I have just read this lengthy and rich interview with Dr Philip Asiodu. Very interesting read on how Nigeria slowly deteriorated from a potential super nation in the 70s to the squalor that has become of this potentially great nation. In the interview, he talked about the Lagos Metro Project and how Buhari just cancelled the project just like that! Looks like we ended up paying $3 Billion in debts for a project that was never built simply because Buhari just thought it should be cancelled!
We must be careful the leaders we choose!!


Here is an excerpt of the interview. Full interview is provided in the link.


‘We Lost Lagos Metroline To Our Stupidity As A Nation, ’

I was somewhere when you got stuck in traffic for hours and you bemoaned the lack of foresight on the Lagos Metroline project.  You know something about the project; can you give us an insight into it?

That was a terrible thing. It shows the irresponsibility and lack of memory of some of those who had taken decisions on some things since the destruction of what we had.

You know in 1964, Konisberger led a United Nations team to survey Lagos and directions of growth and make recommendations. And that Konisberger report recommended that Lagos should build a mono rail from Ikeja to Ebute-Ero.

It could see the way Lagos was growing and the need for mass urban transit. That was in 1964. That same report recommended a regional approach to the supply of water damming Ogun River, just like New York is supplied from Upper Hudson River.

That was to supply Ogun State and Lagos. Unfortunately, when the civilians came Jakande didn’t like the idea. That’s that. We had already in the vote 1964 to 1965 money to start central sewage around Tinubu Square and to be expanded. It was abandoned.

At that time, we thought we should not have government offices scattered around. We got through council in 1964 what we called planned construction of government offices. We were going to practically acquire, Holist Street, Oke Suna Street, and all the streets down to Race Course.  Anyway, all these were part of the concept.

Now, let’s go back to the Metroline project. With the coup de’tat of 1966, that put paid to that. By 1967 states were created. Even before the Konisberger report, there was a report from a group that came from Canada. They made recommendation on inter city transport. Lagos is like Venice. Go to Venice, there are a hundred lanes, water transportations, there should be a hundred ferries going between Ikoyi Victoria Island and where you have Lagos State University, LASU, in Ojoo. Under the colonial government we used to go  to Apapa by water. We have not exploited all that.

On the Metroline issue, nothing happened. We were retired in 1975 after the coup. I went into private life. Later, we resuscitated the project. There is no way you can carry everybody — workers, passengers within a short time on road where a city is more than two million. You want to put everybody in taxis? It’s not possible. We were able to persuade the government. At that time, Shehu Musa Yar’ Adua was the Minister for Transport to make it that one, in principle; every city above two million should have mass transit.  Two, arising from that we would identify 14 cities that were about two million or already two million; with of course Lagos. For Lagos, we agreed that they should go and design for construction a mass transit line immediately. We selected RTP of France. The fantastic thing they have in Paris is coordinating the buses with the subways etc linking one another. It’s fantastic. They had also worked in San Francisco, USA. They were appointed and we all agreed. Their credentials were very good.

We went from Lagos to Ibadan, Ilorin, Kaduna, Jos, Kano, Markurdi, Enugu, Aba, Port Harcourt, Benin City, Warri and Abuja, which was projected to be the capital. RTP decided on designing Lagos. Then the military government said they were going to hand-over in 1979. They bought the idea. Of course, they wanted to plan a Transport Commission but that they would leave it to the civilians. But in the meantime, the French RTP had done preliminary studies and handed over. [size=10pt][b]Jakande came. Some people went to him and sold the idea of light municipal mass transit or something. So, he had to fall back to the RTP decisions. And we were lucky, we secured $450 million  loan at six percent fixed interest rate for 25 years. One month later, it was impossible to get such loan because of change of policy. But there we were lucky that for 25 years we would have had this at give-away. And economic studies have already shown that charging the prices people were already paying, we didn’t need subsidy. The country would benefit. They looked at Abidjan and Cairo. Abidjan wasn’t quite ready. So, Cairo. They started designing Lagos and Cairo the same time. Then people"(Buhari/Idiagbon)" did coup against Shagari and decided to cancel the project of which we had already paid 15 percent per $60 million. Work had started in Yaba. They then took us to court and they found us guilty naturally and fined us $60 million. I am sure that’s part of what we settled finally in the Paris Club debt.

