Ten months after the Federal Government re-awarded contract for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway, the job has been going on at snail’s pace.Despite the presence of the contractor- Julius Berger Plc. on site, the motion without movement scenario playing out there has simply made the road to go from bad to worse with motorists being the worst hit.
It would be recalled
that the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing on May 14, 2018
officially inaugurated the rehabilitation of the road, which is valued
at N22. 387b. The Director, Federal Highways, South West, Olalekan
Busari, while briefing journalists during the flag-off said the total
rehabilitation starts from Ile Zik Bus Stop at kilometre zero, up to
kilometre 80 in Ogun State, where a brewery is located.
“The
project was divided into two sections, the first section, which starts
from Ile Zik in Lagos State spans about 20 km, while the second section,
which falls in Ogun State is 60km.“It is a complete total
rehabilitation of the entire road this time around and it is awarded at
N22.387b, and for a contract period of two and half years, which we hope
the contractor will actually deliver,” he said.
Prior to this
period, the project, which started in 1999 suffered several setbacks
after the first contract was awarded in 2000.The first section was for
the rehabilitation of the Ota-Abeokuta section, which was awarded to the
same contractor in 2009.The Guardian observed that for sometime now,
Julius Berger has practically remained on the spot at Owode-Iyana/Ilogbo
axis, while scant attention is paid to other parts, which are fast
becoming dead-traps to motorists. Even the palliatives applied last year
on the road have been washed away by rain.
Currently, the
gridlock on different sections of the road seems to have defied
solutions, and so put a heavy toll on road users. Now, the journey from
Sango to Ifo, which should be about 20 minutes takes between two or
three hours. Whether in the morning or at night, road users are always
subjected to painful and frustrating experiences, and this has forced
many to seek alternative routes.
Currently, the most terrible
spots along the road are Joju Junction; Conoil Junction, Ijako-Tipper,
Owode, Iyana-Ilogbo, Ilepa, Techno Bus Stop, Iyana-Shebik, Itori Bridge,
and Obada-Oko, among others. Vehicular traffic is always at a
standstill in these areas, and this always leaves policemen and traffic
control officials helpless. Recent heavy downpours have worsened the
state of the road as areas like Joju Junction, Ijako and the site of the
ongoing construction work at Owode were waterlogged.
Consequently,
passengers are often stranded in those areas for hours as traffic is
usually at a standstill. Recently for instance, vehicular traffic
stretched from Sango Motor Park, over the bridge up to Joju, forcing
impatient motorists to drive against traffic, a decision that worsened
the situation.At Owode, floodwater from the side under construction,
which has been cordoned-off by the contractors, took over the entire
axis worsening the traffic situation.
A commercial driver,
Olumide Kasali, who lamented the predicament of road users on the axis,
accused the Federal Government of failure to monitor the project after
the media hype that greeted the contract award.“It is disappointing to
see that Julius Berger has stayed on a spot since it started work on the
road. Even though proper construction of the drainage is essential in
the Owode area because of the nature of the place, many people are of
the view that the company should make haste and move to other locations
in order to finish the job on schedule.
“The present state of the
road is actually affecting our business, and that is why a good number
of commercial drivers that hitherto plied this route have abandoned it.
The few of us that are still here are taking serious risks because our
vehicles are taking a hit.”Mr. Ayinde Onibudo, a civil servant, who
resides in Pakoto in Ogun State, but works in Lagos, described the state
of the road as dilapidated. He said: “Julius Berger should get serious
with what it has to do before the rain starts. We that live around this
flank and ply this road daily have suffered enough on it. Most times we
get to work late and get queried. So, we are appealing to Julius Berger
to get serious.
“This journey I’m embarking on, ordinarily should
not take more than 30 minutes, but because of the poor state of the
road, it now takes an average of three hours, and I fail to understand
why the contractor has failed to move away from the spot it has been all
this while. The funny aspect of it is that during public holidays when
the road is reasonably free, the contractor will also be on holiday;
they work like civil servants.”
While several posers raised
regarding the slow pace of work have remained unanswered about a year
after the contract review, The Guardian reliably gathered that the said
N3.5b “released” by government was a ruse, as what has actually been
released so far falls far below the said amount.
The Deputy
Director, Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing in Ogun State,
Olukayode Popoola, in an earlier interview with The Guardian claimed
that all the bad portions, which contributed to incessant gridlock on
the road have been patched by the contractor.“As per the Owode axis,
what they are doing there is a permanent work that cannot be finished in
one or two days. That is why they have remained there. The slow pace of
the job is due to the Nigerian factor. The challenge right now is the
budget, which has not been passed. By the time the budget is passed,
money would not be problem for the contractors.” He, however, confirmed
that the contractor did not get the entire N3.5b allegedly released to
it as mobilisation fee, saying, “what was released to the contractor
wasn’t up to N3.5b, but government is still working to complete the
payment.
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