Succor For Residents of Agbara, Lusada Area As Construction Works Begin - Photos

For those who live around Agbara, Lusada area in Ogun State, they will tell you that life can't be worse than roads in these areas. Agbara is a manufacturing hub, one of the money-spinning hub for both the federal and state government, IGR from these factories alone can confidentially fund the budget of some states in Nigeria but it's a pity that roads leading to their factories are more of a death trap.

People living at Agbara have cried out to the governor of Ogun State to repair the road in this area as trailers, tankers and other private vehicles ply these road daily, these road has been neglected for years with promises from both the state and federal to do something. It got to a stage that residents have to embark on a peaceful protest last year but this does not move any of the state agencies. At a point when the people are beginning to accept their fate, the state government seem to remember them and has begun a reconstruction work on the Agbara-Lusada Road.

In a press release written by Mr. Ajayi Olatubosun, who is the Community Liaison Officer for Igbesa, he explained that the project was reconstructed by the Guangdong Community within the Free Trade Zone as part of their（ 1）corporate social responsibility to the community and （2）as a PPP agreement on Built Operate and transfer（BOT） under the approval of the State Government having a bilateral " Memorandum of Understandings " ( MoU).

Read his statement below...

Dear Fellow Citizens / Residents.

I am desirous in extending and expressing my delight thereby sending forth my APPRECIATION for your cooperation and support ever exhibited since the " Reconstruction ' road project in place along Igbesa - Oba Adesola Mkt.（Lusada）road.

Our undaunted and unflinching love ever accorded the Client, Contractors and other Consultants on the site has yielded a positive effects which tremendously facilitated the good work ever recorded and experience at the site.

However, it is of high note to explain emphatically that the ongoing TEN（10）kilometres road project is a typical Reconstruction Project embarked upon and financially sponsored by the Guangdong Community within the Free Trade Zone as part of their（ 1）corporate social responsibility to the community and （2）as a PPP agreement on Built Operate and transfer（BOT） under the approval of the State Government having a bilateral " Memorandum of Understandings " ( MoU).

Besides, the efforts on place has been proved beyond every reasonable doubt that its a thorough construction against a purported peddling damaging rumour of undergoing Rehabilitation.

Its also carry on simultaneously with the sides drainage for easy passages of waters and downpours.

Technical. professionally and couples with Consultancy initiatives, the ongoing feeder road is being planned , designed, manned monitored and heavily supervised by Construction Experts spanning from Civil Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, Land Surveyors, Architects, to mention a few.

The level of work ever put into place had guaranteed the road construction beyond a mere Rehabilitation.

It has been affirmed, a thorough Reconstruction that had its " Insitu- Density " test deeper and perfectly certified beyond Rehabilitation.

Here attached are appendix photographs of the extent of work in progress for our perusal.

Thanking you all for your understanding as We Pray for the completion of the project soon.

AutoReportNG is a bit confused as we can't say if the Chinese company will embark on the total reconstruction of the Igbesa, Atan, and Lusada road or its just a portion of the Lusada axis.

No matter the case, trust us to always keep you posted. See more of the images below...

Ogun Residents Stage Protest Over Bad Federal Road - Photos & Video

When you have had enough, you have no choice but to defy the protocols, the same can be same to the residents of Atan-Lusada residents, Ogun State. AutoReportNG has done series of reports over this road and it seems none is getting the attention of both the state and the Federal Government.

Protesters in their hundreds from Lusada and adjoining communities in Ogun State protested this morning over what they described as a very bad state of the Atan Lusada Agbara Roads. The road has become a death trap for all road users along this axis, the road is so bad that tankers, trailers, cars packed off when on this road.

The protesters who converged at the abandoned Lusada Bridge area of the road displayed placards with inscriptions expressing disappointment with Federal Government handling of the road.

Some held banners showing pictures of dead victims of fallen truck accidents and how it has affected their standard of living.

Some of them that spoke on condition of anonymity, said they have been victims of political frauds and failed promises by politicians.

According to one of the protesters, Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners Chapel Church had indicated interest to partner with government to fix the road but was not encouraged by Federal and Ogun State governments.

A large number of vehicles travel on the road from Idiroko Border, Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone in Igbesa and Canaan Land church.

See pictures of the protesters along the road...

Watch the video here...

Credit:
Femi Oladunjoye.

The Pains, The Agony of Road Users of Atan-Igbesa-Agbara Road

Despite calls on the governor of Ogun State, Gov. Ibikunle Amosun, the minister of power, works and housing Mr. Babatunde Fashola to quickly intervene on the Atan-Igbesa Road, none of these government parastatals have blinked an eyelid and the citizens are at the receiving end daily.

Atan-Igbesa-Agbara road is a strategically-structured economic road which serves as a linkage road between Nigeria and West African countries through Badagry-Seme border and Republic of Benin to the east and Iba-Alaba-Mile 2 and Apapa seaports to the west.

The Atan-Igbesa-Agbara industrial road hosts 70% of manufacturing industries in the state, the road was started by Shehu Shangri-led Federal Government in the early 80s and originally tagged Badagry-Agbara-Abeokuta-Sokoto road but has since abandoned by successive governments and now causes perennial problems for human and vehicular traffic inbound and outbound Ogun state and Lagos state as well as Benin Republic through either Idi-Iroko border or Badagry-Seme border.

It will be recalled that Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led Ogun state government in July, 2017 signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with private investors in Atan-Igbesa-Agbara industrial areas being represented by Kolapo Lawson, Chairman of Agbara Estates Limited on possible road reconstruction based on public-private partnership arrangement, using concrete technology that will cost about N23 billion.

An AutoReportNG reader sent us visuals on what motorists go through this road daily. The teary video clip shows the pains, the agony and stress of residents along this area.

The most interesting thing is that Agbara/Igbesa has the highest number of companies in Ogun state, with the like of Nestle, GSK, GZi, BIG COLA, Beloxxi, Avanti, Beta Glass, Nampak, Pharmadeko, Reckitt, Suntory (Lucozade and Ribena), Eko supreme, Hyatt, Comestar, Unilever, Procter and Gamble, Perfetti,  etc to mention just few.

There are more than 40 companies within Agbara, let alone the over 30 within the China Free Trade Zone. Alas, the major link road is in a mess. No day goes by without major safety incident of containers skidding off on the road.

The questions on our mind are:

1.  Why is the federal government not saying anything about this road despite the cries from motorists on this route?
2.  Why has the Ogun State government on whose corridor at least for the love of its citizen try to find a palliative measure to ease the movement of goods and services as what is being done in Lagos state?
3.  With over 40 companies spanned along this route, why have the companies not form a coalition as being done in Apapa-Wharf in Lagos where the likes of Dangote, Flour Mills, and other companies merge together and agree to construct the roads themselves thereby applying for tax holidays from the Federal Government? This will not only help them but make them have a sense of belonging and they can supervise the construction without any form of corruption since they are directly involved in the process.

From our investigations, we understand that this is a major road for all factories within this axis to transport their finish goods from the factories to the final consumers across the country, so this needs an urgent attention.

We want to use this platform to please appeal to the Federal Government and the State Government to kindly come to a logical conclusion and find a way to make this road motorable. People are going through a lot on this road and you can't but shed some tears when you realized that this government is blessed with enormous resources and wealth.

These are pictures and video from the road.

Watch the video here