By Giwa SHILE
Prof. Sheriffdeen Tella of the Economics, Department, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, on Monday urged the Lagos State Government to reprioritise ongoing projects to avoid affordable losses and reduce the risk of abandonment.
He said in Lagos that the state would derive maximum benefits by reprioritising the Lagos Light rail and other projects. Tella was reacting to the announcement that work would commence on the abandoned the light rail project in 2022.
“This is saddening given the multiplier effects the completion of the project will have on industrialisation in Badagry axis, employment and income for citizens through the construction sector and the state’s tax revenue,” Tella said.
He said governance should be about development and the people, and that uncompleted projects by one government should be completed by succeeding government.
Tella said the state government should attempt to complete the Lagos Island to Mile 2 phase of the project by 2019 if the problem had to do with funds.
He said the state government should complete and launch it, while renegotiating the remaining distance on build-operate and transfer with the Chinese company.
“Funds generated from the completed section can be used to offset debt incurred on it.
“The state will also avoid the higher cost the delay of the project will bring in the future, in which case the state will still have to pay the Chinese firm a sum of money for the abandoned project,” Tella said.
TBI Africa reports that the Lagos State Government recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a French multinational, Alstom SA to complete the rail project.
The state government said that MoU was signed after a technical review of its light rail (blue line) project.
The state government said Marina to Mile 2 phase of the 27-kilometre project might take off in 2022 with the MoU it just signed with Alstom, a firm with 100 years of railway experience covering 60 countries.
