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NIWA Hinders Lagos Light Rail Project – Mojeed
The Nigerian Waterways Authority (NIWA) has been identified as one of the obstacles to the completion of the Lagos Light Rail Project that takes off from Mile 2 and terminates at Marina area of the state.
According to the Chairman of the state House of Assembly Committee on Transport, Hon. Fatai Mojeed, who spoke to journalists during a visit to the National Theartre Station of the project by the committee, the project contractors are having issues with NIWA over the waterways, where the project would pass through.
“We all know that the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) is having a running battle with NIWA over the control of our waterways. I have said it severally that the issues could be solved politically.
“The supervisory agency, Lagos Area Metropolitan Transport Authority (LAMATA) has to go through the state Governor to get across to NIWA on the issue.
“Funding is another challenge and I believe that the contractors, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) has utilised the money given to them for the project judiciously. It is a project I want to witness as the Chairman, House Committee on Transport,” he said.
He added that the Lagos State Government has challenged the case won by NIWA over the control of waterways at the high court at the Appeal Court, and that the state government has invested so much on the project, which he said has to be completed in time.
The lawmaker commended the initiators of the rail line project, and described it as the best in West Africa if not in the whole of Africa.
Fatai said further that while the BRT Project is sponsored by the World Bank, the light rail project is being financed by the state government.
He said; “I must commend LAMATA for a job well done. I am okay with what they have done so far on the bus depot, BRT bus stops and the light rail project. If not for funding, I am sure the bus depot in Ketu would have been completed. The BRT corridor along Ikorodu axis would be completed before the end of the year.
“We asked the contractors of the bus depot if they had other challenges, they said the whole thing revolves around funding. We will speak with the appropriate committees to release the fund to them, and we will go through Mr. Speaker to the Governor.”
Also speaking at the National Theatre Station, the LAMATA Project Manager, Olaseni Akinwunmi stated that their main challenge on the project is the buildings that would be demolished for the project to be constructed.
He explained that efforts are being made to ensure that the owners of the buildings allow for relocation, adding that it would be difficult to give a date for completion of the project if the issues surrounding them were not resolved.
The resident engineer at the Ketu-Ojota construction of New Bus Depot & Rehabilitation of Existing Bus Depot, Engr Toyin Akilapa-Eda told the members of the Committee that the contractor was mobilized in December, 2015 but that the work could not commence until March this year due to certain challenges.
The site which was taken over from the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and is currently being handled by LAMATA was designed to maintain the BRT buses operated by Primero under the supervision of LAMATA.
According to Akilapa-Eda, the work which was being handled by Strabic Construction Company, were divided into three lots with a duration of 12 months, adding that “if the state government provides fund as at when due, the project will be completed as scheduled.”
The representative of LAMATA, Engineer Yemi Adeniji said that funds could not be released anyhow as approvals are always given by the Governor for each release.
Adeniji added that though it is a project funded by the World Bank, money would be needed to fast-track the work.

source
https://www.lagoshouseofassembly.gov.ng/2016/07/27/niwa-hinders-lagos-light-rail-project-mojeed/

Break story into more paragraph.

According to the Chairman of the state House of Assembly Committee on Transport, Hon. Fatai Mojeed, who spoke to journalists during a visit to the National Theartre Station of the project by the committee, the project contractors are having issues with NIWA over the waterways, where the project would pass through.
“We all know that the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) is having a running battle with NIWA over the control of our waterways. I have said it severally that the issues could be solved politically.

He explained that efforts are being made to ensure that the owners of the buildings allow for relocation, adding that it would be difficult to give a date for completion of the project if the issues surrounding them were not resolved.

This explains why they missed December dealine. Hopefully the federal government allows state to have control of this section

Blue3k:
Break story into more paragraph.



This explains why they missed December dealine. Hopefully the federal government allows state to have control of this section