It must have become $3 billion dollars and not one kilometer was constructed. You can see the stupidity and how we waste money. But these same characters — then, we had not gone back to civilian rule —  were very happy in 1990 to be honoured guests in Cairo at  the commissioning  of Cairo Mass Transit which has made all the difference to Cairo! We are not ashamed. They all went there. Maybe they did not know what they were doing. How can   a country lose time, lose treasure? And they have brilliant Nigerians manning places abroad. Then as a country we make ourselves objects of ridicule.[/b]

They showed me what they are planning now. I am not opposed to it. Half bread is better than none. Let it go ahead. By now we should have been extending the previous plan towards Okokomaiko and Victoria Garden City.

That would have removed two- thirds of the cars from the road on a week day.



http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=38356:how-nigeria-became-prodigal-nation-by-asiodu&catid=104:sunday-magazine&Itemid=567#comments

Philip Asiodu? The former Super Permanent Secretary?

Where are his mates? E.g. Alison Ayida. Thieves.

They were so reckless when they were in power.

He should STFU!

ola olabiy:

Philip Asiodu? The former Super Permanent Secretary?

Where are his mates? E.g. Alison Ayida. Thieves.

They were so reckless when they held sway.

He should STFU!

This topic is about the Lagos metro Project and how Buhari killed it! Those that know Asiodu know him as a man of repute. So please focus on the death of the Lagos Metro Project and how we ended up paying heavily for a project that was never executed probably because Buhari in his hegemonistic mindset never saw any reason why Lagos should have a Metroline.
Today, Cairo is enjoying the same metroline Lagosians would have been enjoyiing if not for Buhari!

PapaBrowne:

This topic is about the Lagos metro Project and how Buhari killed it! Those that know Asiodu know him as a man of repute. So please focus on the death of the Lagos Metro Project and how we ended up paying heavily for a project that was never executed probably because Buhari in his hegemonistic mindset never saw any reason why Lagos should have a Metroline.
Today, Cairo is enjoying the same metroline Lagosians would have been enjoyiing if not for Buhari!

Ok Sir!

But, do you know him as well?
Are you one of 'those people'?

Painful.

Sad story.
Sadder thing is this would not be addressed by his campaign organisation. At times, you wonder what sort of politics that goes on in this country. Later, the man would lose and start shouting about rigged elections. I know many young nigerians, lagosians among, who have decided to vote for either buhari and ribadu because they are tired of the pdp's cluelessness. I wonder what they would feel if they see this. These accusations alluding to a dark side of Buhari are getting too much to ignore.

, So General Buhari why did you "Killed The Lagos Metro Project"

Wrong - it was the then Lagos State governor - Mudashiru - he stopped the project after Jakande was kicked as a fall out of the Buhari coup.

Ma_j_blige. Well done. I tot u r not wit buhari :\ ?

^^^^

I am on the side of truth and fairness

.

Canceling a fraudulent project, how's that his fault? and how are we sure he wasn't having the plan of starting afresh before he was removed by ibb through coup.

"PTF Projects: The Abacha regime created a parallel government through the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) headed by Major General Muhammed Buhari. Nothing else typifies the marginalisation of the Yoruba than the lopsidedness of the projects carried out by the PTF. Figures from PTF Situation Reports (Vol. 2 Dec. 98) show that the PTF carried on as if there was no South West.

Of all the roads rehabilitated by he PTF, only 1984.5 kilometres of roads representing 10.84 per cent were carried out in the South West; from where the bulk of the PTF revenue came since the zone consumes over 60 per cent of refined petroleum products. All the Southern States had 4,440.43 kms or 24 per cent of road rehabilitation as against 13,870.47 kms or 76 per cent in the Northern States zone three comprising the North-West States of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara had a lion share of 5020 kms or 27.42 per cent because the Fund’s Chairman, Buhari and the military dictator Sani Abacha were from there; zone four comprising the North-East States of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe picked 23.48 per cent. This is the zone where Salihijo Ahmed, the late Chief Executive of Afri-Project Consortium APC, the sole consultants that supervised all PTF projects came from."

http://www.nigerianmuse.com/20061228122222zg/nigeria-watch/all-about-the-oputa-panel-hrvic/nigeria-has-persecuted-the-yoruba-submission-of-afenifere-to-the-human-rights-violations/

^^^ nna you wan dent buhari image for west

Damn.

90s were probably a lost decade for us

asha 2:

^^^ nna you wan dent buhari image for west

lol

Buhari was a mistake, in my opinion.

PhysicsMHD:


lol

Buhari was a mistake, in my opinion.

