16km rail for 16 years is absolute failure, GRV lambasts Lagos govt

The 2023 Governorship Candidate of the Labour Party in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, says it is “an absolute failure” that successive All Progressives Congress governments in the state completed “16km” of the 27km Blue Line Rail for 16 years.

The LP candidate also known as GRV, was a guest on Channels Television’s breakfast show, Sunrise Daily on Tuesday.

The Lagos rail network project has a long history of delays and footdragging since its inauguration in 2003 by ex-governor Bola Tinubu, who is now the President.

The rail project was colour-coded accoridng to location. The Blue Line was codenamed for Marina to Okokomaiko, Red Line (Agbado to Marina), Yellow Line (Otta to Iddo), Brown Line (Mile 12 to Marina), Green Line (Marina to Lekki), amongst others.

Ex-Governor Babatunde Fashola had commenced the construction of the 27-kilometre Blue Line Rail but the project dragged till 2019 when Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu assumed office.

The first phase of the Blue Line rail which spans 13 kilometres with five stops/stations namely Marina, National Theatre, Iganmu, Alaba, and Mile 2, was inaugurated last year while the Red Line was inaugurated last week.

Rhodes-Vivour said Lagosians must not be distracted and “understand what is truly happening to their commonwealth”.

“It has taken 16 years to get 16km of rail, that’s the blueline. A contract was signed for about 27 to 29km and it was stopped at 16km, the government by its plan over the last 17, 18 years, is supposed to have a total of about 175km, they’ve barely done 10% of that in 16 years.

“If the blue line is taking 16 years to do, how many years will it take a 160km to be done?” he asked.

The LP chieftain said mediocre people will never be great, adding that the private sector should be invited to do the project if the state has no capacity to build the railline “because 16 years to deliver 16km of rail is a failure anywhere in the world. It’s an absolute failure. Unfortunately, we have gotten to a state as Nigerians where we just accept any level of mediocrity.”