President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday admitted failure over the bad conditions of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
He also apologised to commuters and motorists for the sufferings they have gone through on the dilapidated road, vowing that the hardship would soon become history.
The bad state of the road, the recurring fatal accidents, incessant traffic jams, security breaches which compromise free movement and safety are problems which his government cannot ignore, he said as he flagged-off the reconstruction of the highway at the Sagamu Interchange.
The 127-kilometre road will cost N167 billion.
He said the hardship experienced by users of the road, especially those from the South West, was not intentional on the part of the Federal Government.
He explained that government had to terminate the concessionaire agreement with Bi-Courtney for the rehabilitation of the road after four years of alleged non-performance.
He said: “Let me appreciate Nigerians, especially more than the 50 per cent users of the key economic players in the South West from Lagos to Ondo State that use this road for the pains witnessed over this period.
“It was not the intention of the Federal Government but because of the contractual arrangement that the government entered into with Bi–Courtney.”
He also said the reconstruction was expected to accelerate the economic development of Nigeria.
He said government would mobilise the necessary funds to ensure the completion of the project in 30 months, although the contractors (Julius Berger and RCC Limited) have been given a 48-month timeline to complete it.
He pledged that the Federal Government would not relent in its efforts to embark on projects that would make life better for Nigerians.
The President said he was impressed by Governor Amosun’s efforts to boost infrastructural development in the state and lauded him for rebuilding the state.
Governor Amosun thanked the President for responding to the series of letters written by South West governors to him to urgently fix the road.
He asked the Federal Government to also intervene in the Sagamu-Ogijo-Mosimi- Ikorodu Road, which he said is key, given its relevance as the corridor where over 70 per cent of petroluem products in the country is transported, and the Sagamu-Papalanto- Olorunsogo Road, which he said is the link road to the first independent power plant in Nigeria, in which government has invested huge funds.
He urged the President to consider factoring the roads in the next year budget, as urgently fixing the roads would alleviate the pains Nigerians experience navigating through such corridor.
Speaking in an interview, Presidential Special Adviser on Niger Delta Matters, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, said the flag-off of the roads’ reconstruction was evidence of the seriousness the government attaches to key infrastructure, including roads.
Kuku said the flag-off ceremony was a demonstration of the fact that Jonathan is conscious of meeting the yearning of Nigerians.
He said: “The Lagos -Ibadan Expressway is very central and fundamental to the socio -economic development of Nigeria.
“Goods and passengers are moved from the Lagos sea and airports and various markets to other parts of the country through the road on a daily basis.
“Secondly, it connects the country to other countries in the West African subregion and to other countries in North Africa, thus making it the busiest highway in West Africa. ”
Source: The Nation
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