Failure To Fix South West Roads: Thumbs Down, Fashola; Kudos, Ambode
The Oasis Reporters
February 5, 2019
Images of Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
By Zents Kunle Showunmi
Before we forget.
Gov Ambode approached President Buhari through Hon. Min. of Works Fashola to improve the Lagos, Murtala Mohammed Airport road, it was not approved as mentioned by the Minister.
Fashola gave Gov. Ambode excuses, at a time the roads in other parts of the nation were his priority, he had no plan to press it on Buhari to think of the SW in his agenda.
As God would have it, Buhari was in hospital in UK and VP Yemi Osinbajo took over as Acting President, Gov Ambode took his case directly to Yemi Osinbajo who asked Fashola for the files on the Airport Road.
At first, Fashola did not give the Presidency details and it was later discovered, Fashola never sent the request of Gov Ambode of Lagos Airport road to Buhari because he felt the body language of Buhari was for projects in the North not SW, and he had not been truthful to Gov Ambode on the Airport Road.
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo called the three of them to his office to brief him what was the delays all about, Fashola said the Airport Road was part of a comprehensive road that would include Abeokuta road in future, Gov. Ambode asked the Minister how long will the visitors using Murtala Mohammed Airport road have to wait until Abeokuta comprehensive road is developed, Fashola had no answer.
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo was mad at Fashola, for delaying projects in the SW even when most of the Governors were ready to pay for them. He directed Gov Ambode to go ahead with Lagos Airport road and shamelessly Fashola went back to his Abuja office.
Today, if you drive, on the new road leading to Murtala Mohammed Airport, give the credit to Gov Ambode, he made it possible, and the so called Comprehensive Abeokuta/Lagos road is yet to be done by Fashola, the death trap on Sango/Ifo on Lagos Abeokuta is still there, Adatan/Obantoko Federal Road is there, with sadness on the faces of those using these roads.
When Fashola was interviewed of recent he spoke in broken English, he blamed everyone except himself he even blamed Obasanjo for his letters, for his eight years, he forgot he too just added his own four years to the eight years of Obasanjo on the failure to fix roads in the South West.
What happened if Buhari wins and Fashola is not re-appointed as Minister of Works? Did he even think it is possible to kick him out after four years and be replaced with a Northerner who will focus more on the roads in the North than the South West when an indigene did not think SW should be a priority like the North in all projects?
Fashola took his frustration with Gov Ambode to Abuja because some of his projects as Governor of Lagos State like 4th mainland bridge, and metro rail were abandoned by Gov Ambode.
What about Abeokuta, his Ijaiye ancestral home?
What is the future of Fashola with Buhari in his second term?
It is Zero. He will not be re -appointed and he too will be blamed like we do now to those who went to Abuja on our behalf but never remember they will come back home.
At the end of everything, Fashola will visit Abeokuta the birth place of his family using the same ugly Federal roads of Obantoko to Adatan, Ifo, Sango Ota, Ifo, Sango Ota just like Obasanjo is regretting now and we can not in sincerity blame Buhari, Jonathan or late Yar’Adua, because the fault will always be ours.
Thank you Gov Ambode for the Lagos airport road, you left your positive mark and thousands of visitors to Lagos including this Oracle is grateful as he drove through the road to Abeokuta with clearing and expansion going on and that was a year ago.
Zents Kunle Showunmi is a lawyer, writer and Public Affairs Commentator. He shared this piece on his Facebook wall, from the US.
