The House of Representatives has given the contractors handling the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway rehabilitation/reconstruction a May 2022 deadline to complete the project which includes road and bridges.
The ultimatum by the lawmakers follows series of delays in the completion of the project which began in 2013 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The charge was given by the House of Representative Committee on Works, led by its Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Kabir, while conducting oversight of roads in Lagos and Southwest on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.
While giving assurances on its determination to resolve funding issues slowing down the project, the lawmakers insisted that the bridges added to the original road project in 2018 must also be completed by 2022.
What the Chairman House of Reps Committee on Works is saying
The committee’s chairman, Abubakar Kabir said the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was one of the projects funded through the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and assured of increased funding.
He said the contractors had achieved significant progress to be able to meet the completion deadline because the Buhari regime was exploring various funding options to ensure adequate timely financing of the project.
Kabir said, “The contractors, the Director, Federal Highways, South West, have assured us of the timely completion of the project. And the only challenge we have is the issue of compensations.
We are going to discuss how we can assist the contractors and the Federal Ministry of Works to resolve the issues of compensations, relocation of services so that the contractors will finish the project before May 2022.
We want President Buhari and the entire cabinet and the National Assembly to come here and celebrate with the people of Lagos and South-West on this important project.’’
On his part, the Director, Federal Highways, South West, Mr Adedamola Kuti, while explaining to the lawmakers the reason for locating a flyover bridge near Mountain of Fire Ministry, said the high population and vehicular movement around the axis required the transfer of traffic through the overpass for those going to various communities.
Kuti thanked Lagos and Southwest residents, as well as the entire citizens of Nigeria for their cooperation and understanding during the construction.
What you should know
The Lagos–Ibadan Expressway project, which has faced series of delays and setbacks, is a 127.6-kilometre-long expressway connecting Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State and Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city.
The expressway is the major route to the northern, southern and eastern parts of Nigeria, in addition to being the busiest inter-state route in the country, handling over 250,000 Passenger Car Units (PCUs) daily. It constitutes one of the largest road networks in Africa.
The reconstruction of the expressway was flagged off in July 2013 by the immediate past President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, to help reduce the travel time of hundreds of thousands of commuters and international air passengers.
The contract was awarded to Julius Berger Nigeria and Reynolds Construction Company Limited at a sum of N167 billion.