The Lekki-Epe expressway

The Lekki-Epe Expressway, built in the 1980s during the administration of Lateef Jakande and when the axis was just a rural settlement, became one of the busiest and congested roads at the turn of the 21st century. Then, workers and school children had to begin their journey as early as 4am to have any hope of getting to their work places or schools in Victoria Island or Marina by 8 or 8.30 am. Commuters and motorists along the route groaned in pains for many years until the Lagos state government, in 2006, heeded their call and concessioned the reconstruction and enlargement of the 49.4 kilometre road (and the building of a 20 km coastal road) to the Lekki Concession Company Ltd. (LCC) on a build, operate and transfer basis. The government justified the Public Private Partnership deal as a strategic partnership with the private sector to ease the discomfort of Lagosians and boost the economic prosperity of the Lekki-Epe vicinity especially as the road will serve as the gateway to the proposed Lekki Free Trade Zone, new model cities and residential accommodations, business centres and financial and tourism hubs. Guarantee was provided and work began in 2008.

However, since then, like most things Nigerian, the concession has ran into several problems notably delays and agitations over the payment of tolls at three designated gates in less than 25 kilometres. Work on the road has since stopped at the Abraham Adesanya end of the road and the entire concession agreement has collapsed with the Lagos state government revoking the concession and paying off the concessionaires.

Meanwhile, buoyed by the expansion of the road, many housing estates, private houses, a university and businesses have sprung up along the axis. It can be said that many people and businesses are escaping the busy and congested Victory Island and Ikoyi and even Lagos mainland to the Lekki peninsular axis. Consequently the road has got very busy. In addition to all the developments planned along the axis, the Dangote refinery is being built along the corridor. The presence of Dangote refinery has attracted other related businesses such as Progress Maritime limited, OBAT Oil and Eko Resort and many other businesses to the area. The effect is that the road got very busy that the traffic gridlock of past years has returned with vengeance. Perhaps, due to design failures (for instance the king-sized roundabouts along the roads have become the greatest causes of traffic gridlocks), the congestions along the road are now unbearable such that a journey of 20 minutes could take 4 hours or more on a bad day.

It is not difficult to see that the road has become a huge problem even before take-off of the refinery, the Lekki Free Trade Zone, the proposed airport and many other businesses along that route. The expected development and prosperity cannot happen where there is no ease of movement along the corridor. Sadly, the promised coastal road that should have helped to reduce the traffic on the road has remained only a dream.

This is, in many ways, the Nigerian story. Governments are incapable of planning for future developments and even if they claim to plan, the plan remains only on paper and bears no connection with reality. In 2006, the Lagos state government developed an Integrated Rail Transport System to link the major population and activity centres in Lagos state. Seven lines including the 26 kilometre Green line that will run from Marina to the Proposed Lekki Airport was planned. Due to lack of funds, the government decided to start with the 27 kilometre Blue Line from Okokomaiko to Marina via Iddo. The contract was awarded, and work started since 2008 and was supposed to have been completed in 2011 and other lines begun. But, till date, the Blue Line is yet to be completed and the others lines remain only plans on paper.

It does not take rocket science to know that the Lekki Epe Expressway is grossly inadequate to handle the volume of activities that will come with the opening of the Lekki Peninsular axis to both human and commercial activities. It also does not require rocket science to know that the best way to take away the traffic is either by construction of another road, in this case, the long talked about coastal or a tram-train built still along the expressway. But no, such things never happen in Nigeria.

The Lagos state government has gone about town citing inability to attract private partners and investors as one of the reasons for the delay in the completion of the blue line. But why would the government expect any rational thinking investor to invest his/her money in a public infrastructure project in a highly combustible and uncertain policy environment like Nigeria’s? Coincidentally, it was the Lagos state government that arbitrarily aborted the last such investment (the concessioned Lekki Epe Expressway). By buying back the concession, the Lagos state government sealed its fate; made it very difficult or impossible to attract private investors to partner government in infrastructure provision.

Since government, by its actions, have signalled to investors that it alone can provide the infrastructure needs of the society, it must not complain of paucity of funds to do what is absolutely necessary to make life worthwhile for the people. The removal of some roundabouts and construction of a flyover bridge at Ajah are just mere tokenisms that cannot solve the problem of traffic gridlock on the expressway. Can the Lagos state government learn to be proactive and not always reactive, waiting for problems to arise before solutions are thought?