Why Lagos-Ibadan expressway is suffering delay – Fashola

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola says the Lagos-Ibadan expressway is suffering delay because of the drainage channel being constructed across the road by the Oyo State Government in its Ibadan axis.

The minister disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the inaugural edition of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration Scorecard 2015-2023 Series, organised by his Ministry of Information and Culture.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the scorecard series which features ministers and top government officials is designed to showcase the achievements of the administration as it winds down.

Fashola said the 127.6km expressway had recorded a lot of progress and appealed to motorists and commuters to endure the delays being encountered at the Ibadan and Lagos axis, respectively.

“The Oyo State Government is building a drainage channel across the road, so we are having difficulties because the contractor has slowed down and we have to slow down too.

“We do not want to finish the road and come back to destroy it for the drainage channel construction.

“On the Lagos axis, we are working on the last six kilometres into Lagos; that is a very highly densely populated area.

“We left it for the last because we knew it to be the most difficult.

“We are appealing that you bear with us and we are hoping that very soon there will be relief there,’’ he said.

The minister said the two axis were the last finishing touches to the completion of the project and it would be delivered soon.

Speaking on Bodo-Bonny Island road project in Rivers State, the minister said for centuries, the island had not been accessible by road until Buhari’s administration.

“This is the island where the famous King Jaja of Opobo used to dominate, centuries ago.

“Bonny Island is one of the places where very vast resources are produced into the economy of Nigeria in terms of natural gas.

“For the first time, this government is building a road and jetties of 39 kilometers combined into the island.

Fashola assured timely completion of the project, which he said would offer neighboring communities reliable access to Bodo town, improve socio-economic connectivity and commerce in the area

NAN reports that Bodo-Bonny road will be the first to connect oil-rich Bonny Island to mainland Rivers State, a major landmark in the region’s history.

“The construction of this road, runs through most difficult of terrains and other challenging environmental factors like a 7km low-lying marshy land with tidal movements,” he added.

The minister also revealed that the Federal Government will deploy a national coordinated approach involving all arms and levels of government in addressing the ravaging flood in the country.

Fashola said the federal government is worried and concerned about the devastating floods that are impacting many parts of the country.

“It is a very grave matter, very tragic in its human and economic costs and it is going to require an all of government approach from local to state and to federal government to deal with it.

“It is going to require an all nation approach, perhaps something similar to the way we responded to COVID-19 pandemic where everybody played a role, because really, everybody is impacted one way or the other,’’ he said.

On the part of his ministry, Fashola said he had deployed all Controllers of Works in the 36 states to go out, measure, assess and evaluate cost of replacement, rehabilitation and where necessary, restoration.

He said the federal government is already in touch with the National Assembly so that after quantifying the costs in terms of resources, fund allocation would not be a challenge.

“We are mindful of the imminence of the end of year and the heavy human on goods logistics that go with festivity. We want to be in a position to make that as less painful as possible.

“At the moment, there are also places where we can’t do a lot because this is nature, so we have to wait for the floods to recede a little bit,’’

The minister commiserated with the victims of the flooding and reassured of government commitment to deploy a coordinated response.

NAN reports the flood which has been described as the worst the country has seen in a decade hits 33 states, killed about 600 people and displaced 1.3 million from their homes.