THE UNFINISHED HIGHWAY.

THE UNFINISHED HIGHWAY.

The last time I had the opportunity of travelling on Nigeria’s oldest highway was in February just before the original dates of the 2015 general elections. I had the “pleasure” of doing same this week and there was nothing thrilling about it. I managed to film parts of the journey in February with my phone in order to debunk claims by the supporters of the former president who continued to brag that the Lagos-Ibadan expressway was indeed transformed but I did not eventually upload the videos. I must state that there is little difference in terms of progress made on that highway despite the five months since then.

The Lagos-Ibadan expressway is still characterized by the presence of the charred remains of ”autobots and Decepticons” with the basic requirement of Super Mario tactics to drive safely. It is not unusual to encounter tow vehicles and market women trying ever so hard to salvage whatever they can from their upturned baskets of tomatoes following a truck crash. One thing that may not be commonly seen is a “Red Bororo” with all four legs bound falling out of the transporting truck. The stretch of the road from just after the Redemption Camp to Sagamu is pretty much a smooth ride and now appears to be three lanes on both sides. Julius Berger was awarded to reconstruct that portion of the road in July 2013 and since the job has been considerably done; their vehicles and tools are off the road.

There is still no evidence of work from Sagamu all the way to Ajebo. The active Reynolds Construction Company end of the project begins just after the Foursquare Gospel Church camp ground at Ajebo and terminates just before Guru Maharaj Ji’s “One Love Family” compound in Ibadan. It may be important to look back at how the 2013 contracts were awarded by the past Jonathan administration in order to understand certain issues.

http://www.channelstv.com/2013/07/05/jonathan-flags-off-n167-billion-reconstruction-of-lagos-ibadan-expressway/

The reconstruction project estimated to be worth N167 billion was contracted to Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and Reynolds Construction Company Limited and was flagged off by the former president himself. The much shorter Section 1 (Lagos-Sagamu Interchange) went to Julius Berger while section 2 (Sagamu Interchange-Ibadan) was for RCC and everything was expected to be completed within 48 months. Mike Onolememen the former minister of works however informed the nation in January 2015 that August 2017 appeared more feasible because only 30km out of the entire 127km was completed about 18months after the contracts were awarded. I am not certain if much has been gained since he made that statement.

This highway practically connects Lagos to the rest of Nigeria like the aorta takes oxygenated blood away from the left ventricle to the rest of the body. It was commissioned in August 1978 during Olusegun Obasanjo’s time as a military head of state (I believe that most of Nigeria’s post-independence major road constructions can be traced to the military). The Federal Government entered into a Public Private Partnership with Bi-Courtney in 2009 to develop sections of the highway but little or nothing was done save a few billboards adorning the expressway showing a futuristic design that never left “imagin-nation”.

This road like many other partial or phantom projects continues to be sinkholes for the nation’s resources. Sagamu to Ore remains a death trap; Oyo to Ogbomoso should not even be a road for vehicles while the 2^nd Niger Bridge was used to confuse many prior to the elections. We should make serious demands that the new administration take these road and bridge projects seriously. I know a few including brilliant colleagues who were injured, maimed or killed since I started plying the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in 2000. Why should a road that claimed the lives of precious Nigerians and foreigners alike 10-20 years ago still be in the same sorry state till 2017? A massive portion of the Agege motor road at the Idi-oro axis has become a crater and the road to Apapa is in need of urgent attention. I believe it is our duty as citizens to hold the appropriate governments accountable and pressure them to do their duties. They do not get to pay for repairs when our vehicles get damaged; we are the ones who bear the brunt so we must not let them off the hook.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/03/politics-state-federal-roads-dicey-onolememen-minister-works/

The Lagos-Ibadan expressway like all our roads is like a blood vessel. We suffer the risk of thromboembolism as individuals and as a nation due to the unnecessary struggles we have been made to go through as a people. The ever bumpy and prolonged rides may just be the primary or secondary cause of death of many Nigerians on a daily basis. Those who do not get to die now may just have their lifespan cut short from increasing wear and tear on a daily basis. It is high time we put an end to this “suffering and smiling concept”; this is 2015 and the baby born on the day the Lagos-Ibadan expressway was commissioned in 1978 is going to be 38years old in August. Those who have things working for them do not have two heads and do not also have all brands of religious centers lining their expressways; they simply sign the contracts and ensure the job gets done in good time.

P.S: Ibadan people; Bodija was really dirty especially outside the market. Those guys driving micras all across town still do not know how to drive and someone should please inform them to stop perpetually hanging their left hands out of the window.