The Senate Committee on Works has expressed serious concern over the slow pace of the ongoing shoreline protection of the Apapa trailer park project in Lagos.
The Chairman of the committee, Sen. Kabiru Gaya, who led members on an inspection tour of the facility’s project on Sunday expressed dismay over the current state of the project and ordered the contractor to construct more toilets, restaurants, clinic, and other facilities needed in the park immediately.
According to him, the Italian company handling the project has promised the completion of the project latest by December but that from all indications the timeline may not be met unless some urgent actions are taken by the contractor.
The lawmaker said: “Borini Brono promised us that by December that trailer park should be completed and we are not taking it lightly, we are not happy with the progress, the project has been there for many years.
“We have told the contractor that the trailer park is very important, that the facilities at the trailer park are not enough, we need to add more and there is space where other facilities can be constructed. Reps C’ttee on N-Delta Amnesty faults construction work in Bayelsa.
“And the Ministry of Works should take note of those facilities whether they come under contingencies, they should make sure it is done before the end of the year. And we intend to come back around the 16th or 17th of December to make sure that project is completed”, the Senator added.
Gaya, who is representing Kano South Federal Constituency, confirmed that funds had been provided for and released to the contractor by the Federal Ministry of Finance for the project, adding that since funds “have been released, the contractor should have no excuse in delaying the project.”
Earlier during the project’s assessment by the lawmakers, the contractor and Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing officials told the committee that the original project before addition of the shoreline protection aspect was 97 percent completed.
The Joint Managing Director, Borini Prono, the contractors handling the project, Mr Gainrranco Albertazzi, promised the lawmakers that the trailer park without the shoreline aspect of the project would be completed as scheduled.
He clarified: “We have reached about 97 per cent, what remains is asphalt. For the shoreline we are going to import some materials. This is the shoreline to be protected, we would import a machine, there would be geo-textile materials.”
On the state of the Apapa-Wharf Road reconstruction project, Gaya commended the AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd and the others who were providing funds for the execution of the project.
Briefing the lawmakers on the progress made so far on the Apapa/Ijora bridge rehabilitation by Leventis, a representative of Julius Berger, the company handling the project, said that the portion of the bridge deck and beam badly damaged by fire would be completed in three months.
The engineer said that some of the materials for the bridge deck were being sourced from abroad.
During their inspection tour of the expansion joints and abutment repair works of the Third Mainland Bridge, Gaya expressed satisfaction with efforts by Borini Promo on the project, pointing out that the delay associated with delayed release of funds for the project has been addressed by the government.
He said: “There were some delays but now that the project has been funded, in 26 months it will be completed. The amount of money put up in road infrastructure in the last three years is quite a lot.”
The lawmaker listed other projects to be covered by the committee as part of its oversight as including, the Ikorodu/Sagamu Road, Access Road to NNPC Depot in Mosimi in Ogun State and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
