Rain is disrupting completion of Lagos-Ibadan expressway reconstruction work–FG

The Federal Government says the current weather conditions that characterise the rainy season are making the timely completion of work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway difficult.

The Southwest Zonal Director of Highways, Federal Ministry of Works, Adedamola Kuti, said this in an interview with PUNCH Metro on Wednesday just as motorists and commuters continued to lament the constant traffic gridlock and seemingly unending construction works on the expressway.

Kuti said although it was difficult to say when work on the road would be completed due to the weather, the Federal Government was committed to its timely completion.

Kuti, said, “This project has been ongoing but it is extremely difficult for us to tell when exactly the work will be completed because we cannot even predict the weather. If I give a specific date today and it starts to rain tomorrow, then the date will be shifted. All we know is that work is ongoing, the contractor is on site and we are getting to the end of the project.

“The Federal Government is committed to completing this road and we have reached an advanced stage. We would have finished the job before the rainy season but due to some unforeseen circumstances, we were unable to do so.

“Having entered the rainy season, it has been difficult for us, especially as regards the weather conditions and the traffic situation in Lagos because most of the materials we use on this road come from outside Lagos.”

Speaking with PUNCH Metro on Wednesday, a road user who identified herself as Mrs Adeleye, said, “Sometimes, the traffic will be at in standstill for hours. We don’t know when they will complete the construction.

“We are tired. We cannot continue like this. Before you know it, they will move to another area of the road and then they’ll divide the road, motorists have to manage whatsoever space is left. How long will we continue like this? Let the government look into it.”

Adeleye also expressed concerns that the situation had made commercial drivers hike fares on the route, adding that many who could no longer bear it had relocated from communities in the area such as Arepo, Magboro and Ibafo among others.

Another commuter, Ajibola, lamented the hours being wasted in traffic gridlock on the corridor.

“Sometimes there will be a standstill. Trucks will fall on the road and motorists will have to manage the two lanes. There is nothing we don’t experience on this road, passengers have fainted in this traffic before,” he said.

Another commuter, Seun, said, “They have been fixing this road for years and we have been battling traffic all along. It’s a burden. The heat and inconvenience we suffer in the traffic is another matter. Before the day starts, we are already exhausted because of the traffic. Let something be done quickly, the suffering is becoming unbearable.”

But motorists and users of Lagos-ibadan expressway see this as a big lie as the rain has subsided in Lagos and Ogun state in what is metrologically known as ‘August Break’. No serious rain has fallen in the two mentioned states in last five weeks.

Federal government has severally reneged on the completion of work on Lagos-ibadan expressway as termination dates has been shifted more than ten times.

Starting from 2019 till date federal government and Julius Berger have come up with different dates for completion of work on the road.

This year alone five different dates of completion have been given namely March, April, May, June, July. At least immediate past minister of works Babatunde Fashola gave three fathom dates of completion before vacating office.

In July this same Adedamola Kuti who is the south west zonal controller for federal ministry of works vowed that the road project will be completed by end July and August is about to end.

Observers and motorists on the road are of the view that the earliest completion date for the road will be around October ending.

Nigerians have suffered on the reconstruction of Lagos-ibadan expressway with hundreds of people loosing their lives, vehicles damaged, economy of residents and communities notably Arepo, Magboro, Okeafa, Ibafo, Mowe, Ofada etc bastardized and also loosing billions of naira.

Much blame is put on the construction company, Julius on the shoddy and slow pace of work it’s doing on its portion of the contract.

RCC that handled the Sagamu-Ibadan segment of the contract has since finished work and delivered with evidence of more quality work and timeliness.

This current phase of the reconstruction work on Lagos-ibadan expressway commenced in 2016 by the regime of outgone Muhammadu Buhari.

( With additional reports from Punch)