The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has demanded for the whooping sum of N100bn for the design and other requirements needed for the reconstruction of the Apapa road in Lagos State.
According to the minister, Apapa area was a priority to the Federal Government under the ministry’s programme in order to resolve the issue of roads leading to critical ports in the country.
Fashola also stated that arrangements for the deployment of an enduring solution in Wharf Road, also in Lagos, were nearing completion, adding that a couple of private companies had offered to work with the government to fix the road.
The Special Adviser to the Minister on Communications, Mr. Hakeem Bello quoted Fashola as making this statement at a retreat in Abuja on Sunday.
He said the minister noted that what was left on the Apapa road was to sign a formal Memorandum of Understanding before proceeding to the Federal Executive Council for approval.
The minister was quoted as saying, “I just want to appeal to residents of Apapa and to people whose livelihood depends on Apapa, that Apapa is one of the priority roads under our priority of works to solve roads that lead to critical ports.
“We also have Calabar on our radar. But one by one, there will be an enduring solution. We’ve done the design, we’ve done everything for Apapa; it is ready. It is going to be a concrete road, I believe, that will last another 30 years. So, we are close to starting work.”
He said that work would start on the road in a couple of weeks, adding that irrespective of the fact that the funds of the companies offering to support the project were private money, there had to be some transparency on how to move ahead.
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