13 councils fix 153 roads in two years By
By Rasaq Adebayo
Half-way to their four -year tenure, no fewer than 13 of Lagos State’s 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas have fixed 159 roads in their areas.
The road works range from total rehabilitation, provision of drainage, asphalting, grading and filling of potholes.
They also differ in length, width and cost implying that the cost and extent of a total rehabilitation project could cost more than 10 asphalting projects reported by the same council.
Roads are very important to Lagos 25 million residents who have to commute through them daily.
Although the on-going investigation into what councils did on roads in the last two years is designed to cover the 57 councils, the initial phase covered 13 councils.
The break down, according to figures released by council officials are as follows: Amuwo-Odofin, 6; Ifelodun, 3; Apapa, 4; Surulere, 6; Alimosho, 6; Ifako-Ijaiye, 6; Orile-Agege, 8; Odi-Olowo, 8; Ejigbo, 15; Isolo, 24; Itire-Ikate, 26; and Oshodi-Isolo, 26; Apapa-Iganmu, 15
By tackling poor roads in their areas, they hope to boost business growth, especially for small-scale firms and businesses.
A few of them such as Ejigbo which had to fix the Trunk B Ifosho roads may seek compensation to put more resources into Trunk C, that is, the inner-city roads in their areas.
Though some of them have done well in road infrastructure, quite some council chairmen in Lagos State have shown their priority in the development of other sectors such as education, health, sports, empowerment, and others.
Speaking on roads in Amuwo-Odofin under the chairmanship of Hon. Valentine Buraimoh within his last two years in office, his Chief Press Secretary, Yomi Adejumo, said seven roads were rehabilitated in two years.
He said the roads which include Road 111, Road 12, Road 32, Road 41, 3rd Avenue by 201, and 4th Avenue by 401 are all in Festac Town.
In Apapa Local Government, the council chairman, Hon. Idowu Sebanjo was able to rehabilitate Sifax Wharf Road, Ojora Street, Jora-Oloye Olofin Road, as Apapa Point Road as gathered by ECHONEWS.
Apapa-Iganmu LCDA chairman, Hon. Funmilayo Muhammed in her first tenure in office was able to achieve the following road rehabilitation in the community: Makanjuola Street, Sari Street, Amusa Street (Sari), Giwa Street, Sango Street, Arewa Street, Afolabi Alasia Street, Sule Lane, Nofi Aduni Street, Ajagba Street, Sadiku Street, Fansi Adeshina Street, Kareem Opeloyeru Street, Church Street, and Matiminu Street.
Hon. Sulaiman Bamidele Yusuf of Surulere Local Government has completed Owolewa Street off Randle and Jubril Martins Street by Olufemi in the last two years, stating that while four other streets are ongoing, six have been earmarked for rehabilitation.
In Itire-Ikate LCDA, the council chairman, Hon. Ahmed Olanrewaju Apatira listed the construction of Omilani Street, construction of second Phase of Oredola Street, construction of Oshofisan Street, construction of Ajose Street, construction of Tiwo Street, rehabilitation of the failed section of Otun-Oba/Ijesha Road, and grading/palliative works on over 20 roads across the communities in the local council area as his achievements in road infrastructure in the last two years.
Ifelodun LCDA under the chairmanship of Olufemi Okeowo boasted of the construction of Muda Stree, Alafia in Ifelodun LCDA, Fijabi Street, with ongoing construction of interlocking road and drainages at Market Street, Odunade.
In Orile-Agege LCDA, as gathered by ECHONEWS, the following were recorded on road infrastructure by Hon. Babatunde Johnson-led administration in his last two years in office: construction of drainage on Ashipa Street, construction of drainage on Oremeta, construction of road with interlocking stones at Alaagba Estate, construction of drainage at Dele Ibidun, construction of road and drainage at Oshinkanlu Street, construction of drainage at Oshinkanlu Estate, construction of drainage and road at Ajiboye Street, and the ongoing construction of drainage at Olurinde Street.
Isolo LCDA also recorded about 24 roads either rehabilitated it constructed by the Hon. Adebayo Olasoju-led administration which are: Nureni Street, Olusola Faronbi Street, Shonibare Street, Holy Saviour, Ogundele Way, Aderinto Street, Ashiriabo Link, Adebisi Omotola – ongoing, Aregbe – Ongoing, Karimu – Ongoing, Lamina Lawal, Shodehinde, Ehingbeti, Gbadebo Osiade, Alao Street, Akinola Sholanke, Musiliu Akinsanya Street, Church Street, Ayo Shonubi, Chief Nwakibie Street, Akinbaiye Street, Adebisi Omotola Street, Babs Aregbe, and Olumuyiwa Siwoku Streets.
The Chairman of Oshodi-Isolo Local Government, Otunba Kehinde Oloyede also listed about 26 roads that his administration has been able to rehabilitate so far. They are: Akinniku Street – completed, Ariyibi-Oke Street – completed, Adeoye Street – completed, Suwebatu Street – completed, Orona link – completed, Macarthy Street – completed, Dosunmu Street – completed, Everett Street – completed, Trombi Street – completed, Adewunmi Ogefon Street – completed, Emmanuel Street – completed, Alh. Rufai Street – completed, Iretioluwa Street – completed, Adelaja Street – completed, Ogunlaja Street – completed, Baderin Street – completed, Odalume Street – completed, Onikewunla Street – completed, Opo-Osun Street – completed, Liverpool Road – completed, Mukandasi Street – completed, Oshodi-Mafoluku Road – 70% completed, and 23. Araromi Street – 50% completed.
