"Our Roads Are Not As Bad As People Say They Are” - Fashola

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, says Nigeria’s road surfaces are not as deplorable as the public have made them out to be.

Speaking to State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, November 6, 2019, Fashola also blamed poor funding and how long it takes to acquire materials for road works, for the poor performance of his ministry since 2015.

“The roads are not as bad as they are often portrayed. I know that this is going to be your headline, but the roads are not that bad,” Fashola said.

“When I come here to announce that a particular amount was approved for a contract, that doesn’t mean the amount has been paid, contrary to what you suggest.

“You are mindful also that minister of finance, different arms of government are escalating the fiscal challenges we face as a nation in trying to fund the budget.

"You are also mindful that the last few budgets in Nigeria for almost 20 years have been deficit budgets and these are terminologies that are realities and I think we should acquaint ourselves with if we are not just to report the news but also educate the public.

“You must also be aware that between awarding a contract and also mobilizing to the site, there is a distance. First of all, we have to have an agreement that there is the relationship between the ministry of works or any other ministry and the ministry of justice, then there is a role that banks play, they have to give a guarantee.

Read also: Winners Church To Repair Sango-Ota, Idiroko, Oju-Ore Roads, Approves ₦650million

“Building materials – rocks, laterite, quarry, iron rods have to be ordered, construction companies don’t keep them.

“The process of producing blasting rocks requires approval from the office of ministers of justice and even the office of the NSA to get approval to get dynamite. All of these are the things that go on. So the point that I am making to you is that there is a distance between approval, implementation, actual construction and the result.”

The rains are blamed as well

The minister also said continuous rainfall has hampered road repair works country-wide.

“So what we experienced this year is unusual, it’s not a good time to be in the transport system. We also want this season to quickly end so that we can go back to work during the dry weather.”

The minister assured Nigerians that massive road repair works will commence when the harmattan season kicks off.

Nigeria’s road surfaces have been described as pot-hole and crater ridden across all geopolitical regions for years.

Most travellers have been forced to make the journey across the country by air instead, with robbers and kidnappers further turning road travel into an extreme sport. 

Fashola was appointed Minister of Power, Works and Housing by President Buhari in 2015. After the president won re-election in 2019, Fashola was stripped of the power portfolio and was left with the works and housing beats.

Fashola, 56, served as governor of Nigeria’s most populous city of Lagos from 2007 to 2015. He came in for enormous flak as power minister; with darkness remaining the lot of many Nigerians with the former governor at the helm.

Update From Various Construction Sites In Lagos As Mandated By Sanwo-Olu - Photos

Succor At Last As Agric-Isawo Road Begins Re-Construction - Photos

Residents around the Agric-Isawo road can sigh a breath of relief as HITECH crew has finally commenced work on the affected road. According to reports, they kicked off by dewatering and re-arranging of Water Outlets in the early hours of today, this is after the state of emergency Governor
Babajide Sanwo-Olu declared on roads in the State.

The Agric-Isawo road is one of the worst roads in Lagos, it's so bad that when it rains, everywhere was flooded. Now that Hi-Tech is back to the road, let's hope they will be able to find a logical solution to the menace this road has caused.

AutoReportNG got some pictures from the site and these may interest you...

Lagos Bad Roads: These Are Lists Of Roads Lagos Govt Will Be Working On Immediately

As it was earlier reported by AutoReportNG that Lagos Gov., Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared a state of emergency on all Lagos roads and has mandated some selected construction companies to start work on rehabilitation as from today, you can read it here if you missed it.

AutoReportNG have it on good authority that some roads have been selected for urgent repairs and work will begin on this road starting from today.

The roads that will be rehabilitated and reconstructed include but are not limited to...

IKEJA ZONE 
-  Network of roads in Oregun

IKEJA G.R.A
-  Network roads in Ikeja G- R- A

Badagry (from Agbara to Badagry) 
-  Agboju to Okokomaiko

IKORODU ZONE 
-  Ketu /Ojota section of Ikorodu
-  Ijede road to Ewu-Elepe
 - Oba Sekumade road
-  Agric Isawo road
-  Imota to the rice mill

EPE ZONE
-  Eleko junction to T- junction at Epe
-  Itoikin- Epe road
-  Completion of network of road up to Noforija/ Mojoda ( existing contract )

LEKKI AJAH 
-  Abraham Adesanya Roundabout to Eleko
 Alternative Route to Admiralty circle plaza Lekki

VICTORIA ISLAND 
-  Network of roads in Victoria island
-  Network of roads in Oniru estate
-  Water corporation drive

ABULE EGBA
-  Ekoro bridge, Abule Egba
-  Lagos Abeokuta expressway from Abule Egba to Sango to tollgate

MUSHIN 
-  Idi Oro road, Mushin

IKOYI 
-  Network of roads in Ikoyi

LAGOS ISLAND
-  Apongbon road
-  Idumagbo avenue

SURULERE 
-  Babs Animashaun , Surulere

BADAGRY 
-  Lagos Badagry expressway from trade fair to okomaiko ( existing contract) -

These are some of the roads that will be worked on immediately to reduce the stress people on these roads go through daily.

We will update you with images as we get feedbacks from various locations across the state as work begins.

- AutoReportNG

Residents Embark On A Peaceful Protest Over Badagry Expressway Bad Roads - Photos

The residents living in Badagry seem to have enough as they come out en-mass to embark on a Peaceful mass protest against the neglect and abandonment of the Badagry expressway ongoing. The Badagry Expressway. Residents defy the rain and went out to protest against the bad roads and the government's silence over their plight.

