Minister of works and housing 

More buildings on right of way along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway are to be demolished to pave way for the expansion of the road.

The Director of the South West Zone of Federal Highways Department, Mr Funso Adebiyi, made the announcement on Tuesday in Lagos, when he led a team of engineers to inspect the ongoing construction on the highway.

He said that 75 buildings were earlier marked for demolition around the Redeemed Christian Church of God axis and that more buildings would be pulled down to make way for expansion.

Adebiyi assured, however, that adequate compensation would be paid to owners of buildings that would be affected before any building would be pulled down.

He said that government was taking advantage of the dry season to complete the building of the road, which is one of the busiest highways in the country.

“We are taking advantage of the weather to fast-track the construction process and we are making significant progress. We are not leaving any stone unturned. As a matter of fact on some of our sites, we are now working 24/7 to ensure we make significant progress before the rains come”.

“Those around Lotto should bear with us. If you see your house marked for demolition it does not mean the end has come. We will not demolish the houses until all compensations are paid. Even if we are to relocate pockets of communities we will do our best to ensure we move them to a better place.”

Adebiyi restated the commitment of the Federal Government to ensuring the reconstruction of highways nationwide.

He appealed to road users to bear the discomforts arising from the road rehabilitation, pleading with them to obey traffic rules to minimise gridlocks on the roads.

The director assured that adequate traffic diversions had been put in place and that government had provided enough funding for the completion of the project on schedule.

He said that about 20 kilometres of the highway had been completed out of the 43 kilometres from Ojota in Lagos to the Sagamu Interchange in Ogun.

According to him, 45 kilometres have been completed out of 84 kilometres on Section Two of the project, spanning from Sagamu Interchange to Ojoo in Ibadan, representing 45 per cent completion.

The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mr Adedamola Kuti, speaking on the section of the road between Berger and Kara, which is also under construction, assured that the project would be completed next month.

Kuti said that materials had been moved closer to site, to ensure speedy completion, saying that “the February completion date for that portion is sacrosanct and we are sure we are delivering it.” (NAN)