The flagging –off of the reconstruction and expansion works on Lagos-Ibadan expressway Sections I&II is a milestone in the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration commitment to deliver better road infrastructure to the nation in line with the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government.
The Honourable Minister of Works Arc. Mike Onolememen stated this at the official flag-off ceremony of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway which is the first expressway to be constructed in the country and was commissioned in August 1978. The road is part of arterial route A1 linking Lagos, the commercial center of Nigeria through Ibadan to the Northern part of the country.
Arc. Onolememen further said that the expressway traverse three South- Western states of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states, which commences at Ojota interchange through shagamu junction, Ogere and terminates at Ojoo in the city of Ibadan; a distance of 127.6km. the expressway is also a major artery that connects Lagos, the host of major Nigerian sea ports, to other states of the federation, and forms not only a part of the Trans-Saharan Highway that links Lagos on the Atlantic Ocean to Algiers on the Mediterranean Sea, but also part of the Trans-African Highway linking the Atlantic City of Lagos to the Indian Ocean city of Mombassa in east Africa through Cameroon and Central Africa, the bifurcation point of which is the ceremony took place, as the Shagamu Interchange separates the two continental highways.
According to the Hon. Minster, already the Federal Government has made tremendous progress in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Benin-Ore-Shagamu Expressway, which on full completion, will further reinforce the socio-economic benefits to be harnessed from the Lagos-Ibadan road reconstruction and expansion project.
He recalled that the Federal Government entered into concession agreement with Messrs Bi-Courtney in 2009 to develop the section between Ojota old plaza in Lagos and old Toll plaza in Ibadan, a distance of approximately 105km under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement for enhanced quality of service to all users of the highway in tandem with International standards. He however lamented that, four years later, no real progress was recorded while the road users wallowed in hardship and constantly at risk of accident on the road. Adding that, the frequent carnage on the road by September 2012 and the frequent loss of lives and man-hours was detrimental to the economy, and urgent action needed to be taken to remedy the situation was what led the Federal Government to consequently terminate the concession agreement between her and the concessionaire for failing to comply with the provisions of the concession agreement.
Arc. Mike Onolememen further clarified that that was why the Federal Government further deployed two reputable road construction companies to carry out emergency repair works on the road, to ease public outcry. Adding that the result of the emergency intervention was commendable as reflected in the improved condition of the road at the time, stating that “in order to provide a lasting solution to the condition of the road, the Federal Ministry of Works commenced the process of procurement contracts for Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) for the full reconstruction and expansion of the Expressway”.
The Minister stated that it was after the opening and analysis of the bids, the Federal Ministry of Works sought and obtain Certificate of “No Objection” for the Bureau of Public Procurement, (BPP) for the award of the contracts in the total contract sum of N167 billion with a completion period of 48months to two competent contractors, namely Massrs Julius Berger Nigeria PLC and Raynolds Construction Company Limited, who emerged as successful bidders for section I (Lagos-Shagamu Interchange) and Section II (Shagamu Interchange-Ibadan) respectively.
The Minister hinted that on completion, the project will reduce economic losses associated with accidents and congestion, reduce travel times and strengthen the South-West regional economy and indeed the nation’s economy, as it boosts regional industry competitiveness and national productivity.
He assured Nigerians that the Federal Government is committed to this project; as it is not only important for the South-West zone alone, but for the entire country and sub-region at large. As such he stated that the Federal Government will collaborate with Private sector to ensure that this project is adequately funded in order to bring it to quick completion, far ahead of the scheduled completion period of 48 months.
On his part, His excellency, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan GCFR stated that the hardship experienced by users of the road, especially those form the south west, was not intentional on the part of the Federal Government, explaining that government has to terminate the concession agreement after four years of alleged non-performance. He said “Let me appreciate Nigerians, especially more than the 50 per cent users of the key economic players in the south-West form Lagos to Ondo State that use this road for the pains witnessed over this period. It was not the intention of the Federal Government but because of the contractual arrangement that the government entered into with Bi-Courtney”.
The President also stated that the reconstruction was expected to accelerate the economic development of Nigeria and that the Federal Government would mobilize the necessary funds to ensure the completion of the project in 30 months, although the contractors have been given a 48-month timeline to complete it”.
He pledged that the Federal Government would not relent in its efforts to embark on projects that would make life better for Nigerians.
Idris Abdulkadir Bosuwa, anInformation Officer in the Press Unit of the Federal Ministry of Works.
