Lagos to resist takeover of Badagry Express Way by FG

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has said that the purported statement credited  to  the Federal Government(FG) about taking  over construction of the Lagos Badagry Express Way is unimaginable and completely out of place.

The governor  who  spoke  at an occasion to mark his 2, 700 days in office said he has not read about it in the papers nor heard of it at all.

It will be recalled that the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen had said in September 2014 that the FG plans to take over the road adding that a new project design that involved five other ECOWAS member countries  was being undertaken.

But the governor while reacting to a question about the planned takeover said, “I have not heard it, I have not read it”, adding that “ if they said so, then they will have us to deal with. I don’t think it will be possible to contemplate that idea”, he said.

Fashola emphasised that the construction of the road is being undertaking by the Lagos State Government for public interest but decides not to comment further on the subject saying  “Let us leave it at that”, he pleaded.

I don’t think that anybody who is sensible  will want to stand in the way of development what will the objective be?

“You are not providing the money and the design we are doing this  so that our state can move forward. I don’t want to believe he made that statement. I think we will leave it there.”

The governor  who was not happy  that the Federal Government has released a statement detailing the debt profile of the state to the tune of N160 billion called on the FG to return the sum of N51 billion that the Lagos State Government has expended on federal roads, nothing that the debt burden of the state will be less and that the state will have less to burrow if that money is returned.

Fashola who was at Abuja last week where former Head of State, General Muhamadu Buhari made known his intention to contest the 2015 Presidential election if picked by the All Progressive Congress (APC) denied the  speculation that he may be the running mate of General Buhari, saying  that he was at the event because Buhari personally sent him an invitation to the APC event.

Fashola  also doused the  speculation that governorship aspirants of the party in Lagos State are holding meetings to enable them come out with a  consensus candidate saying  the APC has a constitution which allows for  primaries for  candidates for elective offices.

He  gave a pass mark to the entire APC candidates, saying  that any of them is capable of carrying out the task of governing the state since they are part of government and warned electorate against voting for people who seek to use the state for an experiment.

He said his government recorded giant strides in various sectors in the last 100 days in office including the successful containment of Ebola Deadly Disease, commissioning of  Sonmori Senior Comprehensive High School , Ifako Ijaye, handing over of Motor Vehicle Administration Agency , a one stop vehicle documentation center, among others.