Nigeria’s Federal Government has blamed heavy rainfall and gridlock for their inability to meet up with the April 30 deadline for the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The director, Federal High Ways, South-West at the Ministry of Works and Housing, Ademola Kuti, disclosed this in an in an interview on Sunday.
He said, “The earlier completion date of 30th of April, we were unable to meet that target because of some factors, majorly the heavy rain which we experienced since March and April and of course the unexpected heavy traffic.”
He, however, assured motorists plying the route that the Federal Government was determined to complete the project but said he couldn’t give an exact date of completion as he couldn’t predict the weather.
“So, as we move into the next month (May), we expect that the rain will still be heavy and it will be a bit difficult but what we want to assure motorists is that we are determined to complete this project, we are fully on the ground.
“As a matter of fact, we opened access in the OPIC axis, that is from the Kara Bridge to the Long Bridge and what is left is just about a kilometre as you enter Lagos and then maybe another two kilometres as you are leaving Lagos and we are fully determined with enough men on the ground to achieve this,” Kuti stated.
After failing to meet up with the December 2022 deadline for the completion of the road project, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, had set a new completion date of April 30.
Chioma Kalu
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