By Olasunkanmi Akoni
Even as work progresses on the first phase of the 61 kilometre Lagos-Badagry Light Rail Project christened the Blue Line, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has begun moves to woo British and other investors to take concession on the second part of the rail project.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris has expressed the state government dismay at the high rate of maternal and infant mortality in the state disclosing that the design of projects and programmes to address the issue was underway.

On the light rail project, Fashola, while hosting the British Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development (DFID), Mr. Stephen O’Brien at the Lagos House, Marina, said the Red Line which, according to him, “is waiting to be taken”, offers so much options for collaboration.

Recalling that the first rail in Nigeria was built by the British, Fashola declared, “With the very strong history and experience your country brings into rail development, I think that this is where rail operators should be heading really. The transportation business here is very serious business. It is big, growing and it is not near its full potential yet”.

Fashola said his administration would also welcome both ferry terminal and operators to take operational concession for water transportation in the state pointing out that the government has already completed three ferry terminals and hope to find serious operators to concession them to while government builds the hardcore infrastructure.

“We are also hoping we could find not only terminal operators but also ferry operators to bring in ferries here, take operational concessions and then we should all be happy for it in a mutually beneficial way. Our people get very efficient, reliable and safe transportation, the operators get fair return for their commitment and their investment”, the governor said.

Expressing his willingness to discuss details of such collaboration, Fashola said the best way would be for a British business delegation to visit Lagos and spend some days during which the entrepreneurs would go from sector to sector to see what opportunities for investment appeal to them.

Pointing at funding as the biggest challenge of government in pursuit of the project, Fashola said his administration decided that if the project was to see the light of day, it had to lead from the front by building the infrastructure through both direct and private sector funding adding that it is now closing on the concession for the provision of the rolling stock, the coaches, the signalization, the power supply and ticketing.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for DFID, said his visit was to find out the idea behind the Blue Line Light Rail Project and how the State Government was going about it with the hope of adopting it as model for not only the rest of the states in Nigeria but for the rest of Africa.

On the maternal mortality, Idris who spoke in after inspecting on-going construction works at the Ayinke House in Ikeja explained that the projects and programmes involves the development of infrastructure at the three tiers of government.

The commissioner noted that the flagship Primary Health Care Center in each of the local government and local council development area of the state has been purposely equipped to cater for issues such as immunization and family planning among others adding that issues and matters that cannot be handled at that level of care would be referred to the Maternal and Child Care Centers (MCC).

According to Idris, the MCCs have in turn be equipped with sophisticated equipment than the flagship Primary Health Care Centers and they, the MCCs, are meant to handle health emergency involving women and children as well as ante natal and post natal issues adding that issues that cannot be handled at this level of care can then also be referred to the Ayinke House which is the final referral center for cases of mother and child.

He stressed that government’s paradigm focus regarding its on-going reforms in the health sector was borne out of the need to improve health facilities as well as provide qualitative health care services to Lagosians in an equitable manner.