Nigeria’s Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has stated that the ongoing Lagos-Badagry Expressway rehabilitation/reconstruction project was being delayed due to the issues of funding but however restated that the road was not forgotten.
The minister revealed that to solve the funding challenge, the road has been included on the 2021 Sukuk funding priority list assuring that the project would be completed soon.
Fashola gave this assurance in Lagos on Saturday during an inspection tour of road projects in the state.
He said that major drainage works were ongoing and progressing to upgrade the highway from its old status to ensure durable construction, saying that funding challenges were being resolved.
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According to Fashola ‘Lagos-Badagry Expressway is the real challenge. Again it is funding.
‘We are owing to the contractor. That is why I said if we can expand the Sukuk this year, we are going to look at a few more roads to add to it.
‘If we succeed Lagos-Badagry Expressway is one of the top roads we are penciling down for the Sukuk in 2021.
‘If that happens, then the contractor will do his work but I think it is important to help us communicate to the people who use that axis that they are not forgotten.
‘Work has started. There was a time when there was no contractor there, so, there is now a contractor,’ Fashola said.
According to him, that is the first step to progress to show that they are not forgotten.
He said that the road was now a superhighway due to development on the axis, hence the diligence to ensure quality durable construction with adequate drainage channels.
Speaking on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the minister said that about 85km had been completed out of the 127km project being funded by Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund.
Commenting on the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway, he explained that the highway was recording accelerated construction because of the Sukuk funding.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK