The Lagos State House of Assembly has urged the state government to take immediate action to alleviate people’ suffering due to certain roadways.
According to reports, the MPs made the call during a meeting that Speaker Mojisola Lasbat Meranda was presiding over.
In particular, the lawmakers brought up the defunct Bola Ahmed Tinubu Road in the Igbogbo-Baiyeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA).
In order to guarantee that HITECH Construction Company continues work on it, the House encouraged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to order the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to do so.
A detailed plan for finishing the project while guaranteeing sufficient security measures for the impacted community’s people was also required of all pertinent agencies.
In order to expedite project completion, the House’s resolution required contractors to get 60–70% of the total cost up front.
All parliamentarians were also instructed by Speaker Meranda to create lists of the roads that have been abandoned in their districts and submit them to the relevant ministry for prompt action.
The resolution came after Aro Moshood brought up a “matter of urgent public importance,” expressing his disapproval of the suffering that the abandoned road was causing the people of Ikorodu.
Since 2017, the state of this road has deteriorated. “What was supposed to be a source of relief for the people has now turned into a source of distress, posing serious socio-economic and security challenges,” Moshood added.
The politician brought attention to the startling number of crimes, such as kidnappings, collisions, and sexual assaults, that are connected to the area’s bad road conditions.
In his contribution to the discussion, Abiodun Ogunleye emphasized the road’s strategic significance to the state and added that its completion would greatly increase local economic activity.
Lukmon Olumoh expressed his disapproval of the protracted hold-up in the road’s completion, pointing out that the House had authorized funding for the project the year before.
A road development project that has been put on hold for more than seven years is disheartening. Last year, when I was a member of a group that examined ongoing road projects throughout the state, contractors pointed to the volatile exchange rate as a significant obstacle.
“This House ought to ask the project’s contractor to confirm if they were paid the money this Assembly authorized,” Olumoh stated.
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Sanni Okanlawon, the Deputy Chief Whip of the House, urged the government to act swiftly. Along with contractors, he demanded an explanation from the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure as to why the project is still unfinished.
It is not appropriate to handle the problem of abandoned road projects lightly. The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure and the contractors should be called by this House to explain why these projects have not proceeded, he said.
To avoid situations of unfinished projects, Tobun Abiodun suggested passing legislation requiring all governments to finish projects started by their predecessors.
In his remarks, Deputy Majority Leader Adedamola Kasunmu emphasized that the problem was not limited to Ikorodu.
“This issue is not limited to Ikorodu. It is occurring throughout the state. All pertinent agencies, particularly the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, must be called in to explain these deserted highways,” he stated.
The Assembly overwhelmingly decided to call on the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure and the contractors to submit a thorough report on the state of the abandoned road projects in Lagos State after much discussion.
