President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, led by Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola have been called upon to expedite action on the reconstruction of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
According to a statement issued by a Non-Governmental Organization, Good Governance Initiative (GGI), led by a Public Affairs analyst based in Sango-Ota, Ogun State, Alhaji Malik Ibitoye, the attention of Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola was drawn to the negative publicity the dilapidated portion of the road has been generating for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ibitoye said in the statement, which he personally signed, that the Sango area of the road and some other parts stretching from Ijaiye to Kola, Alakuko, Toll Gate Bus Stop and even extending to other parts of the road on the way to Abeokuta, the state capital, has become eyesores and a source of embarrassment to both the state and Federal Governments.
While saying that Governor Dapo Abiodun is known to be proactive in the area of infrastructure development, the analyst said that it is obvious that many residents of the state are ignorant of the demarcation of roads as local, state and federal roads, adding that the issue has led to bad publicity for the APC.
“There is no doubt that President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola are interested in APC winning Ogun State and some other states apart from winning at the federal level.
“However, the early completion of Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway will boost the image of the APC, while doing the contrary would lead to a bad publicity for the party.
“The adversaries of the Ogun State government and rival political parties are capitalising on the bad state of the road to spread falsehood about the state and federal governments and this is dangerous as the 2023 general elections are fast approaching,” he said.
The NGO emphasised the need for the Federal Government to rise to the occasion and make the expressway motorable, adding that the road is strategic to the movement of the people to the state capital and to other parts of the country.
While making allusion to a trending video on the road, Alhaji Malik said that an urgent action must be taken to make the road passable as Governor Dapo Abiodun has been working with the limited resources available to the state government to provide good governance for the people of the gateway state.
“The APC cannot afford to allow this dangerous situation to continue at this material time, when people are waiting for the scorecard of the state and federal governments.
“To this end, it is advisable that Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola should revisit the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway project as he promised to do in a recent interview on a national television, where he even told Governor Dapo Abiodun to allow the Federal Government handle the road and that contractors would soon be mobilised to site to complete the project.
“It should be recalled that Governor Dapo Abiodun provided a palliative to a section of the road in Sango area not too long, but the coming of the rain has further exposed the condition of the road and something should be done urgently to make it motorable as it is now always flooded in Sango area anytime rain falls,” the statement read.
The NGO reminded Buhari and Fashola that delay is dangerous and that a stitch in time saves nine, while stressing that the government must let the people know that it would not renege on its campaign promises to them.