The peaceful mass protest against the neglect and abandonment of the Badagry expressway and to call both the state and the federal government to order.
The Badagry expressway road has been a death trap to all residents especially those going towards the trade fair, Alaba International, Mile 2, they are all major death traps as the construction companies have abandoned them and left the roads in a bad shape.

These are pictures of the bad roads and also from the protest...

 

Travel Advisory On Temporary Closure of Festac Link Bridge

Months after the Festac link bridge in Amuwo-Odofin community, the area was damaged by fire as a result of a fully loaded petrol tanker spilling its content on the bridge, the Lagos State Government (LASG) has finally is set to embark on repair works on the distressed bridge.

Recall that a section of the bridge was closed due to the fire outbreak with the government saying the decision was reached “in order to save lives and properties of motorists and other users of the link bridge.”

However, the government has announced to commence repair work on the bridge to put it back in shape. As a result, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has announced the temporary closure of the link bridge from tomorrow, Friday, June 15 to Saturday, June 16, 2018.

TRAVEL ADVISORY ON THE TEMPORARY CLOSURE FOR REPAIRS OF THE FESTAC LINK BRIDGE FROM FRIDAY 15th - SATURDAY, 16th June 2018

1) Motorists coming out of FESTAC through 1st Avenue, 2nd Avenue, 11th Avenue and 21 Road, should link Lagos-Badagry Expressway through, FESTAC 1st Gate and turn at Alakija to connect Mile 2.

2) Motorists coming out of FESTAC through 7th Avenue, should link Lagos-Badagry Expressway and turn at Alakija to connect Mile2.

3) Motorists going into FESTAC from Oshodi, Cele, Ago Palace Way, 2nd Rainbow should take Apple Junction to Mile 2 and link Mazamaza Bridge to FESTAC1st Gate and connect FESTAC proper.

NOTE:
LASTMA personnel shall be at all strategic points and junctions to control and manage traffic in order to reduce travel time and delays. Therefore, motorists should please cooperate and comply with traffic rules and regulations during the exercise and at all times. We also apologize for any inconvenience the exercise may cause.

Thank you.

Ambode Inspects Oshodi, Oworosoki, Pen Cinema Construction Sites

The Lagos State Governor Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode inspects some ongoing road construction across the state. He starts by inspecting the Airport-Oshodi site and then he proceeds to inspect the Oworonshoki Lagoon Reclamation, Sabo Model College among others. 

Lagos - Sango - Abeokuta Road: A trap death for all motorists

A lady named Olumide Salako has cried out to the Ogun state government and the Federal Ministry of Works and housing to quickly address the bad road of Ilepa, in Ogun state. according to her, she wrote...

Is Ogun State still in Nigeria?

SOS! Fashola help. PMB, come to our rescue.

My driver who is driving on these roads for the first time confessed, “I have not seen any other road as bad as this one in Nigeria.”

I wept. At Ilepa, Commuters are trekking because the danfo drivers refused to ply the bad road. They have to trek about 7km stretch to the other side of the bad road before they can continue their journey. The strong-head motorcyclists collect between N500-N1000 from Ilepa to Ifo.

What a wicked world we live in! Nigeria is cursed with bad leadership.

Do we have a governor in the state? What of the legislooters? Do they still have their tongues in their mouth? I mean can they still talk? I have not heard anything lately from our leaders as far as these roads are concerned. Ki lo de!

See more of the more pictures

See the videos below...

Dangote to get 3-year tax relief after constructing Apapa-Oworonshoki road

The management of Dangote Group has said it will get a three-year tax holiday after constructing the 35km Apapa-Oworonshoki road.

Devakumar Edwin, an executive director in the company, made this known in a statement shared with TheCable on Tuesday.

Edwin said “the company has never benefited any tax waivers or credits in its entire history except when it is industry based and same applies to all industry players.

“It is very painful when some people accuse our company of benefitting 10 years’ tax rebate from the government. There is nothing like tax credit in all these.

“We volunteered to construct the Apapa to Oworonshoki long highway at a cost that will be about 15 to 25% less than the lowest bid on the road.

“We hope to get back our money after three years by removing the sum from the tax we are supposed to pay.”

He explained that the company proposed to the government to take out 50% of the total cost of the road from its proposed tax in the first year after completion and 25% in each of the next two years.

“The government came forward and said, good enough your company is repairing a road that is very important to all Nigerians… is it possible to help us do proper road construction of 35 kilometers from Apapa to Oworonshoki?

“We advised the government to go for a competitive bidding and also that we will take it up at a cost that will be lower than the lowest bid received by the government.

“Since the government may not be handy with cash, we proposed that we will recover our money over three years in installments against our future tax.

“The reality is the government will not pay us for the construction, but we will only offset our costs against our three years tax.”

He explained that the company volunteered to repair the Apapa road as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative and that the construction would be carried out at 15-25% lesser than the lowest bid.

The federal government had said it would use tax incentive order to hand over the Apapa area comprising Creek Road, Liverpool Road, Marine Beach to Mile 2, Oshodi, Oworonshoki to the Lagos end of the Toll Gate on the Ibadan Expressway to Dangote Group.

Source:
TheCable

Kogi residents cries out as roads becomes death trap (Photos)

Kogi state residents have cried out for help as section of their roads remains unmovable. According to some visuals which was sent to us, the road is really in its pitiable condition. This is a spot on trunk A road between Kabba and Ayere in Kogi State. The road so bad that youths have to saw some trees and blocks before cars can pass through that road. Someone please tag Gov. Yahaya Bello, Mr. Babatunde Fashola. See more pictures below..