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The Ogun State Government has commenced the reconstruction of the failed portion of the Sagamu-Ore-Benin Expressway near Sagamu old toll gate to address the current traffic logjam experienced by motorists on the road.
The PUNCH on Saturday reported the pains and frustration of the users of this road who complained bitterly of hours spent on the road as a result of the gridlock which usually occur at this blackspot.
They had begged President Bola Tinubu and the state governor, Dapo Abiodun to help in finding solutions to this challenge.
Abiodun in a statement on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Lekan Adeniran, said to have paid an unscheduled visit to the bad portion of the road on Sunday.
Adeniran added that as a major road linking Lagos through Ogun State to the South-East and South-South regions of the country, its deplorable condition has caused untold hardship to those who use it on a daily basis.
He mentioned that although the reconstruction of the road was awarded by previous administrations, the contractors executed the project from the Benin end to the outskirts of Ijebu-Ode but could not complete it at the interchange before abandoning it due to a lack of funds.
He said, “This is a federal road, and it is probably the most important road to Southern Nigeria because it evacuates traffic carrying goods and people from Lagos to Ogun State and to the South-East and South-South parts of the country; it is a major arterial road.
“The reconstruction of this road was awarded several years ago by previous administrations. However, sadly, that reconstruction was started from the Benin end of this road. Sadly and curiously, from what we have been told, the budget was not sufficient to allow for the completion of this road to the Sagamu Interchange. It stopped short of reaching Ijebu-Ode, somewhere around the outskirts of Ijebu-Ode.
“What we are seeing today is what our masses are suffering from. In the last three to four days, this road was totally impassable because, for some reason, there is a drainage that goes underneath this road that is meant to drain water coming from a canal. That drainage is completely blocked, and that is the cause of this problem.”
Abiodun stated that officials from the state Ministries of Works and Environment are currently working to create another drainage that would channel water away from the road, while the bad portion has been filled with hardcore to make the road motorable.
He disclosed that he has brought the condition of the road to the attention of the Minister of Works, who has promised to look into how to award a contract for its rehabilitation or at least provide palliative measures or some sort of intervention to salvage the situation.
Abiodun also mentioned that he informed Tinubu about the need for the Federal Government to address the state of the road.
“Let me confirm to you that last week Thursday, I also brought the issue of this road to the attention of Mr. President. For the avoidance of doubt, let nobody think that Ogun State has not been responsive.
“Knowing fully well that the Federal Government has many critical roads to deal with, and as a responsive state government, we deployed our Ministries of Works and Environment to this site. What they have done is identify the immediate cause; they found out there is a construction that has blocked the drain.
“I have requested from Mr. President that the Ministry of Works can immediately award this road to a reputable contractor, and I know they are working on it.
“However, Mr President has also instructed me that if we do not get the attention as quickly as we want, the Ogun State government should go ahead and take ownership of this section and repair it,” he added.
Abiodun promised that if within the next two days, there is no clear evidence coming from the federal government to commence serious reconstruction work, his administration would step in to take ownership of the section of the road and carry out a total reconstruction.
