Nothing but huge sandcrete B busts at Joju and Ota, Ogun State are the only signs of Julius Berger’s presence on the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway.
When Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola inaugurated the road repair on May 14, 2018, he gave one and a half years completion mandate.
He, however, said the Muhammadu Buhari administration prioritised the road and assured that it would be completed on time. Fashola, represented by Director of Highway Construction and Reconstruction in the Federal Ministry of Works, Olalekan Busari, said the Federal Government was committed to the completion because of its socio-economic importance, and as an alternative to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ilorin-Ile-Ife, as well as a gateway to the Benin Republic.
Loesser’s promises have become what it is – empty promises. Motorists and residents could swear that the contractor had left the site since February and there are no signs that they will return anytime soon. According to him, while residents and motorists are expecting a super rehabilitation befitting the image Julius Berger had carved for itself, what is emerging is far short of the standard for which the contractor is well known.
He said: “At these places what Julius Berger did was to apply the stone base, and especially at both carriageways at Joju where there was usually some ponding on the road as a result of the depression of the road, they had dumped some truckloads of hardcore. Though this provided initial relief to motorists, it soon went bad because of the huge volume of vehicular movement, especially trucks.
Busola Thomas, who works in the Ota Branch of the Nigerian Breweries, said the Ota axis despite being a huge economic net for the nation has continued to be the most neglected and abandoned. A frequent traveller on the road, Chidinma Okoro, said the road disrepair has worsened the motorists into worsening travel experience.
A trader, Maryam Idrisu, said she would appreciate the government fixing the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. “Sometimes in our attempt to compete with motorcyclists, many have been knocked down and died. May God save us from this hardship and neglect we are been subjected to by the government and its contractor.”He said: “Since this road went bad, I have been taking a pain reliever after every meal to subdue my body pain. Even my bus, which I bought last year, is already looking very old. The painful part is that passengers are at the receiving end because they will always pay more.
“From indications, work started on the project before the elections and stopped after the polls,” a bus conductor,” Jamiu said.
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