From China With Promises

From China With Promises

On a recent working visit to China, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had successful

deliberations with the management of the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation

and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, promising that traffic

congestion would soon be a thing of the past in the state and that the fourth

mainland bridge will see the light of day before the end of his tenure.

-BY SAHEED RADIU

ommitted to fulfilling his promise of

delivering a multimodal transportation

system for guests and residents of Lagos State,

Governor Babajide Samwo-Olu was on a courtesy visit

to the headquarters of China Railway Rolling Stock

Corporation in Dalian, China, recently where he

concluded deliberations on the purchase of rolling

stock for the Blue and Red rail lines in the state.

At the meeting, Governor Sanwo-Olu expressed his

government’s commitment to reducing the traffic

congestion in Lagos in line with the Traffic

Management and Transportation pillar of the

THEMES developmental agenda. He also charged

the company to deliver additional rolling stock for the

Red and Blue lines before the end of the year.

Governor Sanwo-Ou said, “Given the number of

rolling stock we are procuring, there is a need for us to

have a joint maintenance conversation. And we have

seen that, indeed, when we collaborate like this, we are

not just doing procurement, we are actualy doing

knowledge and skill transfer. Lagos still expects a

whole lot more.

A train is not something you just buy off the shelf. We

were not as lucky as when we were in Milwaukee,

which was produced for a particular city, but we had to

pay the premium and take it off. It usually takes

between two and three years for you to finish the

manufacturing because each of them has its

specifications, the platform, and the load that you

require.

“They have done the Blue line before. So, in less than a

year, we will still have a tough discussion with them.

Before the end of the year, we are expecting that some

of the rolling stock will start coming in. And the final

bid should come in early next year. We are ready for

them. This is the best we can get in terms of delivery

time.

Also, on the working visit to China with some

government officials, Governor Sanwo-Olu visited the

famous Dalian Urban Planning Exhibition Centre in

Xigang District and was conducted around the three

floor building ceded with historical changes in the

city’s ongoing construction, its current conditions, and

the blueprint for future development.

The Dalian Urban Planning Exhibition Centre provided

an opportunity for the guests to learn about the city’s

past, transition to the present day, and a

demonstration of what the immediate future would

look like.

Also, during a high level meeting of Lagos State

Government officials with the President and

management of the China Civil Engineering

Construction Corporation at its headquarters in

Beijing, China, Governor Sanwo Clu commended the

construction giant for several roads and bridges

they had constructed in different parts of Lagos and

added that the state government will continue to

partner with them.

“The Fourth Main and Bridge is one of our legacy

projects. We are committed to that project. We want

to do that project like yesterday. We have assured

Lagosians that this administration will do it. We are

working with your team back in Nigeria to see how

best we can start that project as soon as possible. We

don’t have all the funding to do it, but we have a lot of

pressure from different people. So, if CCECC can help

us, we can sit together and try and see how much

funding we can raise and start the project.

“I have to deliver this project. I have only three years to

go and you (President of CCECC) have to help me

ensure that we provide the Fourth Mainland Bridge. It

is what we need in the state and want to do. We have

been talking about it for a long time, and I want to out

it behind me.

“It has to start very soon. I made a commitment before

the end of the first quarter; if I can achieve that, I will

be very happy I want to break ground maybe in March

or April to start that project. I will be happy if Mr.

President of CCECC helps me to achieve this. It would

be one of my greatest joys as a governor in the state.”