Gov Abiodun flags off reconstruction of Abeokuta-Ota-Lagos expressway

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, flagged off the construction of the 70-kilometer Abeokuta-Ifo-Ota-Lagos Expressway on Friday.

DAILY POST reports that the attempt to reconstruct the road was first conceived in 2019, but all efforts to convince the Federal Government to release the road to the Ogun State Government proved abortive.

Speaking during the flag-off at Itori, Ewekoro Local Government Area, the governor pledged its completion within 18 months.

Abiodun stated that the road is important not just to Ogun State, but also to Lagos State and the nation, as it serves as a route for people traveling to surrounding countries.

Abiodun said: “I am glad to inform you that work is beginning on the road immediately. The excuse then was that there was a sitting contractor on the road. The best the State could do at that time was to carry out palliative works on the critical sections along the road axis.

“We re-opened our appeal to the Federal Government to reconstruct the road upon the inauguration of His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who graciously, through the Honourable Minister for Works, handed over the reconstruction of the road to Ogun State.

“The Abeokuta/Ifo/Sango Road has been adjudged to be the second busiest road in Nigeria and is vital to the economy of the people of Ogun State and Nigerians at large. It connects Abeokuta and its hinterlands to Lagos State, and links Ilaro in Ogun West to Sagamu in Ogun East through the Sagamu-Interchange-Papalanto-Ilaro road.”

The governor disclosed that five construction teams would be involved in the project for speedy completion.

“To fast-track the reconstruction of the road, five reconstruction teams will be involved, and each team will handle one of the following zones: Ota/Ifo, Papalanto, Ewekoro/Itori, Abeokuta, and the team allocated for palliative works to ensure smooth traffic along the project alignment during the construction duration.

“Each zone covers a distance of approximately 15 km. The Abeokuta/Ifo/Sango/Abule-Egba Road project is expected to be completed in eighteen months.”

He added that the construction would create jobs for both skilled and unskilled workers through direct and indirect employment for residents of the state, as well as improve security along the axis.

In his welcome address, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Lateef Yusuf, said the reconstruction of the road, which cuts across four local government areas of the state, will alleviate the suffering of motorists.

Also speaking, Oba Abdulfatai Akanmo, the Olu of Itori, stated that the road has been in bad condition for almost 12 years because the federal and state governments had neglected it, thereby putting drivers through needless hardship.