The Lagos State government has resolved to buy back the concession rights it granted Lekki Concession Company (LCC) to reconstruct the popular Lekki-Epe Expressway.

CEOAFRICA news desk gathered in the dramatic turn of event, that the concession right which would have seen LCC reconstruct the road towards Epe, with three different tolling points, had been a subject of controversy from the beginning – trailed by agitations and mass protests by the residents of the Lekki corridor, backed by civil rights groups.

The concession agreement, which underpins the “Lagos Infrastructure Project”, was to involve upgrading and creating new road infrastructure along the first 49.4km of the Lekki-Epe Expressway (Phase 1) and  additional private sector finance also to be deployed towards developing the first 20km of the coastal road with an option to do the Southern Bypass as well (Phase II).

According to the globally established BOT model of infrastructure delivery, the concessionaire was to operate and maintain the road for the full 30-years term of the concession, and then hand over the assets to Lagos State in good condition at the end of the concession term.

In this way, Lagos State was to enjoy new world class infrastructure as a direct consequence of the agreement and users of the road would positively experience the service-based approach that was to be adopted by the concessionaire to deliver certain benefits to the people.

The benefits were to include convenience-traffic decongestion, easier access to and from the     Lekki-Epe corridor, breakdown and recovery assistance, ambulance service, and customer call centre.

Other were shorter journey times, reduced wear and tear on motor vehicles, reduced fuel consumption by road users, security – law enforcement, better street lighting, reduced risk of “go slow robbery among others.”