2023-10-05 10:34:46
Located at the descent of the bridge of the capital city, Porto-Novo, a sign of the bad governance of the past, the building intended to serve as the headquarters of the National Assembly of Benin, has been undergoing demolition work for several days. This work has started because the site will receive a new project from the Government of President Patrice TALON: “The cultural arena of Porto-Novo”.
Faced with certain interpretations of the situation, the Minister of Living Environment and Transport, responsible for Sustainable Development, Mr. José TONATO, provides edifying clarifications.
This is blamed on the former National Assembly construction site which cost Beninese taxpayers around 22 billion FCFA.
The reasons which led the Government of President Patrice TALON to authorize the demolition were mentioned by Minister José TONATO. From his explanations, it appears that the conclusions of the audit carried out on this old site were presented to the National Representation which authorized the Government to permanently suspend work on this site because the building is not usable. The ground is not good. The bearing capacity of the soil is poor because it is fill on a relatively hydromorphic perimeter because it is on the edge of the lagoon. “It is not a ground that has a high load-bearing capacity to support a heavy concrete building of 4 floors, the structure is completely poorly dimensioned, the walls are not plumb, the posts are not straight, the beams and chains, let’s not talk about it. The design office declared this structural infrastructure unviable, not stable, not solid and the only conclusion of the office is the demolition of the building,” indicated José TONATO.
A suitable cultural arena will be built on the site
The site which houses the former construction site of the headquarters of the National Assembly will not remain empty once the demolition work is completed. This is what the Minister of Living Environment and Transport in charge of Sustainable Development indicates. “The demolition work has started simply because this site will receive a new project. Porto-Novo is a city selected to host the large-scale cultural arena like Parakou. This site is very well adapted. It is located on the edge of the lagoon. We arrive with an urban park. The land will be 80% planted. It is a green lung for the capital. The cultural arena that the Government will build is a single-level performance hall with a relatively light and semi-open structure. It is therefore a building totally adapted to the quality of the soil. Rest assured, we are carrying out all the stages of examining a project,” reassured Minister TONATO.
The demolition does not mean a clean sweep of the file. Legal proceedings still ongoing
The demolition work has raised several questions among the population regarding the sums swallowed up in this project without results. Faced with this state of affairs, Minister José TONATO reassured everyone as to the Government’s clear desire to place all responsibilities in this matter: “I would like to sincerely reassure the entire Beninese population that the legal procedure is underway. . The case is pending before CRIET. The Government’s desire to identify the responsibilities of each party and to sanction them in accordance with our texts is intact. However, we must let justice do its work. Demolition does not mean a clean sweep of the file.”
The new headquarters of the National Assembly under construction
In order to give a radiant face to the capital city, and to cleanse Porto-Novo of the shame and bad governance which led to the demolition of the old construction site at the entrance to Porto-Novo, the Government of President Patrice TALON decided to construct a new large-scale, high-quality building in Porto-Novo for the benefit of the National Representation. This project is progressing quickly, revealed Minister TONATO: “The new headquarters of the National Assembly is progressing very well. The structural work is already more than 95% complete. We anticipate some difficulties. Under the governance of President Patrice TALON, there are zero white elephants,” insisted José TONATO.
Work on the Sèmè-Porto Novo motorway project has started
Seizing the opportunity, Minister José TONATO returned to another major project. That of the Sèmè-Porto-Novo motorway. He gave more details: “We also have the project for the Sèmè-Porto-Novo motorway which ends at the Porto-Novo bridge. The latter will be completely demolished and rebuilt. We arrive with a double track from Sèmè. It is 10 kilometers of round-trip express lanes, 2 x 2 lanes, with a 2 x 2 lane bridge.
The work started with the company PORTEO BTP. It should be noted that on the western part of the current track, there are disconnection operations. We are going to demolish the old bridge because we want to increase the air clearance to allow river-lagoon traffic because there are a lot of demands from Lagos; from people who have boats and want to come and take advantage of all the tourist facilities put in place in Cotonou. We are also on this big project.”
The Government is carrying out other major projects in Porto-Novo
Long forgotten, the capital city, Porto-Novo, has been reborn from its ashes like a phoenix since 2016. Its face becomes radiant. To highlight all the beauty of this city, the Government of President Patrice TALON has planned to carry out several large-scale projects. Minister José TONATO mentioned a few: “Essentially in Porto-Novo, we have enough projects. In addition to the cultural arena, we have the International Vodun Museum whose work has started. On the current Place Toffa, a wooded car park is planned with a new monument to King Toffa which will be built according to the same rules as the Place de l’Amazone. There is also the renovation project for the Charles de Gaulle stadium. There is the Ouando market which is being built. The Ahouangbo market is almost completely completed. I am no longer talking about the new headquarters of the National Assembly, the work of which is progressing normally. The structural work is already more than 95% complete. There is also the Departmental City, prefecture and headquarters of the departmental directorates currently being established. There will be a new city hall. Porto-Novo will be largely under construction. We will complete all these projects before December 2025,” promised Minister José TONATO.
QA October 5,
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