The House of Representatives on Tuesday gave the contractors handling the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway rehabilitation/reconstruction project May 2022 ultimatum to complete both the road and bridges.
The House of Representatives Committee on Works, led by its Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Kabir, gave the deadline during an oversight of roads in Lagos and the South West on Tuesday.
The lawmakers decried the delay in the completion of the project, which started in 2013 but promised to resolve the funding issues slowing down the project.
The lawmakers insisted that the bridges added to the original road project in 2018 must also be completed by 2022.
The committee’s chairman said the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was one of the projects funded through the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and assured of increased funding.
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Kabir said the contractors had achieved significant progress to be able to meet the completion deadline because the Buhari rigime was exploring various funding options to ensure adequate timely financing of the project.
“The contractors, the Director, Federal Highways, South West, have assured us of the timely completion of the project.
“And the only challenge we have is the issue of compensations.
“We are going to discuss how we can assist the contractors and the Federal Ministry of Works to resolve the issues of compensations, relocation of services so that the contractors will finish the project before May 2022.
“We want President Buhari and the entire cabinet and the National Assembly to come here and celebrate with the people of Lagos and South West on this important project,” he said.
The Director, Federal Highways, South West, Mr Adedamola Kuti, explained to the lawmakers the reason for a flyover bridge located near Mountain of Fire Ministry.
Kuti said the high population and vehicular movement around the axis required the transfer of traffic through the overpass for those going to various communities.
Kuti thanked Lagos and South West residents, as well as the entire citizens of Nigeria for thier cooperation and understanding during the construction. (NAN)