control.

 He said the ministry remained committed to serving the government and people of Lagos State and would treat all their requests on merit in accordance with necessary due process.