The Nigerian Government said that the construction of a drainage channel by Oyo State has slowed down work for contractors on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the inaugural edition of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration Scorecard 2015-2023 Series, organised by the Ministry of Information and Culture.
He also noted that the Government is building a road and jetties of 39 kilometres combined into Bonny Island.
What he said:
Fashola disclosed the 127.6km expressway had recorded construction progress and called for calm as delays would be encountered at the Ibadan and Lagos axis. He said:
- “The Oyo State Government is building a drainage channel across the road, so we are having difficulties because the contractor has slowed down and we have to slow down too.
- “We do not want to finish the road and come back to destroy it for the drainage channel construction.
- “On the Lagos axis, we are working on the last six kilometres into Lagos; that is a very highly densely populated area. We left it for the last because we knew it to be the most difficult. We are appealing that you bear with us and we are hoping that very soon there will be relief there.”
On the Bodo-Bonny Island Road project in Rivers State, the minister said it is the Island where the famous King Jaja of Opobo used to dominate, centuries ago.
- “Bonny Island is one of the places where very vast resources are produced in the economy of Nigeria in terms of natural gas. For the first time, this government is building a road and jetties of 39 kilometres combined into the island,” the Minister explained.
He further noted that the construction of the road runs through the most difficult of terrains. Also, there are other challenging environmental factors, including a 7kilometre low-lying marshy land with tidal movements.
What you should know
Recall that Nairametrics reported last year that The House of Representatives gave the contractors handling the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway a May 2022 deadline to complete the project which includes roads and bridges.