... As Governor Solicits Support Of National Assembly On Abeokuta - Sango - Lagos Road
•Abuodun & Gbajabiamila
From Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has said it would be difficult to cede federal roads to the states given the present constitution arrangement in the country.
Gbajabiamila said unless the enabling laws were addressed, it would be legally impossible to transfer Federal roads to states now.
The Speaker explained the federal roads in each state of the federation remained the exclusive properties of the federal government.
Gbajabiamila who spoke in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, shortly after meeting with Governor Dapo Abiodun.
According to him, it would require the amendment of the Privatisation Act in order to achieve transfer of Federal roads to states.
He suggested that models could be worked out for fixing of the federal roads by states and later get reimbursed by the federal government.
Fielding questions from reporters regarding the conditions of federal roads in Ogun state and whether the FG would be willing to hand them over to the state, he said "it is legally impossible for the Federal Government to transfer roads to any state."
"Ogun is an industrial state so to speak, and if you have several companies that are developing the state, and Nigeria situated in places where they are not passable, it makes that environment very difficult for them to work.
"So, those observations were received. It is for us to look whether it is even possible legally for the Federal Government to transfer federal roads to any states, that I'm not sure how feasible that is.
"But there is more than one way to skin a cat. So even where that is not feasible, it might even require the amendment of the Privatisation Act. It's the Federal Government assets.
"But if that is not feasible, there are other models that we can look at in terms of other people fixing the roads and then the Federal Government owing them or setting off whatever debts owed by the state, so either way, something definitely needs to be done about those roads," he said.
On why he came to visit the governor, the Speaker said: "the governor of the state has been a close person of mine for decades and I haven't seen him since his inauguration, because of my workload, as well as his.
"With this Sallah break, I just thought to stop by, to see him, encourage him because of all the things I have heard and some of the things that I have seen in terms of his giant strides in the last one year, and that is why am here. And we had a fruitful deliberation on ways the Federal Government and Ogun State can collaborate towards the advancement of the state."
Earlier, Goverrnor Dapo Abiodun has solicited the support of the National Assembly for the takeover and reconstruction of the Lagos-Sango-Abeokuta and the Sagamu-Ikorodu roads, by Ogun and Lagos State Governments.
The Governor, who informed the Speaker of the current deplorable condition of the roads, added that the takeover of the roads would enable the two State Governments put them in proper shape, thus take the pressure off the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and at the same time, bring succour to users.
He described Agbara and its environs as the industrial hub of the State, but decried the poor condition of the Agbara-Atan-Lusada road, noting that some industries may be forced to exit the area, if the road was not fixed on time.
"The Agbara-Atan-Lusada road is in a very deplorable condition. Not only that, the Lagos-Sango-Abeokuta Expressway and the Sagamu-Ikorodu roads are also very bad. I want to call for the support of the National Assembly in taking over or construction by the Federal Government. Our people are really suffering on these roads," he said.
he Governor said government was trying to tap from the State's advantaged location, by providing security, infrastructure and making health accessible, saying the State was able to manage and curtail COVID-19 by providing well-equipped Isolation centres and a molecular laboratory.
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