Ashafa Presents Scorecard, Consoles Crash Victims’ Families

The deplorable state of the road linking Ikorodu in Lagos State to Sagamu, Ogun State, may be a thing of the past following the appropriation of N380 million for its rehabilitation in the 2012 budget of the Federal Government.

The senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District in the Senate, Gbenga Ashafa, and his counterpart from Ogun State, Adegbenga Kaka, played active roles in the approval of the sum by the Federal Government.

Speaking at a press conference on his first year in the upper legislative chamber, Ashafa said the near total collapse of the road had caused untold hardship to users and residents of the adjoining communities.

According to him, it will require between N6billion and N7billion to reconstruct the road because of the degree of damage but that amount may be difficult to come by at once now due to the competing needs for the available resources.

Ashafa said the governors of both states were interested in putting the road in good condition and were already discussing the roles they would play, including voting funds for the realisation of its rehabilitation.

“I shall stop at nothing to ensure judicious application of resources and speedy execution of the project,” he said.

The senator, who is the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, said that because of his deep concern for the state of infrastructure in his primary constituency, he had to intervene in the grading of 20 roads to alleviate the sufferings of the residents.

Some of the roads, which are located in Ikorodu North Local Council Development Area, according to him are, Association Avenue, Joshua Alabi, Kareem Olatunji, Bayo Omotosho, Wunmi Oshikoya, Chief Deji Olasehinde, Omotayo, Niyi Taiwo, Alafia and Aderemi streets.

Others are Freedom, Prince Oshinusi, Victory Christ Apostolic Church, Famoritade, Oyewole Abidoye, Yemi Onileowo, Oyalu Ade, Lambo Lasunwo and Adebamowo streets as well as the Olosugbo and Agbede roads linking Ita Oluwo.

“The grading exercise is continuous and efforts are ongoing to expand the coverage to other local governments and LCDAs in Lagos East Senatorial District,” Ashafa said.

The senator said he had also attracted the Federal Ministry of the Environment to dredge the Oke Ira drainage channel in Ikorodu while also attracting two major contracts from the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development.

These are the asphalt/concrete surfacing of both the Oba Elemoro Road in Ibeju Lekki area, and the Agbede-Ita Oluwo Road in Ikorodu. The latter’s case is particularly worrisome as residents of the area are going through a harrowing experience commuting daily on the road.

In the area of agriculture, Ashafa said he had facilitated the “Operation Back to Farm,” to encourage existing and potential farmers to transform vocational farming to thriving business enterprises in conjunction with the federal and Lagos State Ministries of Agriculture.

He said: “I have constructed and donated a modern shed for a garri processing mill for women involved in agro-processing in Epe. Also, donations of garri processing mills have been made to agro-processing farmers in Epe.

“Donations of fishing nets were also made to fish farmers across the Lagos East Senatorial District. Donations of crop farming inputs have also been made to crop farmers,” he said.

In the area of youth empowerment, Ashafa said 176 young men and women had benefited from the monthly Information and Communication Technology training programme with free computers given to persons with exceptional talents.

Meanwhile, Ashafa  has commiserated with the families of the 153 victims of the DANA Air plane crash in Lagos recently,  praying for the repose of their souls.

In a condolence message, Ashafa called on Nigerians to pray for the repose of the souls crash victims.

He prayed that God would grant their families and the nation the fortitude to bear this “irreparable loss and other tragedies that had befallen the country.”

By Jamiu Yisa