The Lagos State Government has said that it needs to demolish some structures to recover the Right of Way (RoW) to successfully execute the junction improvement works at the Ikeja underpass and Ikorodo roundabout.
This is as the state government said it had engaged stakeholders on access to construction sites at junctions and underpass to ease gridlock on Ikeja and Ikorodu roads.
This disclosure is contained in a statement issued by the Spokesman of the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Mukaila Sanusi, on Friday, July 30, 2021, in Lagos, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
What the statement is saying
Sanusi in the statement said that at the event which was held on Thursday, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Idris Salako, stressed the need to boost the state’s road infrastructure.
The statement said, “The Transportation and Traffic Management as well as the Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy pillars of the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda could best be achieved through massive investment in road infrastructure development and renewal.’’
Salako called for the cooperation of residents for the establishment of the Right of Way (RoW) and successful execution of projects noting that the process of RoW’s establishment might necessitate the removal of some structures to pave way for the projects in the public interest.
He said, “Therefore, the junction improvement works, as in every development project, will unavoidably make demands on our ability to accommodate growth by making needful compromise and removing impediments in the Right of Way of these desirable project.’’
He assured residents of timely completion of the projects with minimal discomforts and adequate compensations as applicable for any property removed on the RoW of the projects.
On his part, the Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, said the projects were conceived as traffic management interventions to facilitate ease of movement and socio-economic development of the two important Local Government Areas.
Oladeinde said the ongoing junction improvement works in different parts of the state were strategies to respond to transportation requirements of the Lagos Megacity.
What you should know
In a related development, the Lagos State Government had a few days ago, earmarked for demolition and removal, illegal structures and abandoned vehicles on the Lekki/Ajah Coastal Road, which have become hideouts for suspected robbers who operate in traffic on that axis.
The government also gave a 3-day ultimatum with effect from July 26, 2021, to the owners of illegal structures and abandoned vehicles in the area to have them removed.
In June, the state government gave owners of 45 buildings on the Lekki axis encroaching on canals a 3-day ultimatum to remove all the illegal constructions or face sanctions. The demolition notice follows the illegal extension of the development of those residential and commercial buildings to the canal on the Lekki axis.
