Expedite action on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, NGO tells FG

A non-governmental organisation, under the aegis of Good Governance Initiative has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to expedite action on the reconstruction of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

The NGO led by a Public Affairs analyst based in Sango-Ota, Ogun State, Alhaji Malik Ibitoye, called the attention of the Minister of Works, Mr. Babatunde Fashola to the negative publicity the dilapidated portion of the road had been generating for the All Progressives Congress.

Ibitoye in a statement on Sunday, said the Sango area of the road and some other parts stretching from Ijaiye to Kola, Alakuko, Toll Gate Bus Stop and other parts of the road had become eyesores and a source of embarrassment to both the state and federal governments.

He said, “There is no doubt that President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola are interested in APC winning Ogun State and some other states apart from winning at the federal level.

“However, the early completion of Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway will boost the image of the APC, while doing the contrary would lead to a bad publicity for the party.

“The adversaries of the Ogun State government and rival political parties are capitalising on the bad state of the road to spread falsehood about the state and federal governments and this is dangerous as the 2023 general elections are fast approaching.”

Malik said an urgent action must be taken to make the road passable.

“The APC cannot afford to allow this dangerous situation to continue at this material time, when people are waiting for the scorecard of the state and federal governments.

“To this end, it is advisable that Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola should revisit the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway project as he promised to do in a recent interview on a national television, where he even told Governor Dapo Abiodun to allow the Federal Government handle the road and that contractors would soon be mobilised to site to complete the project.

“It should be recalled that Governor Dapo Abiodun provided a palliative to a section of the road in Sango area not too long, but the coming of the rain has further exposed the condition of the road and something should be done urgently to make it motorable as it is now always flooded in Sango area anytime rain falls,” the statement added.