Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun on Friday flagged off the construction of the 70-kilometer Abeokuta-Ifo-Ota-Lagos Expressway with a pledge to complete it in 18 months.

The governor, who performed the flag-off at Itori, Ewekoro Local Government Area, noted that the road is significant not only to Ogun State but also to Lagos State and the nation, as it provides a thoroughfare for people going to the neighbouring country.

It would be recalled that the attempt to reconstruct the road was first conceived in 2019, but all efforts to convince the federal government to release the road to the Ogun State Government proved abortive.

According to the Governor: “The plan for the reconstruction of this road did not just start today because we have the interest of our people at heart. We know this is a Federal Government road, and the State had to follow the due process before getting the required approval to commence the reconstruction.

“This road was awarded 2003, but since then, it has suffered insufficient funding, resulting in contractors working and many times abandoning the road at times for a year by when the roads would have suffered degradation. Our people have suffered too much travelling on this road, but today Hope is Renewed.

“I am glad to inform you that work is beginning on the road immediately. The excuse then was that there was a sitting contractor on the road. The best the State could do at that time was to carry out palliative works on the critical sections along the road axis. We re-opened our appeal to the Federal Government to reconstruct the road upon the inauguration of His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who graciously, through the Honourable Minister for Works, handed over the reconstruction of the road to Ogun State.

“I want to use this medium, therefore, to express my heartfelt gratitude to the President of Nigeria, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for obliging our state’s request by granting the approval and releasing the Abeokuta/Ifo/Sango/Abule-Egba Road to us for reconstruction.

“My sincere appreciation also goes to the Federal Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, for his support and cooperation in ensuring our State got the necessary approval to reconstruct the road,” the governor said.

The governor described the road as the second busiest on the country apart from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

“Abeokuta/Ifo/Sango Road has been adjudged to be the second busiest road in Nigeria and is vital to the economy of the people of Ogun State and Nigerians at large. It connects Abeokuta and its hinterlands to Lagos State, and links Ilaro in Ogun West connects to Sagamu in Ogun East through the Sagamu-Interchange-Papalanto-Ilaro road.

“On the Ota side, it also connects the Sango-Atan-Owode-Idi-Iroko road, leading to border towns and the Benin Republic.
The road serves as a critical artery for numerous industrial hubs in Ota, including the Lafarge Cement Factory, Ile-Ise Awo, various schools, and higher institutions. The communities along this corridor are densely populated, and the road’s strategic location has a significant impact on trade and economic activities,” he added.

Abiodun noted that five construction gangs would be involved in the execution of the project for speedy completion.

“To fast-track the reconstruction of the road, five reconstruction teams will be involved, and each team will handle one of the following zones: Ota/Ifo, Papalanto, Ewekoro/Itori, Abeokuta, and the team allocated for palliative works to ensure smooth traffic along the project alignment during the construction duration.

“Each zone covers a distance of approximately 15 km. The Abeokuta/Ifo/Sango/Abule-Egba Road project is expected to be completed in eighteen months,” Prince Abiodun enumerated.

The construction of the road, the governor emphasized, would create jobs for both skilled and unskilled workers through direct and indirect employment for residents of the State, just as it would improve security along the axis and provide a conducive environment for factories and businesses in the communities to operate.

While calling on the people to take ownership of the project by cooperating with the contractor, Governor Abiodun urged the private sector to partner with the state government in its socio-economic development drive, stating that his administration would continue to provide the required infrastructure to facilitate easy movement across the State.

In his welcome address, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Engr. Lateef Yusuf said the state government is committed to ensuring the completion of the 70-kilometer road, which cuts across four local government areas of the state to alleviate the suffering of motorists.

In his goodwill message, the Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, noted that successive administrations in the State did not pay attention to the deplorable condition of the road but praised the present administration for deeming it fit to fix it for good.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) State Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, noted that the reconstruction of the road is a major dividend of democracy for the people, as they have been clamoring for its repair for some time now, calling on the road users to make judicious use of it.

The representative of the Managing Director of Graneburg, the company handling the rehabilitation, Engr. Edmond Maalu appreciated the government for entrusting the project to his company while assuring that it would execute quality work and called for the cooperation of the people and traffic management for seamless operation.

Also speaking, the Olu of Itori, Oba Abdulfatai Akanmo, said the road has been in bad condition for about 12 years, as previous administrations at both the federal and state levels did not bother to rehabilitate it, thereby exposing motorists to unnecessary hardship.