The Ogun State Government has announced its readiness to take over the reconstruction of the dilapidated Lagos-Abeokuta-Ota highway, as approved by the Federal Executive Council on Monday.
The government intends to transform it into a world-class carriageway.
The road stretches through Lagos and Ogun states and has been in deplorable condition for years, causing untold hardship for motorists, particularly citizens of Ogun State.
Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration has provided palliatives on the road since 2019.
Efforts by Governor Abiodun, in collaboration with his Lagos State counterpart, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, were rebuffed by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
However, Governor Abiodun’s unrelenting efforts finally yielded fruit on Monday when the federal government announced its approval for the Ogun State Government to reconstruct the road and implement tolls.
Minister of Works David Umahi spoke about the new federal government position after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Aso Villa in Abuja on Monday.
“On permission to build federal roads, when such requests are made, we give approval within 24 hours, but there are conditions to be met—they must adhere to the Federal Ministry of Works standard designs,” Umahi said.
Appreciating the gesture of the federal government and commending Governor Abiodun for his resilience in pursuit of approval, Ogun State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya declared that the state is ready to take on the project and end the many years of suffering for her people.
Akinsanya, recalling that the struggle to get approval from the federal government started immediately after Governor Abiodun was sworn in in 2019, said the decision to allow Ogun to take over the project is the best thing that can happen to the people of the state and other users of the road.
He mentioned that the length of the road is roughly 70km, with Ogun having about 61km and Lagos State having 9km.
Even while waiting for approval, the state administration kept doing all it could to make the road manageable for motorists.
“Ogun State has been rehabilitating the road since 2019. We kept doing palliative work because the Governor was always concerned about the suffering experienced by the people.
He remained concerned about the deplorable state of the road until he was able to secure the deal on Sunday.”
Akinsanya added that the state is going to work with the Federal Ministry of Works to meet the criteria of the federal government.
“We are working on how to fund the project. Aside from the road, we will have trailer parks and other infrastructure in place.
It will be in partnership with some other stakeholders. It’s a PPP project, and work will start as soon as possible.
“The Governor has done very well in securing this approval despite the delay. We will still work with Lagos State on a lot of modalities. This is why we are the gateway.
“The work will be accelerated so that delivery will be swift. We will provide the best standard in the shortest time possible.
We appreciate the minister for supporting our quest all along. Governor Abiodun is still working hard for more of this,” he added.
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