Dogfight Over Right to the Concession of Lagos/Abuja Superhighway

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Two firms are at loggerheads over the concession of Lagos/Abuja Superhighway. The two firms, AEC Unity Network Limited and AEC-GeoFocus Consortium (GeoFocus) are engaged in a media war over the right company to which the federal government gave approval to handle the construction of the road. For instance, AEC Unity Network Limited said it is the officially recognised concessionaire for the superhighway and the High-speed Train projects.

It has, therefore, in a statement, described as fraudulent the claim by AEC-GeoFocus Consortium (GeoFocus) that it is involved in the project. In the statement, signed by Ayodeji Ademola, Esq of Dipo Okpeseyi (SAN) & Co Chambers, legal consultant to AEC Unity Network Limited, the company, while describing the claim by AEC-GeoFocus as false and an “attempt to mislead the public”, insists that it is “the sole concessionaire authorized by the Federal Government of Nigeria to design, finance, construct, operate, and maintain the 470-kilometer superhighway and high-speed rail linking Abuja and Lagos.”

To authenticate it’s claim, AEC Unity Network Limited further states that it got its approval from the Federal Ministry of Works, the Federal Ministry of Finance, and the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC). The construction company was reacting to an earlier claim by Yinka Idris, an engineer said to be the director of operations for the consortium that it was involved in the project. Idris had been quoted as saying that “The $16bn project will be led by AEC-GeoFocus, a consortium of engineers, planners, and investors and plans have been concluded to commence it by February.”

Interestingly, the AEC Unity Network, which said that it’s project is still in the planning stage, is insisting that it “has no relationship whatsoever with Engineer Mutiu Yinka Idris, Prince Fisayo, or GeoFocus.” It identified Fisayo Ishola, said to be of FANE, as one of the sponsors of GeoFocus, which it accused of engaging in “deceptive practices to gain undue recognition for projects they are not affiliated with.”

The assertion by AEC Unity Network Limited about the the two government ministries and commission appears a bold step to convince the people that it is the company with the official approval for the job.

Idris, whose claim is being disputed by AEC Unity Network, had told Businessday Newspaper that the highway will have 8 lanes, 2 service lanes, and 13 tolling points, adding that 10 smart cities, 1 million housing units, and an independent power plant will be captured within the scope of the project.

But AEC Unity Network, in the statement released over the weekend, discredits the claim by Idris, as “fraudulent” and “completely at variance with our proposed infrastructure plans.” What shall be the response of GeoFocus to the statement by AEC Unity Network Limited against the claim by Yinka Idris? Nigerians are waiting.