Others include Banjoko Street – ongoing, Oredehin Street – ongoing, and Omilade Street – ongoing.
The total number of roads constructed in Alimosho Local Government during the period under review under the chairmanship of Hon. Sulaiman Jelili is six. They include road construction at Santos Layout, construction of Azeez Ayorinde, construction of Miccom Street, construction of drainage at Adebanjo-Godilove Street, rehabilitation of Adebanjo Street, rehabilitation of Ogunlana Street, and construction of Olorungbebe drainage which is 70% completed as at the time of filing this report.
No fewer than eight roads were rehabilitated by the Chairman of Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye LCDA, Hon. Rasaq Ajala which include Ago-Owu Street, Alhaji Otta Street, Jinadu Street, Ojo Street, Ereko Street, Adeshina Street, Fafolu Street, Shokunbi, and Akinbode Streets.
The road projects executed by the administration of Prince Usman Hamzat of Ifako-Ijaye LG within 24 months in office are Abdus-Salaam Street Obawole, rehabilitation of Bola Ahmed Tinubu Road (Phase 1) Obawole, rehabilitation of Ndike Road, Obawole, fixing of the Dilapidated Bridge at Obawole (linking Haruna Area with Obawole communities), rehabilitation of the Steel Bridge linking Londoner Area (Onibata Community) in Obawole with Iju-Ogundimu communities, and rehabilitation of Fred Williams Street.
In Ejigbo LCDA, Hon. Monsurudeen Oloyede Obe have the the following as achievements in road infrastructure: rehabilitation of road at Nepa Junction, Jakande Estate, Oke Afa, rehabilitation of Kayode Powerline, Ejigbo, rehabilitation of Adekoroye Street, grading and stone base of Oyekunle Street, rehabilitation of Adebayo Oyelana Road, reconstruction of Ifoshi Road, rehabilitation of Dauda Illo Street, rehabilitation of Rafiu Tijani Road, rehabilitation of Kolawole Sebili Road, reconstruction of Moshalashi Road, reconstruction of Alhaji Monsuru Obe Road with interlocking stone, rehabilitation and drainage construction at Otasunmi grading of Ogundimu Street, grading of Tijani Salako Street, rehabilitation of Abuna Street, and the rehabilitation of Goloba Ashogbon Road,
Meanwhile, the state government under the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has embarked on massive rehabilitation of existing roads across the local government areas in addition to providing efficient infrastructure for rail and water transportation.
The Governor, right from his first term in office, has made enhanced transportation systems a major focus of his administration.
Consequently, roads are being constructed and rehabilitated all over the state with about 69 percent of the state’s annual budget dedicated to infrastructural renewal.
A statement by the Ministry of Information and Strategy stated that the Lagos State Public Works Corporation has executed rehabilitation and palliative road works of over 82,787.61 sqm at strategic sections on over 970 roads across the state.
The road repair intervention by the Lagos State Public Works is in the actualisation of the vision of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s administration to ensure the free flow of vehicular movements with the removal of hindrances such as potholes and other gridlock elements across the State, including the repair of drainages.
According to his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Gboyega Akosile in a statement last week, 34 roads were executed in Kosofe, Somolu, Victoria Island, and Ikoyi along with 15 bridges.
He added that in Ojokoro, 31 roads were completed. “We completed 18 housing projects, all of them with inner city roads.”
Other road projects by the administration, he said, include the Agege Pen Cinema Bridge, Oniru network of roads, Ikoyi network of roads, Lagos-Ogun Boundary roads Phase II, Lekki Oniru Traffic Circulation Projects, and 37 networks of roads in Ojokoro, including Isawo-Agric road, Ikorodu, Oshodi-Abule-Egba BRT lane, Ijede Road Phase 1 in Ikorodu, Tedi-Muwo Link Bridge, Lagos-Ogun boundary Roads in Alimosho and 6 reconfigured Roundabouts – Allen, Ikotun, Maryland, Lekki and Ajah among others.
The government also carried out 110 palliatives and 361 sectional rehabilitations on roads across the state, while over 650 inner roads were rehabilitated by the Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC).
The General Manager of Lagos State Public Works Corporation, Engr. Olufemi Daramola said: “Everything is done In line with the Executive Order of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu which declared zero tolerance on potholes within the metropolis.
“The various palliative road works were done using materials such as Asphalt, Concrete Granite Boulders, Crushed Granite Stones, and in some cases, Paving Stones to repair damaged road pavements and consequently provide comfort to motorists across the state.”
He acknowledged that more roads still need attention but reiterated that rehabilitation and maintenance of roads across the state is a continuous schedule with plans of intervention for different areas and road sections.
“We are not there yet, we will achieve more under the leadership of Governor Sanwo-Olu,” he said.
Some of the major strategic roads where rehabilitation works have been carried out include Iju Road, Ifako-Ijaiye, Ogudu Road, Kosofe, Town Planning Way, Mushin, Ikorodu Road: Maryland Independence Tunnel, Mile 12 inward Ketu axis, Kosofe, Oke-Afa-Ejigbo Road, Oshodi Isolo, Apongbon Round About, Marina in Lagos Island, Oba Akran Avenue, Aromire and Akilo Road in Ikeja, among other strategic roads.
The state also executed urgent road works along the Lekki-Epei Expressway, Itoikin Epe, and Ikotun Ejigbo Road in Alimosho.
According to the Governor, Lagos with a population of about 22 million people and with about 25 percent of its landmass consisting of waterways cannot rely on road transportation alone. Therefore, the state requires an integrated Transport system. Consequently, the government invested in the development of water transportation
