Kunle Adelabu
– Ikorodu is critical and important to our agenda towards delivering Greater Lagos, says Gov
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday, December 4, 2019, flagged off massive rehabilitation and expansion of roads in Ikorodu Division of Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria in the presence of cheering residents.
Sanwo-Olu, while flagging off the phase one of the rehabilitation of the Itamaga – Ijede road, which starts from Itamaga and terminates at Elepe town, said to the representative of Ikorodu Constituency II at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Nurudeen Solaja, traditional rulers, chiefs, party leaders and hundreds of Ikorodu residents that trooped out to receive the him, that Ikorodu is critical and important to his administration’s agenda towards delivering Greater Lagos.
The Governor, who was accompanied by his Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, and members of the State’s cabinet, arrived the Itamaga venue of the ceremony at 11.58am and was welcomed by the Council Chairmen in Ikorodu Division.
The formal flag-off ceremony of the rehabilitation of the all-important road, which links Ikorodu Local Government, Igbogbo/Bayeku, Ijede and Imota LCDAs, gave the residents the long awaited relief and an assurance that the hardship they have suffered on the road will soon end.
The rehabilitation work would cover a total distance 6.5km and would be upgraded from the present single carriage way to a dual carriage way with a total width of 14.6m.
Also included in the project are interlocking paving stones pavement, walkways, drainage on both sides,street light powered by generating plants,traffic lights, bus-stops, median barriers and road markings.
More so, longitudinal and transverse service duct would be provided throughout the entire stretch in the course of the construction.
The Governor also announced to the gathering that construction works would soon resume on Bola Tinubu- Igbogbo-Imota and Owutu-Agric-Isawo road very soon.
According to him, while Bola Tinubu-Igbogbo-Imota and Owutu-Agric-Isawo road projects would be handled by Messrs Hitech Construction Company, the first phase of the Itamaga –Ijede road rehabilitation is contracted out to the Arab Contractors O.A.O Nigeria Limited and the road is expected to be completed in the next 18 months.
The Governor, while addressing the gathering, said that:
“Today’s event is remarkable not just for me personally, but for my Government and the people of Ikorodu who will directly benefit from this project. The flag-off of these projects is the beginning of the much needed relief we are bringing to our people on this axis.
“We are here today to fulfil the promise we made during campaign. These promises are now being translated to reality, because we are embarking on the construction of these roads. We have ensured that we deploy competent and reliable contractors to design and deliver the projects on agreed date.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu described Ikorodu division as a critical component of the Lagos project, assuring residents that his administration remained committed to reviving infrastructure in the Division.
“Ikorodu is critical and important to our agenda towards delivering Greater Lagos. This is why I personally created the time to come and flag off these projects,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The Governor said the projects are not being done to score cheap political point; rather, he said his Government considered them as the right of the people who had been longing to benefit from dividends of governance.
Sanwo-Olu assured that his government would not delay the construction of the second phase of the project after the completion of the first phase.
The road projects, the Governor disclosed, would create a chain of job opportunities for residents living around the sites, pointing out that the contractors have agreed to engage community members in informal work and supply of materials.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye, in her own address, said that apart from bringing relief to the residents, the projects would also eliminate problem of flooding on the axis and improve social-economic wellbeing.
“These projects are being carried out to improve road connectivity, ease traffic flow, reduce travel time, enhance intermodal transportation services and safety of lives and property. They will be designed to eliminate perennial flooding, enhance property value and socio-economic wellbeing of the people.”
She appealed to the residents to cooperate with the contractors and be patient as work progresses on the projects, noting that there would be inconveniences in the course of the construction exercise.
Also, Mr. Jimi Hotonu, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, while speaking at the event, said the Owutu-Agric-Isawo and Itamaga-Ewu Elepe-Ijede Roads will have array of streetlights, bicycle lanes and other facilities to give residents comfort when completed.
Meanwhile, Mr Femi Adinlewa, the image maker of the major opposition party in the country, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a brief interview with THE IMPACT at the event, stated that his party would monitor how the contractor would handle the project and the government officials supervising it.
“As the voice of the opposition party, we are going to monitor the project as the governor has directed. Our people are going to be sent out to monitor the contractor on daily basis and cry out when things are not going as they are supposed to”, he stated.
“Likewise, we are also going to monitor the government officials too and we shall cry out if they are not doing what they are supposed to do”.
A resident, who operates a shop along the collapsed section of the Itamaga – Ijede road, Mrs Abiodun Muhammed, while also speaking with our reporter, urged the government to ensure that the project is not abandoned while adding that residents are ready to endure the traffic bottlenecks that may arise during the construction work on the road. .
“We are happy that they are flagging off construction work on the road after years of neglect but it is not yet hurray until they start the real construction and completed it in time and not abandoning it. That’s the only time when the residents of this area will be happy and give them (government) commendations”, Mrs Muhammed stated.
“We are aware that whenever there is going to be construction, there is usually traffic bottlenecks, we are prepared to endure it for the time that the construction will last”.
Mrs Muhammed also expressed her dissatisfaction over how they were made to closed their shops during the flag-off ceremony.
“We are not really feeling anything because we were asked to lock our shops because of the flag-off and we were also asked to go inside when we attempted staying outside the shop. How do we know what they are flagging off?”.
A commercial motorcycle rider who simply identified identify himself as Kazeem, while speaking with THE IMPACT, appreciated the governor’s gesture in rehabilitating Itamaga road.
