We Cannot Construct Fourth Mainland Bridge Now – Fashola
The Lagos state Government has disclosed that the construction of the Fourth Mainland Bridge may be delayed as no fewer than 318 buildings will be 
demolished for the bridge to take stand.
The state government made this known yesterday at a joint press briefing on the 2014 budget analysis by the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Ben Akabueze and the commissioner of Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, held at the Bagualda Kaltho Press centre, Alausa, Ikeja.
They said the state government has budgeted N9.2 billion of the 2014 budget of N489 billion to be spent on the Lagos State University, LASU, even as academic activities in the institution remained suspended indefinitely.
Harping on why the Fourth Mainland Bridge may not be constructed now, Hamzat said it is difficult for the state government to embark on the previous alignment for the construction of the bridge because of its huge requirements and expenses.
“To construct a kilometer of that bridge is about N40 billion. So the issue is that we also need to factor the cost of demolishing the 318 buildings into the project. And a lot of these buildings are beautiful houses.”
He also revealed that most of the buildings don’t have genuine building permit, saying: “We need to remember that when motorists make use of the bridge, they will need an exit route, And this route will require motorists to drive through a road that will afford them to link Ijede in Ikorodu and later link Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. And this road is about 22 kilometres.”
The commissioner noted that the bridge isn’t just any mere bridge that can be constructed in haste as it requires specific planning before it can be embarked upon.
When discussing budget appropriated to LASU, he said: “Today, graduates of computer science from LASU are the best in the country. They write their own codes because they are able to pay. No university does that. So are we interested in quality education and not just graduating people?”
Akabueze added that “LASU is not funded by the tuition fees paid by the students. It isn’t possible in today’s world to get quality tertiary education at N25, 000. Many Nigerians pay more than that to fund their children’s education at the primary education level.
“Government around the world spends more money funding basic education than tertiary education. This is to create a platform for more people to be educated.”
Akabueze said that the tertiary institution and other health facilities are expected to generate N19.9 billion as dedicated revenue specifically through the services they render.
