The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on Wednesday, hinted that the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta highway will gulp a sum of N56 billion.
He stated this while on an inspection tour of the ongoing construction of Toll Gate plaza, at the Lotto area on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Minister was in the company of the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, to assess the level of work done.
He lamented the paucity of funds as a major obstacle that could hinder the reconstruction work.
The Minister, however, assured that reconstruction work would be earnestly carried out on the failed portions of the highway, to make life easier for the people.
Fashola explained that a sum of N13.4 billion would be spent out of the N56bn revived contract sum on the failed portions and that work would commence by early October and be completed by December.
He said he was aware of the public outcry on the deplorable state of the highway, urging motorists and other members of the public to exercise more patience with the government.
The Minister also hinted that the commencement of reconstruction work on the Ota-Idiroko road by Adenuga would be subject to the approval of the Federal Executive Council.
He explained that the highway is not under contract, unlike the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta highway which was awarded in 2000.
Fashola further said that the federal government had awarded the reconstruction of the Ikorodu-Sagamu, while work had commenced Lagos-Badagry-Agbara highway.
Meanwhile, Abiodun, while fielding questions with newsmen disclosed that talks are on with the Chairman, Mike Adenuga Group, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr, on the reconstruction of the Ota-Idiroko highway on a tax credit system.
The governor appreciated the Minister for approving the reconstruction work on the failed portions of the road on the 64km Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road.
He said, “In the meantime, the Minister has graciously instructed that FERMA fixes those places and immediately begin to carry out palliative works on that road.
“We have given the commitment that we will relocate traders; we will control and manage traffic, whatever that it is we need to do, we will ensure that we begin to bring succour and needed relief to our people.
“The state of that road today is pitiable. I went on that road myself and I felt bad for our citizens, however like the Minister has explained, we have decided to find a fast-track solution and I must thank the Minister. He has graciously decided to extract those failed portions, those very terrible portions, not just at the old Toll Gate but about two kilometers of all the failed portions along the length of that road up to Abeokuta.
“They’ve identified those portions, they are costing them right now, they are extracting them from the main contract, they have costed them to be about N13.4 billion. He is going to find money using SUKUK bond to pay the contractors so they can focus on those places, not just rehabilitating them, but actually reconstructing them so that when the rest of the road construction commences, they will just commence and compliment those ones, so that is what is being planned.
“On the Ota- Idi-Iroko road, talks are ongoing to get Mike Adenuga Jnr to handle the reconstruction of the road subject to approval by the Federal Executive Council, as done by Dangote, who handled to the Ilaro-Papalanto road.”
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