After months of uncertainty, there are indications that Lagos State government has tidied up all the loose ends towards the flag-off of construction of the Fourth Mainland Bridge.
The Guardian learnt, yesterday, that commitment to the commencement of the project came after stakeholders, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) met and reviewed legal advisers’ report at the Public Private Partnership (PPP), Lagos Office and discuss the selected bidders’ legal proposal and draft concession agreement for the project.
According to sources at the stakeholders’ meeting, the legal advisers’ report was deliberated upon with an emphasis on sustainability, openness and accountability.
“We made sure to take our values and mission into account as we dug deeper into the proposal and agreement. In the long run, we must make sure that this relationship benefits the people of Lagos State, the government, and the chosen bidder, while remaining consistent with our goals and ideals,” the sources said.
According to the coordinating consultant on the project, Messrs. Advanced Engineering Consultants, the Fourth Mainland Bridge is a proposed Public Private Partnership (PPP) transport infrastructure development, which includes the construction and operation of a green field tolled road and bridge with a design speed of 120 kilometres per hour.
The stakeholders’ meeting was held against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s approval and the granting of a no-objection to the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report for the project.
After a public display exercise on the environmental and social impact assessment report and resettlement policy framework for the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge, the Federal Ministry of Environment has granted a no-objection approval for the project to commence.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
