Roads & Construction
Senate Mandates FERMA To Fix Lagos-Ota Expressway
The red chamber also asked the Ministry to include further funding for the reconstruction of the Expressroad in the next Appropriation Bill.
The resolution was a sequel to a motion sponsored by Senator Solomon Adeola and seven others during plenary.
The motion is titled, “Urgent need for palliative repairs and total reconstruction of Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Express Road”.
Moving the motion, Adeola said that over the years, the state of disrepair of major roads in the country had been a cause for concern for all patriotic Nigerians.
He said that the vast stretches of the once motorable and ultra-busy Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Express Road had totally collapsed without any sign or signal for palliative repairs, rehabilitation or reconstruction from agencies charged with road maintenance.
He said, “The then Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing in May 2018 announced a programme of rehabilitation of the Lagos-Abeokuta through an award of a two and half year contract of N22. 3bn to Julius Berger but nothing was done to make any difference till date.”
He said that if no immediate remedial measure was put in place pending total reconstruction, the industries along the axis would be completely cut off from accessing raw materials from Lagos seaports.
Senator Tolulope Odebiyi said priority must be accorded the road because of the industries on that axis.
He urged the Senate to use its legislative instruments to find funding for the rehabilitation of the road.
The Senator said, “I did explain to the Minister of Works and Housing, His Excellency, Babatunde Raji Fashola and personally met the MD of Julius Berger Nigeria PLC on the road.
“However, due to paucity of funds, the rehabilitation has been delayed. Having said that, I think the motion is very timely because the volume of people that travel on that road is enormous.
“Priority must be given to this road to reduce the hardship and suffering of our people in Ado/Odo Ota Local Government.
“Special funding must be allocated to make sure this road is done to help the economic viability of the road. I urge my colleagues to use our legislative privileges to provide additional funding to urgently rehabilitate the Ota road.”