By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The administration of governor Babatunde Fashola has awarded contracts for the construction and rehabilitation of courts in the state, at a cost of N4 billion.

This involves the construction and rehabilitation of 12 courts in the state, while N2.8 billion has been paid as mobilization fees to the contractors, which include Moremo Group, Cubic Homes, Barrows Construction Limited, Numbers Limited, Equity Foundation, Messrs Moreno Plc, Ershaw Nigeria Limited, Integrated Project and Messrs Sageto Limited. The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olasupo Shasore (SAN), disclosed this, this morning, at a news conference, adding that while some of the projects were at advanced stages of completion, some have already been completed while others are just starting.

Shasore also disclosed that in the last one year, 1,072 criminal prosecutions were instituted involving 3,836 defendants, out of which 1,831 were convicted. “These cases involving law and order offences ranging from violations of road traffic laws, environmental sanitation offences laws and street trading were prosecuted at the special offences courts by state counsel from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions,” he stated. He further disclosed that 250 cases were pending in various courts within and outside the state while 50 new cases were instituted against the state government.

The commissioner said in the last one year, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) secured 255 case files from the Nigeria Police and issued 149 legal advice, adding that 65 cases were not recommended for prosecution. “Thirty fresh cases were instituted at the High Court while 11 cases were prosecuted at the Magistrate’s Courts, while the DPP has 29 appeals pending at the Court of Appeal. “The DPP participated in 115 applications for bail and the enforcement of fundamental human rights, out of which 19 applications were struck out,” he said.

The Attorney-General also disclosed that the Directorate of Commercial Law (DCL), in his ministry, generated N160.4 million for the state government from payment of agreement fees by contractors. The DCL also generated N2.2 million from transaction arising from the operations of limited partnerships. It is expected that revenue from the registry located in the DCL will increase significantly because of the volume of transactions that will be generated by the registration of limited liability partnerships following the amendment of the partnership law of Lagos state to provide for the registration of limited liability partnerships,” he added. Shasore said the Citizens Mediation Centre (CMC) received 8,673 cases in the last one year and resolved 3,618 cases, adding that 335 cases were not concluded.

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Nigeria: LASG Pays N450 Billion to Julius Berger

Abiodun Jimoh

14 May 2009

The Lagos state government has paid Julius Berger four hundred and fifty billion naira for the expansion of Mile 2 to Badagry-Seme border road in the metropolis.

The construction contract of the about seventy kilometers road network was awarded to the famous construction firm and is expected to commence at the end of the third quarter of the year.

According to Otunba Idowu Ajanaku, Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola on Public Affairs, while featuring on a radio programme monitored in Lagos on Tuesday stated that this administration is bent in improving the lives of the citizens in Lagos as well making the state a pride of Nigeria and Africa indeed. Ajanaku averred that the stipulated amount would cover the cost of construction, payment of compensation to those whose houses or property were affected as a result of the demolition exercise being carried out in order to pave way for the expansion and other logistics stipulated in the contractual agreement.

Speaking further, he hinted that the persistent traffic jam that has characterized the road described as the gateway to the country, would be a thing of the past as the ten lanes is anticipated to have five lanes each on both sides in which various vehicles such as heavy duty trucks, trailers, BRT, light vehicles amongst would have their own lane separately. "The high rate of traffic jam that has become stigma to this road will be over since the State Governor Babatunde Fashola has taken cognizance of the dreaded situation by awarding the contract for the expansion of the road to Julius Berger. It is believe that work will start before the end of next quarter since it has been formalized, we expect that all those whose property will have to pave way for the project must have received compensation appropriately", he opined.