27th January, 2014
Twelve years after the tragic Ikeja Cantonment Bomb blasts, which led to the death of over 1,200 people, Governor Babatunde Fashola on Monday formally unveiled the 2.1km Ejigbo-Ajao Estate Link bridge, Ejigbo, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
On 27 January, 2002, over 1,200 people fleeing from the Ikeja bomb blasts through Ajao Estate perished in the Oke-Afa canal while trying to connect Ejigbo. The marshy black canal swallowed up the victims.
There has been a clamour for the state government to build a bridge across the canal in memory of the bomb blast victims.
The Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Kehinde Bamigbetan, championied the campaign that has now paid off.
The construction of the 2.1km bridge and other adjoining roads in the area cost the state government about N2.5 billion.
Fashola unveiled the bridge and roads on Monday, the 12th anniversary of the bomb blast.
The contract for the road project was conceived in 2011 and later awarded to China Civil Engineering Construction Company Nigeria Limited, CCECC.
Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Kadri Hamzat said the ggovernment in its bid to alleviate the plight of its citizenry embarked on the construction of the link road.
He explained that the Ejigbo – Ajao Estate Link Road is a dual carriageway of 14.6m width with a total length of 2.1km, including two bridges each with a length of 67m, saying that the road was proposed to traverse through fully built up areas at both ends of Ajao Estate and Ejigbo Town.
“In order to minimise demolition of existing properties along the road alignments, the approaches and bridges linking Ejigbo Town and Ajao Estate were separated and designed as one-way. As a result of this, commuters from Ejigbo Town going to Ajao Estate will make use of Vincent Ezeh street while the Ejigbo Town-bound commuters from Ajao Estate will use Inno Nwosu street,” he said.
Hamzat added that the road had socio-economic importance to residents of the area as the project would provide alternative route that would improve road connectivity, reduce traffic gridlock at Oke-Afa/Isolo road junction, reduce travel time along the proposed alignment and generally improve living standard of the citizens and residents within the communities.
The scope of work done on the road includes soil test, site clearance, relocation of services, construction of covered drains and culverts, earth works, piling works, construction of bridge superstructure, provision of crushed stone base course, construction of Asphaltic concrete pavement and provision and installation of street lighting and service ducts.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga