The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has insisted on the Federal Government’s commitment to the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway before December 25, 2022.
This was made known by Fashola during an interview on a Channels Television Programme, Sunday Politics, where he commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts toward delivering dividends of democracy to Nigerians as well as reiterating the federal government’s commitment to delivering infrastructural projects to Nigerians.
When asked when the Lagos-Ibadan expressway project will be completed, the Minister said the Federal Government plans to deliver the project before Christmas.
Fashola said, ‘’The expected completion date will now be in the last month of this year. We are hoping that we will be done before Christmas.
“People used to do a one-week trip for a whole day so that is progress. We plan to finish this year.’’
Fashola, however, said that the government is waiting for the Oyo State Government to play its role to aid the speedy completion of the project.
He stated, “It is less than two hours now to go to Ibadan, you can do Ibadan and come back twice a day now and we haven’t finished.
“If you see, the lane marking is already going on, the road furniture is simultaneously being installed and we are waiting for Oyo State. Governor Makinde and I will resolve that pretty soon.’’
Second Niger Bridge to also be completed before 2022 Chrismas
The Minister also revealed the federal government’s plans for the completion of the Second Niger Bridge project in the South-Eastern part of the country.
Fashola said the current administration also plans to open the bridge before Christmas, despite the challenges facing the project.
He said that he has directed the contractor to ensure that the project is delivered before the deadline, adding that the main bridge deck has been completed.
He said, “We are planning also before Christmas to open that to the public for use because that is when there is a large movement.
“Hopefully, by Christmas, it will be opened. That was the last meeting I had with the contractor about three weeks ago.”
What you should know
- The Lagos-Ibadan expressway is a 127.6 kilometre expressway connecting Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State and Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city.
- The expressway which is the oldest in Nigeria is also the major route to the northern, southern and eastern parts of Nigeria and is the busiest inter-state route in Nigeria which constitutes one of the largest road networks in Africa.
- The contract for the reconstruction of the expressway which was first flagged off in July 2013 by Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the immediate past President, was awarded to Julius Berger Nigeria and Reynolds Construction Company Limited at a sum of 167 billion Naira, equivalent to $838,986,290.
- President Muhammadu Buhari had last year assured that the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and other key projects under the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) will be completed within the second term of this administration, following the remarkable progress made in the execution of these projects and the determination of the current administration to complete them.
This is just story and it’s not good for a minister to sit down at federal Territory and be saying what is not applicable because with the situation of the Lagos Ibadan express way now you can’t make two trips on that road a day if you want to take precaution of traveling by night time with the insecurity here and there. So if the minister can see things done by inspecting the project other than hold on to what is reported he will see that what people are experiencing is tough.