The Ogun State government on Tuesday declared its readiness to take over the construction of the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Road from the federal government and transform it into a world-class carriageway.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, had while briefing journalists on Monday after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Aso Villa, Abuja said a 24-hour approval would be given to any state interested in taking over road projects in their domain.
Stating that particular conditions must be met for the agreement to take effect, Umahi said that the project by the states must conform to the standard of the Federal Ministry of Works and meet the tolling system through which they would recoup their investment.
For years, motorists and travellers have lamented the deplorable state of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway while calling on the government to fix it.
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Speaking on the development yesterday, the state Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya, said the federal government had granted approval for the state government to embark on the reconstruction of the dilapidated road and toll it.
Akinsanya recalled that the struggle to get the approval from the federal government started immediately Governor Abiodun was sworn in 2019 in collaboration with his Lagos counterpart, Jide Sanwo-Olu.
Explaining that the length of the road is roughly 70km with Ogun having about 61km and Lagos State, 9km, Akinsanya said even while waiting for the approval, the state had been rehabilitating the road since 2019.
“With the transfer done now, we are happy and ready to immediately take over the project and turn around the fortunes of the road. It’s what we’ve been looking for, praying for since we came on board. We will take over immediately, subject to paperwork between us and the federal ministry,” he added.
