Logistics delay Lagos-Ibadan Expressway reconstruction

One month after the Federal Government declared that the design for the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was ready; the project has suffered a delay with no activity currently taking place on the road.

The delay, according to sources at the Federal Ministry of Works, is due to “numerous ongoing projects” being undertaken by the Federal Government in various states across the country.

The PUNCH had on February 25, 2013 exclusively reported that the design for the reconstruction of the road was ready. It was also reported that the next phase of work would commence on the road soon, as the final design had been submitted to the minister’s office.

But four weeks after the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, disclosed that the reconstruction design was ready, no tangible work is ongoing on the road.

Sources at the ministry said on Tuesday that there were lots of concerns as regards road construction in the country.

A top official, who pleaded not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, told our correspondent that the Second Niger Bridge project was taking the government’s attention.

He said, “There are other ongoing construction works in many states across Nigeria that are also calling for attention; so it is not just the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. There are series of procurement issues, financial issues and many more.

“For instance, the Second Niger Bridge project is another road project that is ongoing and everybody is working hard to see that it succeeds. So, we cannot just concentrate on roads in Lagos.”

Though it was gathered that the government would revisit the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway project, the sources, however, could not tell when this would happen.

There have been complaints by road users, who alleged that the government might have suspended work on the road after terminating its concession agreement with Bi-Courtney in November last year over “serial breaches” of the concession agreement by the company.

“The project has not been suspended. If it is suspended, we won’t be talking of its reconstruction design,” another source at the ministry said.

Onolememen had stressed that the Federal Government was facing some challenges, adding that it had to revoke the contract with Bi-Courtney based on infringement of certain concession terms by the firm.

“There is nothing like the project being suspended. The fact that we are inviting the private sector to participate in road development does not mean we will not have challenges. We will have challenges,” the minister said.

Onolememen had earlier said that the Federal Government would rebuild the road and ensure that users were relieved of their sufferings while plying the road.

He said, “On the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Federal Government, as a deliberate policy, took over its road asset and the government has decided to reconstruct that road itself.

“The first phase of the reconstruction was the immediate rehabilitation and recovery of failed portions of the road between November and the end of January, and in fact, that snowballed into the end of February. But the final design of that road was recently submitted to my office.”