Ogun State Government has assured residents that reconstruction of the 61-kilometre Sango-Ifo-Abeokuta Expressway in Ogun State will commence soon.
Contract for the job is one of the 40 roads okayed by the state Executive Council.
Out of the 40 roads, 21 will be handled by the state government in conjunction with the Federal Government while the remaining 19 are solely by the state.
Works and Infrastructure Commissioner Ade Akinsanya made this known at a news conference in Abeokuta yesterday. He listed Alagbole – Ajunwon, Akute – Ajunwon, Toyin Hakuris Road in Ifo II state Constituency in Ogun Central; Oke – Erinja – Erinja Road in Ogun West and Awokoya Road in Ijebu Ode, Ogun East as some of the roads.
Akinsanya, who was flanked by Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, explained that the decision to reconstruct the roads was to ease the hardship being experienced by motorists and other residents of the state.
The commissioner said that palliative work was ongoing on the Sango – Ota – Atan – down to Owode Idiroko axis of the highway pending when the construction company that won the contract in April would move to site.
According to The Nation, the reconstruction of the road would be carried out ‘’simultaneously in five gangs’’ to ensure its early completion.
Asked if the state government had gotten the Federal Government’s transfer paper to commence the work, he replied: There is a presidential directive empowering states interested in fixing federal roads to go ahead. We have to go ahead with that road because of its importance and the pains being experienced by our people and motorists daily.
‘’There is an extract of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on the transfer of such roads and as such we cannot keep waiting.’’
Recall that Governor Abiodun last week lamented that the state was facing ‘’stiff opposition from some federal officials on the transfer(of roads), which forced the government to formally award the contract (for the 61-kilometre Sango-Ifo-Abeokuta Expressway), with or without the necessary transfer papers.’’
