Lekki-Epe Expressway Acquisition: Group Writes Ambode, Demands Update On Concession

Transparency-focused organization, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), has asked the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, to provide updated information on the state government's actions towards the acquisition of the Lekki-Epe Expressway from Lekki Concession Company (LCC).
The demand was made in a letter written to the governor by HEDA.

Dated 23 February and signed by HEDA's Chairman, Mr. Olanrewaju Suraju, the letter said Lagos State taxpayers deserves more than toll increment and opaque Public-Private-Partnership.

HEDA also stated that Lagos residents should be informed why there has been a delay in the acquisition of the Lekki-Epe Road as well as about the terms and agreements of the contract entered into by the Lagos State and the LCC.

"On August 19, 2013, the former governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola wrote a letter of proposal to the Lagos State House of Assembly, through the Speaker, requesting additional fund to buy back the interest of LCC in the Lekki-Epe Road.

"Paragraph 3 of the letter says: 'the proposal for further amendment was predicated on the need to fund the acquisition of existing concession rights and toll revenue benefits held by the LCC. 
"This will effectively accelerate the transfer of ownership of the road to the state, leaving the state with wider policy options with regards to that important road infrastructure in order to address this issu

"These will entail an increase in the overall budget size by N7.5bn. This is against a background of a projected shortfall of N22.5bn in budgeted internally generated revenues (IGR) which now needs to be covered by additional borrowings,” read HEDA's letter to the governor.

It also recalled that later, at a special plenary section, the Lagos State House of Assembly approved N7.5 billion supplementary budget to speed up the transfer of ownership of the road to the state.

HEDA added that some of the major reasons given by the state government for its decision to buy out the private parties in the concession included the request by the LCC to raise the tolling rate on the first toll plaza by 20% from minimum of N120 to N166 for a car and the insistence that toll must be commenced at the second toll plaza, about 10kilometres from the first.

This LCC had claim that its requests were to enable it raise fund for further construction.

"It is quite unfortunate that the Lagos State government has not been forthcoming in providing clear and detailed information about the project since inception and on latest decision to increase toll on the road. It, therefore, leaves the public with conjectures and rumours of misappropriation of the approved extra-budget for the proposed buy-back.

"There exists no official information on the Lekki-Epe concession project in public domain. Both the Lagos State government and the LCC have refused to make available such information," stated HEDA.

To banish the opacity around the project, HEDA requested an update on the concession and why there has a been a delay in its acquisition. 
"The taxpayers of Lagos State deserve more than passing toll increment and Public-Private-Partnership shrouded in secrecy, opacity and conjectures," HEDA said. - Sahara reporters