As the Lagos State Government celebrates construction of 114 roads across the 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas (LCDA), it can be revealed that most of the roads do not meet the expected standards.
One of the roads, 736 metres road at the Kalejaye in Mafoluku area of Lagos is yet to be commissioned. However, our correspondent can reveal that the road is already in a terrible shape despite the alleged contractual amount of N1. 3 billion spent on the contract by the State Government.
The road is slated for commissioning this Saturday.
The contract was awarded to a local contractor; Jumbo Engineering Limited while the State Government had spent N19.4 billion on all the 114 roads presently under construction.
The road is a major alternative road to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, but our correspondent observed that even without being commissioned yet, the contractor is already carrying out repair works on the road.
When our correspondent approached the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy title, Musiliu Folami, who had come on inspection tour of the road, confessed that he was a layman in road construction and inspection, but said he was satisfied with what was done so far by the contractor.
However he said that he expected the contractor to carry out some patchy works on some portions of the road that have already gone bad and cracked even without usage.
He also debunked the claim from some quarters that the State Government had spent N1.3 billion on the construction of the road alone, insisting that the government is spending N19.4 billion on construction of 114 roads--two in each local government and local council development areas.
He said, “As a layman, I can tell you that I’m a little satisfied with that I have seen, but all areas that need corrections would be corrected before Saturday when we will come for the commissioning. I’m in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy titles, so, I don’t know much about road construction.
“The allegation of N1.3 billion is a false. In fact, the entire 114 roads that are being constructed by the government is N19.4 billion. However, I can assure you that all the corrections would be done before Saturday.”
Also commenting, the contractor, Mr. Sadiq Oluwaseyi, said “I’m very satisfied with whatever we have done. It’s not the contractor’s right to do a walkway for individuals’ houses, but we are doing this for them with our own resources. I can score myself 110 per cent on this job.”
However, some of the residents who spoke with our correspondent lamented the poor condition of the road, saying that the road would not last the test of time.
One Mr. Adewale Olakunmi, decried that the job was poorly done and wondered why the state government would give such a contract to a company without a track record in road construction.
Also, Mrs. Elizabeth Amokwu, a landlady in the area, bemoaned the quality of jobs done on the road by the contractor, stressing that flood was already gathering on the road even when rain drizzles.
She said, “What sort of job is this? Our problem in this country is that we give out jobs or contracts based on man-know-man basis. What is the antecedent of the company that handled this job? Look at the quality of job he’s delivering to the government this Saturday. A very poor work.”
