Respite for motorists as work begins on Seme-Badagry road

The groaning by motorists plying Okokomaiko, Iyana-Iba, Ijanikin and Badagry along Lagos-Badagry expressway may soon come to an end as contractors and the Ministry of Works have intensified work on the road, many have described as a nightmare.

The road, which is ridden with pool-size potholes, has awful failed portions before and after Okokomaiko u-turn, Igbo-Elerin bus stop, Okoko bus stop, Ijanikin, Iyana-Isahi bus stop, Iyana Iba, Volks, and Barracks bus stop, before and after Trade Fair (under the bridge) on both sides, Abule-Osun and immediately after the newly constructed Alakija Bridge.

While the traffic snarl arising from the bad spots bites harder, road users can heave some sigh of relief to a possible end in sight of their nightmare following the intervention of government to fix the road. To avoid a snail-pace construction of the road, the Senate committee on Works, led by Senator Adamu Aliero, was in Lagos at the weekend to press for the speedy completion of the road due to its importance for international trade facilitation.

Aliero and his colleagues were at the quarry of the construction firms handling the job. They also had an on-the-spot inspection of work at Okokomaiko, Ijanikin, Agbara, Topo Badagry and Seme border areas, where the committee charged the contractors to be thorough and hasten up works so that road users could witness needed respite.

Speaking to newsmen after the inspection, Aliero said: “The road is very important for West Africa sub-region, from Togo to Cotonou, Ghana, Côte d’ Ivoire up to Senegal. This is part of the West African super highway. The importance of this road cannot be over-emphasised. It will link Nigeria to the West Africa sub-region and it is part of the ECOWAS protocol for us to construct this road to a standard that can be obtained anywhere in the world and we are happy with what the federal government has started. This project when completed would certainly give this area a new lease of life. It will promote a lot of trade. Already we have close to about 2,000 people that are directly employed through the construction of this road.”

Deputy Manager of Lagos-Badagry Road Project of CGC Construction Nigeria Limited, Mr. Du Yunxiang, told newsmen that they are ready and willing to deliver the road on time. He however urged the Nigeria Customs Service to stop hindering movement of their tankers conveying diesel meant for the construction.