You Are Economical With The Truth – Oyo State Government Tells Fashola

Oyo state government has reacted to claims by the Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) that the State Government is responsible for the non-completion of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway
project.

A statement is signed by the state Commisioner for Public Works and Transport, Prof. Daud Shangodoyin on Tuesday reads “it is imperative to set records straight as a government committed to ensuring that the good people of Oyo State enjoy the dividends of goodovernance.

“Firstly, we need to clarify that two major projects, the dualization of the
8.2km Agodi – Gate – Old Ife – Adegbayi Junction Road and a few projects
under the World Bank assisted Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project
(IUFMP) interface with the 127.6 km Lagos-Ibadan Expressway project at
CH 115-117, CH 117 and CH 125. In real terms, this stretch is less than 3
kilometers.

“Secondly, we would have expected that the Federal Ministry of Works and
Housing would have reached out to us to find out how long we would need
to complete the aforementioned projects being that Oyo State has been in communication with the Ministry. In fact, just about a year ago, we had
requested permission from the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing
(through the Director of Federal Highways) to dualize the underpass at CH
115 -117. We were advised to make sure that the diversion routes are
completed before embarking on the diversion. We complied 100%.

“Also, it is on record that the majority of the 22km stretch of the Lagos –
Ibadan Express Road between the old Tollgate Ibadan – Ojoo is still work in
progress. Earthwork between Iwo Road Interchange and Ojoo has only just
commenced. While work between the Old Ibadan Tollgate and Onipepeye is
still in progress and characterized by road diversions. With all this work yet
to be done, why is the Federal Minister blaming the Oyo State Government
for delaying the project?

“Had the Federal Minister reached out to the Oyo State Government, we would have told him that although the contract for work on the dualization of Agodi-Gate- Old-Ife Road – Adegbayi Junction which includes an underpass interface with the Lagos Ibadan Expressway at Onipepeye had to be terminated at 60% in September 2022 due to slow pace of work by the
contractor, whose contract was awarded under the previous administration,
the Oyo State Government is in the process of re-awarding the remaining
40% with a February 2023 delivery date. We have also provided 500m diversions of the main expressway lanes from the impacted site to allow traffic flow on both sides. Similarly, the IUFMP projects also have 4-month completion schedules.

“Given that the pace of work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway has been at
10/km per year (it has taken almost 10 years since 2013 for work so far
done on the 127.6km stretch of road to be completed), it could take about 2
years to finish the work and get to CH 127.6. Why then will our projects
with 4-month remaining be the source of delay of completion of the project?
One would also wonder why it was okay to skip the Lagos end of this project
between Berger and Old Lagos Tollgate and the about 2 km stretch between Shagamu and Ogere, but it suddenly becomes impossible to skip the less than 3km CH 115-117 and 125 and continue work on the remainder 22km.

“From all of the above, it is clear that Federal Minister did not have the right
facts in ascribing blame for non-completion of the Lagos Ibadan Express
Road to the Oyo State Government. Even after the less than 3km CH 115-
117 and 125 is completed in February 2023, we doubt if the Lagos-Ibadan
Expressway project would be anywhere near completion to CH127.6.