By Saheed Afolabi
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has assured the Senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Hon. Adetokunbo Abiru, that the rehabilitation of 32-Km Ikorodu-Itoikin Road will be completed by May, 2023.
Fashola gave the assurance when Abiru, who is the chairman, Senate Committee on Industries, paid him a courtesy visit in his office recently.
During the visit, the Senator talked on the planned rehabilitation of 32-Km Ikorodu-Itoikin Road and the accelerated work on Ikorodu-Sagamu Road, which is almost completed.
The Minister specifically informed the Senator that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved complete rehabilitation of the Ikorodu-Itoikin Road.
He assured Abiru that the total rehabilitation of the road will commence in January, 2023.
Meanwhile, critical sections of the 30-Km Ikorodu/Sagamu road, from; Sabo, Okegbegun, First Gate, Odogunyan, Ita-Oluwo, Ogijo, Gbaga, Sotubo, Mosimmi to Gbara Village have been fixed, remaining less than 8 Kilometre to Sagamu.
The Minister assured that the road would be completed before the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
These milestones were made possible through the instrumentality of legislative intervention via a motion moved by Senator Abiru, ‘On The Urgent Need For The Rehabilitation Of The Ikorodu-Sagamu And Ikorodu-Itoikin- Epe Roads To Further Bridge The Infrastructure Gap And Enhance Economic Growth In Nigeria’ in April 2021.
Abiru convinced the Senate by highlighting the importance of the two roads to the nation’s economic growth as they serve as access points from other parts of the country: Ogun, Edo and the Northern parts of the country and also routes to New Lekki- Ibeju corridor where we have a major refinery, Lagos Deep Seaport and Free Trade Zone etc.
The motion was fully supported and approved by the Nigerian Senate, and thereafter obtained the cooperation and support of the Ministry of Works and Housing, particularly, the Honourable minister, His Excellency, Mr Babatunde Fashola, SAN.
Before Abiru’s intervention, Ikorodu-Sagamu road, which was awarded on June 5, 2018 to Messrs Arab Contractors O.A.O. Nigeria Limited with a completion period of 36 months only attained 24.04 per cent completion due to paucity of funding.
However, the current intervention by the Senator has ensured the advancement of the 30-km Road to about 85 per cent completion.
