WALE BABALAKIN IN TROUBLE …AS TINUBU, AMOSUN, ODUAH DESCEND ON HIM

Wale Babalakin

 Let’s face facts: These are not the best of times for cerebral billionaire and lawyer, Dr. Wale Babalakin (SAN). And the reasons are the two fierce battles he’s currently engaged in with Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State and Aviation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah.

Besides the 60 days ultimatum given to his company, Bi-Courtney Highway Services, to complete the initial repair work on the bad spots on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, the Ogun State government has also been giving him serious headache over access to some portions of the road, a move we understand allegedly has the unseen hand of the godfather of South West politics, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The ACN  (Action Congress of Nigeria) chieftain is rumoured to also be interested in the multi-billion naira contract.

The Aviation Minister, meanwhile, just added to Babalakin’s headache on Thursday, July 28, 2011 when she cancelled the N2500 passenger service charge all domestic travellers using the Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two, in Ikeja, Lagos, which is being managed by the company – and which had been on since July 7, pay. The charge was hitherto N1000. Thus, it attracted serious criticisms immediately it was increased, especially because most passengers still can’t fathom the rationale.

And perhaps to prove that there’s no going back on her decision, the minister who owns Sea Petroleum and Gas, a multi-billion naira downstream oil company, posted it on her Facebook page. Giving reasons for her action in her letter to the MD of BASL, the minister said, “There’s a procedure in the concession agreement, which must be adhered to and until then, you are to desist from the collection of the PSC”.

The letter was signed by Anne Ene-Ita, a permanent secretary in the ministry.

Responding, Dipo Kehinde of BASL had this to say, “We have only read about it on the Minister’s Facebook”. BASL, it would be recalled, won the contract to build, operate and transfer the MM2 facility during the regime of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Their chairman, Dr. Wale Babalakin, equally enjoyed a good relationship with late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. In fact, he was appointed one of the man’s special advisers – but with what is currently on ground, the reverse may be the case with those now in power.