How bureaucracy stalled reconstruction of Lagos-Sango-Abeokuta expressway – Abiodun

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has emphasised that bureaucratic bottleneck, rather the absence of will from his administration, is what stalled the reconstruction of the Lagos-Sango-Abeokuta expressway for a long period.

This was as he gave assurance that the Agbara-Lusada-Atan road currently under construction would be completed in September.

Addressing journalists after inspecting the 20-kilometer Agbara-Lusada-Atan road in the Ado Odo/Ota Local Government Area on Wednesday, Mr Abiodun emphasised the importance of good roads to the economic well-being of the state and the nation.

While recalling the efforts by the Ogun and Lagos State Governments to take over and reconstruct the Lagos-Sango-Abeokuta expressway, the governor said he and his Lagos State counterpart were frustrated by delays from the federal government, right from the administration of former president Muhammadu Buhari.

According to the governor, with President Bola Tinubu in power, the federal government was approached once again for the transfer of the road to the state, a request that was eventually granted.

He, however, said the state still faces stiff opposition from some federal officials on the transfer, which forced the state government to formally award the contract in May, with or without the necessary transfer papers.

He said: “The Lagos-Sango-Abeokuta road is a federal government road and has been in a very bad shape for a long time. Because of the suffering our people pass through on the road, I and my counterpart in Lagos jointly wrote a letter, using a single letterhead to the Federal Executive Council, seeking the transfer of that road for us to reconstruct.

“After waiting for a month without a reply, we wrote a reminder. That road was not handed over to us until the present federal government came on board. The contract for the road has been awarded since May this year.”

On the deplorable condition of the Atan-Lusada-Agbara road, Mr Abiodun disclosed that before he assumed office, he met with industrialists in the area and promised to put the road in good shape.

He noted that the road was in terrible condition, leading to trailers and other articulated vehicles falling on their sides. He added that his administration decided not to wait for the federal government before commencing its reconstruction.

The road, with a width of 10 metres, Mr Abiodun added, is being built to standard. He said on completion, it would revive businesses and the socio-economic development of the area.

He disclosed that he came to inspect the road to see the level of work done so far, assuring that it would be dualised from the Lagos-Badagry road end to the Agbara Estate gate, while a single lane would be constructed to Atan to aid movement.

“I am here today to have an on-the-spot assessment of how the contractor is doing. I have given them certain timelines, and I want to ensure that they are working in tandem to ensure they meet those timelines,” he said.

It would be recalled that many lives have been lost in multiple accidents on the Lagos-Sango-Abeokuta and Atan-Lusada-Agbara roads over the years due to the bad shape of the roads.