The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), has come under fresh attack for his decision to terminate the Lagos metro line project initiated by the Alhaji Lateef Jakande administration to ease traffic in the metropolis.
The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ms. Jumoke Akinjide, said the former Head of State truncated the opportunity of a free flow of traffic within the metropolis and by extension, the economic growth of the South-west because of his hatred for the region and his determination to see its growth retarded.
She said the countries that were no where near the growth attained by the South-west when the APC presidential candidate stopped its metro line project had since advanced to become world economic powers, insisting that rather than advance the course of the South-west to realise its potential to springboard the nation to a world economic power status, the maximum ruler, she said, however opted to pay a $500 million fine for breaching the agreement guiding the rail project execution to ensure the rail project dream was not realised.
She said the Lagos metro rail project was designed by the Jakande government to facilitate transportation within Lagos and surroundings, but was terminated when Buhari military regime took over in December, I983, thus making the country to forfeit a whopping $60 million, which was part of the loan that had been paid by the Jakande administration before Buhari toppled the civilian government.
The minister who spoke in Abuja on Monday, held Buhari responsible for the unending traffic problems in Lagos, the seat of Nigeria’s economy, submitting that he succeeded in setting the South-west back in terms of judicious time wasted to gridlock and also employment opportunities that the rail project would have provided for the people.
“It could not be imagined the kind of hatred Buhari has for the South-west that could have made him dashed the hope of the government that initiated the rail project which was going on smoothly and on schedule before he forced himself to power,” she lamented.
In her projection, the project would have been completed on time if not for General Buhari’s coup and the transportation nightmare Lagosians face today would not have existed.
“The visionary Jakande administration had concluded all the plans to finance the project, putting everything in place for its successful execution. My father provided the legal framework in his capacity as the Attorney –General at the time, and the state government had deposited $50million after securing a $450 million loan at six per cent fixed interest rate for 25 years.
“At the time the project was cancelled the government had paid part of the loan and therefore had no worry about financing the project. But Buhari stopped the project and went ahead to pay another $500million, which was almost enough to complete the project, as fine to the foreign company handling the project for terminating the contract.”
Describing the APC presidential candidate as a sworn enemy of the South-west, the minister said: “I don’t see the reason some Yorubas would still gang up with this man to further rip us off.
He has never done us any good and he can never do us any good. He had his opportunity to show us love, he never did, instead he humiliated our leaders and detained them for no just cause, yet some people want us to embrace such enemy because of their own selfish interest. Buhari is not new to failure, he will fail again,” she submitted.
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