Lekki International Airport project on course----Fashola
(Nigeria) Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State said on
Tuesday night that the state government had not jettisoned its plan to build an
international airport in Lekki area of the state.
Fashola told State House correspondents in Lagos that the
delay in actual take-off of the project did not mean it had been abandoned.
He said that the
state government had already done all the preparatory work on the project and
was engaging the right investors to translate it to fruition.
According to him, what the government plans to build is an
international airport that will live to its true name and comply with the best
aviation standards.
``There are airports and there are airports. What we think
Lagos deserves is a truly international airport that can compete globally. And
those are not the kinds of airports that government would build and run.
``We have acquired the land for the project, government is
fencing the land. We are doing the financial and the technical study of the
project. We already know what it will look like because we have already done
the concept design. We have in fact done all the preparatory work.
``But there are people whose business it is to build
airports. They do it for a living and those are the people we are talking to. We
have done the international bids, seven of these investors have been
shortlisted. These are people who have handled similar projects successfully in
other parts of the world.
``We are seeking the partnership of these people to instal
equipment; scanners, data capture machines and others, and run the airport and
keep it functional because it is their core business.
``That is the kind of plan we have for the airports because
the state is a centre of excellence and it deserves nothing short of the
best,'' he said.
Fashola said he would not promise a completion date of the
project, but assured that government would complete the airport at the best
time possible.
The governor said the project as well as the proposed Lekki
Deep Sea Port would create opportunities as it would stimulate businesses.
According to him, the airport is one of the many projects
the government is executing simultaneously to better the lives of residents and
make the state a megacity.
He listed some of the other projects as the Apapa
regeneration project, expansion of Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Ikorodu Road and
the light rail project.
The governor said he was satisfied with the progress of work
on Lagos-Badagry Expressway and would continue to interact closely with the
contractors, to ensure accelerated delivery of the project.
``We are also happy with the progress of work on our light
rail project. We have completed essentially Mile 2 to Costain.
``The last terminus at the National Theatre is nearing
completion as most of the inner fittings at the terminus have been done. We are
heading from there to Marina and things will soon take shape there as soon as
the contractors are back from their holidays," he said.
Fashola said the government's cable cars project was also
being pursued to complement other transportation solutions that had been put in
place.
The governor said he would leave a legacy of impact and
enduring projects at the expiration of his tenure in May 2015.
On whether he had any fears about what governance would
become in the state after his exit, Fashola said he had no fears as government
in Lagos was about institutions and not persons.
He, however, said he hoped to have a successor that would
perform better than him and reduce his achievements to child's play.
``I hope the next governor would do in two years what we
have been able to do in four years, and with that happening, it is going to be
to the benefit of all," he said.
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