Is this all you can do? still better than someone who sqandered more than $18 billion within 8 months, spent $1billion celebrating failure on october 1st.

I take a Buhari 100 times before even dreaming of G not, to talk of E, that one na if i even remember J

10cirenoh:

Is this all you can do? still better than someone who sqandered more than $18 billion within 8 months, spent $1billion celebrating failure on october 1st.

I take a Buhari 100 times before even dreaming of G not, to talk of E, that one na if i even remember J

Who's talking about GEJ?

I said Buhari was a mistake. That GEJ was an accident, doesn't take away Buhari being a mistake.

eku_bear:

Damn.

90s were probably a lost decade for us

Yup. I was there (Nigeria I mean, and specifically Lagos). I saw and lived through the gradual decay of infastructure.

This is a blantant lie.  Contrary to what Phillip Asiodu actually said that Buhari was responsible for killing Lagos Metro Project (he may be suffering from dementia or selective amnesia for being affiliated with Shagari as adviser) it was Shagari's government that actually killed the Metro project. They refused to provide the much needed guarantee to secure the loan for the project because it was a project of a State controlled by a rival political party UPN and the project died a natural death.  Action governor of the time Alhaji Lateef Jakande whose government mooted the Metro Project idea is still alive to shed more light on this.

Jakande Blames Buhari, Shagari for Failed Lagos Metro Project


Lagos — First civilian governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, yesterday said the duo of former President Shehu Shagari and former military ruler, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), were to blame for the failed metro-rail project, which he initiated to solve the traffic problem in the metropolis in 1983.

Jakande, who made the disclosure at his Ilupeju residence in Lagos while speaking with newsmen as part of activities marking his 80th birthday, said it was Shagari, whom he described as a good friend, that ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) not to release N70 million mobilisation fund for the metro line project. According to him, "President Shagari was angry for two reasons. First, I did not congratulate him on his re-election in 1983. Second, he stopped the fund because I was not his party member"
[b]
Explaining how Shagari and Buhari worked against the metro-rail project, Jakande said there was delay after the N700 million metro-line project was awarded to a French firm with the arrangement to first pay N70 million and pay the rest in the space of two years.

He said the delay compelled him to ask "my commissioner for works to investigate why the N70 million mobilisation fund was not released. The commissioner investigated and discovered that it was President who asked the Central Bank of Nigeria not to release the money.

"I was told President Shagari was angry because I did not congratulate him after his controversial election and because I won election on the platform of an opposition party. I later approached him and explained the problem facing execution of the project and that CBN refused N70 million reserved for its take-off.

"President Shagari said it was because there was fuel crisis. He said the CBN governor would visit him that evening and that he would get back to me after talking to him on the metro-line project fund. I quickly replied that I would wait for him since I considered him paramount to undo the knots on the release of the fund," he said.[/b]

Jakande who clocks 80 today, said: "The CBN governor finally arrived, and President Shagari raised the issue of N70 million metro-line project fund. But the CBN governor said the fund cannot be released at once. He asked me to withdraw as many times as possible citing the reasons of bad economy and increasing fuel crisis at the period."

The former governor explained that he had resolved to withdraw the money in line with the advice of the CBN governor, "but the military coup of Gen. Buhari stopped the process".

He said after the Buhari administration took off, the then military administrator of Lagos State, Air Commodore Gbolahan Mudashiru, initially pledged to complete the project.

"I was in the office of Mudashiru one day when I heard that the metroline project had been cancelled despite the fact that there was an initial promise by the Mudashiru administration that the metro line project would be executed without let or hindrance. This is what Buhari has done to Lagos State," Jakande said.

Commenting on his decision to serve as a minister under the military regime headed by the late despotic leader, Gen. Sani Abacha, Jakande said he had no regret serving his fatherland between 1993 and 1994 as minister of works and housing.



http://allafrica.com/stories/200907230352.html

;d ;d ;d

PhysicsMHD:

Who's talking about GEJ?

I said Buhari was a mistake. That GEJ was an accident, doesn't take away Buhari being a mistake.

Who's talking about GEJ? I'm the one talking about GEJ.

So you woke up suddenly from sleep and decided to call Buhari a mistake? a mistake in what terms?


Do you know what mistake means?

^^^^

Hehehehe, people like you don't deserve a response, but then i don't mind helping you with one.

Now tell me, what crime do you have against Buhari that's yet to be debunked?

Bump!!!