The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has appealed to the federal government to pay special attention on its roads spread across the state as the industrial hub of the country.
He made the appeal on Saturday during a stakeholders meeting on the progress of work so far carried out on the rehabilitation, reconstruction and expansion of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway held at Ogere/Ode-Remo axis of the state.
Abiodun expressed happiness of the repair work on the 127km highway is receiving federal government attention.
The governor said giving the state a special status in terms of road construction would not only benefit citizens of the state, but would also benefit a lot of people that would have to undergo economic activities on the road that stretches from Lagos to Ibadan and the East-West Road of Sagamu-Benin Expressway.
He added, “Every economic activity in mobility, to and from Lagos, must pass through Ogun State. We have one of the busiest land border to the expansive West African market, that is where we derived our appellation as the Gateway State.
“Therefore, it is just right to say that Ogun State deserves a special status in terms of consideration for road constructions. I believe this is doable. It is not just for Ogun State, it is for the common good of all Nigerians and continued development of our great nation.”
The governor said his government undertook the reconstruction of the Ijebu-Ode-Epe road because of the pressure on the Lagos-Ibadan express road, to ease movement of people, goods and services from and into the Nation’s economic capital, Lagos.
The Governor explained that the road when finally completed would not only ameliorate the suffering of the people, but would also ensure the continued development of the country.
Abiodun noted that it was delightful that the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was finally receiving Federal Governments attention, saying the timely completion of the road would ameliorate the pains of commuters and other road users on the road.
The Governor stressed that the construction was coming with a cost in the ecology and degradation of the environment by the mining activities of the companies handling the construction of the road.
In his remark, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, ordered that truck and trailers parked along the Ogere end of the Lagos -Ibadan Expressway be removed to give way to the ongoing reconstruction work on the highway.
He attributed indiscriminate park of heavy duty trucks along the highway as one of the challenges confronting the reconstruction process.
The Minister, therefore, solicited for cooperation and sacrifice from Nigerians, for the job to be completed within the stipulated time.
He directed the Federal Road Safety Corps and other sister agencies in ensuring that trailers and trucks parked on the side of the highway at Ogere be removed with immediate effect.
“Parking on the highway is a violation of Traffic Act. Pouring diesel and petrol on a highway that is being reconstructed is abuse of the road. We must all join hands to ensure that the highway is not destroyed by solvent due to our carefree attitude,” he added.
While assuring that contractors working on the Sagamu-IKorodu and Lagos-Ota would be mobilised to sites, as soon as funds are available.
The Akarigbo and Paramount Ruler of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, represented by the Elepe of Epe, Sagamu, Oba Adewale Osiberu, also submitted that government should control trailer parking on the highway.
He advised the federal government to build a fire station along the highway, so as to reduce lot of losses caused by accidents on the road.
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