I pray so enemies of progress they don't know is part of development

Eko o ne baje

Let's learn from the Asian Tigers to help the Lagos Economy

Malaysia has a newly industrialised market economy , which is relatively open and state-oriented. The economy of Malaysia is the fourth largest in Southeast Asia, after the much more populous Indonesia , Thailand and the
Philippines , and 35th largest in the world. Malaysia is also the third richest in Southeast Asia by GDP per capita values, after the city-states of Singapore and Brunei. [17][18] Malaysia's economy is one of the most competitive in the world, ranking 14th in the Ease of Doing Business Index for 2015. Malaysian economy is highly robust and diversified with export value of high-tech products in 2014 stood at 63.3 billion USD, the second highest after Singapore in ASEAN . Malaysia exports the second largest volume and value of palm oil products globally after Indonesia.
Despite government policies to increase income per capita in order to hasten the progress towards high income country by 2020, Malaysia growth in labour productivity and wages has been very slow, lagging behind by the OECD standard. Academic research by the IMF and
World Bank have repeatedly called for structural reform and endogenous innovation to move the country up the value chain of manufacturing to allow Malaysia escape the current middle income trap. Due to a heavy reliance on oil exports for central government revenue, the currency fluctuations has been very volatile, noticeably during the supply glut and oil price collapse in 2015. However government had step up measures to increase revenue by introducing the widely unpopular Government Service Tax at 6% rate to reduce deficits and meet federal debt obligations.
History
Main article: Economic history of Malaysia
As one of three countries that control the Strait of Malacca , international trade plays a very significant role in Malaysia's economy. [19] At one time, it was the largest producer of tin, rubber and palm oil in the world.[20] Manufacturing has a large influence in the country's economy, accounting for over 40% of the GDP. [21] Malaysia is also the world's largest Islamic banking and financial centre.
In the 1970s, Malaysia began to imitate the four
Asian Tiger economies (South Korea, Taiwan, British Hong Kong and Singapore) and committed itself to a transition from being reliant on mining and agriculture to an economy that depends more on manufacturing. In the 1970s, the predominantly mining and agricultural based Malaysian economy began a transition towards a more multi-sector economy. Since the 1980s the industrial sector has led Malaysia's growth. High levels of investment played a significant role in this. With Japanese investment, heavy industries flourished and in a matter of years, Malaysian exports became the country's primary growth engine. Malaysia consistently achieved more than 7% GDP growth along with low inflation in the 1980s and the 1990s.
In 1991, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir bin Mohamad outlined his ideal, Vision 2020 in which Malaysia would become a self-sufficient industrialised nation by 2020.[22] Tan Sri Nor Mohamed, a government minister, said Malaysia could attain developed country status in 2018 if the country's growth remains constant or increases. [23]
Malaysia experienced an economic boom and underwent rapid development during the late 20th century and has GDP per capita (nominal) of US$11,062.043 in 2014, and is considered a newly industrialised country.[9][24][25] In 2009, the PPP GDP was US$383.6 billion, about half the 2014 amount, and the PPP per capita GDP was US$8,100, about one third the 2014 amount. [26]
In 2014, the Household Income Survey undertaken by the government indicated that there were 7 million households in Malaysia, with an average of 4.3 members in each household. The average household income of Malaysia increased by 18% to RM5,900 a month, compared to RM5,000 in 2012.
According to a HSBC report in 2012, Malaysia will become the world's 21st largest economy by 2050, with a GDP of $1.2 trillion (Year 2000 dollars) and a GDP per capita of $29,247 (Year 2000 dollars). The report also says "The electronic equipment, petroleum, and liquefied natural gas producer will see a substantial increase in income per capita. Malaysian life expectancy, relatively high level of schooling, and above average fertility rate will help in its rapid expansion." Viktor Shvets, the managing director in Credit Suisse, has said "Malaysia has all the right ingredients to become a developed nation." [27]
Economic policies
Monetary policy
Prior to the 1997 Asian financial crisis , the
Malaysian ringgit was an internationalised currency, which was freely traded around the world. Just before the crisis, the Ringgit was traded RM2.50 at the dollar. Due to speculative activities, the Ringgit fell to as much as RM4.10 to the dollar in matter of weeks. Bank Negara Malaysia , the nation's central bank, decided to impose capital controls to prevent the outflow of the Ringgit in the open market. The Ringgit became non-internationalised and a traveller had to declare to the central bank if taking out more than RM10,000 out of the country and the Ringgit itself was pegged at RM3.80 to the US dollar.
The fixed exchange rate was abandoned in favour of the floating exchange rate in July 2005, hours after China announced the same move. [28] At this point, the Ringgit was still not internationalised. The Ringgit continued to strengthen to 3.18 to the dollar by March 2008 and appreciated as low as 2.94 to the dollar in May 2011. Meanwhile, many aspects of capital control have been slowly relaxed by Bank Negara Malaysia . However, the government continues to not internationalise the Ringgit. The government stated that the Ringgit will be internationalised once it is ready. [29]
Bank Negara Malaysia for the time being, uses interest rate targeting. The Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) is their policy instrument, and is used to guide the short term interbank rates which will hopefully influence inflation and economic growth.
Affirmative action