Fashola To Rebuild Ikorodu Road At N30b

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State says the planned reconstruction of Mile 12-Ikorodu Road will cost the government N30 billion.

The governor disclosed this at the weekend while marking his 1,600 days in office at the Lagos Television Ground, Ikeja, Lagos, southwest Nigeria.

According to him, the design for the road has been completed, saying that “we are currently trying to conclude the financing arrangement so that we can award the contract.”

The governor also said the implementation of his administration’s promise to improve the quality of neighborhood and inner-city roads, by awarding new contracts for rehabilitation of eight roads in Aguda, funding the rehabilitation of 16 aging roads in Mushin, and three roads in Ogudu had commenced.

“We have completed Iju Road, and we are making progress on Ibeshe Road in Ikorodu, while the link road in Amuwo Odofin, between Apapa Oshodi Expressway and Festac Link Bridge is now open to traffic.

“We are also working on the design of numerous roads across Lagos from Agege to Ifako Ijaiye and Somolu, such as Igi Olugbin and Pedro Road, while we have awarded the construction of Abiola/Onijemo Road and bridge in Ifako Ijaiye and works should commence very soon.

“We have concluded and opened the ramp on Falomo to ease traffic on Ozumba Mbadiwe and one of the text messages I got a few hours after the opening is proof that the idea solves the problem that was symbolic of the area,” he said.

Fashola added that the state government had done its best to illuminate the roads by providing street lights to enhance security, disclosing that “we have approved new street lighting infrastructure for Ikorodu Road from Fadeyi to Mile 12 which should be completed in the near future, while the Mile 12 to Ikorodu town portion has already been incorporated into the road design.”

“Regrettably however, I must announce that we lost 4,000 metres, about 4 kilometres of cable between Eko Bridge/Ijora/Alaka, to cable thieves which has returned that area to darkness.

“While we are effecting replacement, let me issue this public warning to those who operate under our bridges and loops and to those markets where the stolen goods and cables are received and re-sold, that we have useful information and we are not only closing in on the suspects, we are working on very extra-ordinary measures to forestall any re-occurrence.

“Those who are involved in this unwholesome trade should take notice now. This business will not prosper in Lagos. The same warnings and plans are applicable to those who remove steel manhole covers from our roads and endanger motorists and pedestrians. We will track you down and bring you to justice. We are now on your case,” he warned.

On the forthcoming Local Government election, Fashola urged the Lagos electorate not to give any seat to the opposition party, pointing out that the power to remove the opposition party lies in their ballot paper.

“The poverty development party must never again be allowed to manage public funds at any time in Nigeria. The journey to realising that objective must start in the local government election holding in Lagos,” he stated.

“In the same way that you have banished them out of Lagos in the state and federal elections, I urge you to ensure that they do not enter through the back door of the local government election.

“Government is already working on a comprehensive plan to enable it assist the local governments in the management of their responsibility for primary healthcare and primary education,” he added.

Present at the occasion were the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Oluranti Adebule; Commissioner for Works, Dr. Femi Hamzat, among other members of the State Executive Council; members of the State House of Assembly; first Military Governor of Lagos State, Brigadier-General Mobolaji Johnson; former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Prince Abiodun Ogunleye; local government chairmanship candidates of the Action Congress of Nigeria in next Saturday’s local government election; traditional rulers, clergymen, other top government officials and private sector operators.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga