With the geometrical growth in the population of Lagos State, an appeal has gone to the Federal Government to help revive the state’s aborted metroline project.
Making the appeal in an interview on with the media, a lawmaker in the State House of Assembly, Honourable David Setonji, said that the project was long overdue based on the transportation challenges facing the state.
Setonji, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Physical Planning and Urban Development, opined that the major problem the state had was transportation due to increase in its population.
“The population of the state is over 20 million and we don’t have the commensurate transportation system.
“During the tenure of Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande as the governor of the state in the second republic, there were plans for a metroline project and the state had an agreement with a French company on this with an advanced payment.
“Unfortunately for us, in December 1983, the military government took over and truncated the project. I appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari, who was in-charge then, to help revive the project like the recently launched rail line from Abuja to Kaduna,” he said.
The trained engineer added that the transportation burden in the state was too much for the state government to bear.
He explained that the agreement then was that if there was a breach of the contract by the state government, they would lose the deposit and still pay damages to the company.
“The money was much then, but I cannot remember the exact amount. We are appealing to the Federal Government to assist us in reviving the project or start another one.
“I am a civil engineer by profession and I know there is no problem without solution. We know that things have skyrocketed, but if the Federal Government is ready, they would do it.
“The corridor for the project is still there. The state is developing fast and the population is growing at a faster rate,” he added.
Setonji pointed out that once the government was ready, experts would come around to do the job, and that what matters was for the Federal Government to come up with a solution on it.
“The state government alone cannot solve its transportation problem in view of the enormous challenging facing it.
“Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of the state is doing a lot, but the Federal Government still needs to help us out.
“All over the world, it is only in Nigeria that a former capital of the country such as Lagos State would be neglected,” he further argued.
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