The deplorable state of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and the attendant loss of lives and property have continued to be a source of concern to many — especially stakeholders. Adebayo Waheed reports. The carnage on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway has continued to give concern not only to the users of the road but the Federal Government. As a result of this, stakeholders gathered recently under the auspices of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) to fashion out ways to ameliorate the deplorable condition of the road.
It is said that in the past, it took motorists 45 minutes to travel from Ibadan to Lagos but now the reverse is the case as motorists spend between one hour and one hour 30 minutes due to the deadly potholes that have taken over the road.
There is no doubt that the road has become a death trap where lives are lost on daily basis.
In fact, hardly can a day pass without the record of a major or minor accident on the road which often leads to the death or maiming of motorists.
The law enforcement agents have no doubt, played their part in ensuring that road accidents are minimised on the road but the fact remains that more must be done to arrest the situation.
It is in this regard that the unit commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Toll Gate/Oluyole, Adegboyega Adeleye, summoned a meeting of stakeholders with a view to finding temporary solution to the situation before the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
The stakeholders included representatives of NUPENG, Nigeria Police, Nigeria Civil Defence and Security Corps (NCDSC), FRSC, NURTW, Quarry and tanker drivers among others.
In his address to the stakeholders, the FRSC Commander, noted that in the past, most of the quarries operating along the Ibadan axis of the road donated gravel and laterite which were used to fill the potholes. He stressed that this time round, as both Christmas and New Year festivities approach, there was the need for concerted efforts from all the stakeholders to contribute meaningfully to the rehabilitation of the road in order to ensure a hitch-free traffic flow during and after the festivities.
While expressing the determination of the FRSC to reduce the carnage on the road during the period, he noted that since the Federal Government concessioned the road to Bi-Courteny for total rehabilitation, no meaningful development had been seen to take place, adding that the stakeholders had been responsible for partial rehabilitation of the road.
The FRSC unit commander declared that many accidents on the road which had led to the untimely death of many people, had turned many children into orphans, prostitutes, political thugs and armed robbers while others who had been lucky to escape death, have permanent disability.
He said in most cases, hospitals have rejected the accident victims while complaints to government on the issue had not yielded any positive result, adding that there were not enough staff, ambulance and patrol vehicles for rescue operations.
According to him, the deplorable condition of the road has made it possible for armed robbers to attack unsuspecting motorists, who take advantage of the bad spots while female victims are often raped.
Said he, efforts by the FRSC officials and the policemen in ensuring the safety of lives and property along the road had led to stop and search operations while some of them had paid with their lives.
He, therefore, challenged the stakeholders to rehabilitate the road before the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Some of the stakeholders who spoke at the occasion praised the initiative of the FRSC in bringing them together for the rehabilitation of the road which they all agreed had led to the loss of many lives.
According to the Head, Traffic and Liaison of Bi-Courteny Highway Services, Mr Gbenga Larinyo, since the road was concessioned` to the company two years ago, no money had been received from the Federal Government, saying all expenses on the rehabilitation of the road including staff salary were being paid by the company.
Larinyo, who noted that since the road was not on contract basis but on concession, it would be constructed within four years and managed by the company for 25years.
He, however, added that measures had been put in place to commence the proper reconstruction of the road saying bill boards, road signs and clearing of space for trailer parks had been done to ensure free flow of traffic during the exercise.
The chairman of Bi-Courteny Services, Mr Wale Babalakin (SAN), while addressing newsmen recently, disclosed that the concession was a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project between the Federal Ministry of Works and the company and that under the Design-Build-Operate-Transfer (DBOT), there would be no monetary cost to the government. “The company is expected to raise all the required funds, largely through equity and long term loans,” he said.
He said the primary objective of the proposed rehabilitation and modernisation of the project was to unlock the economic potentials of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway by redeveloping it to efficiently carry the available traffic demand.
He added that in the process, the company would create a world class infrastructure that would be the pride of all Nigerians.
He said the modern expressway services and facilities to be introduced include; dawn lighting, improved and new interchanges, a new drainage system, recessed service areas, lay-by emergency parking areas, foot bridges in heavy pedestrian areas, electronic traffic control and obligatory/informative signs.
Speaking on the progress made, Chief Babalakin said steady maintenance works, free of cost to the government was in progress while bush clearing had commenced from Lagos to Ogere.
He said the company had embarked on ameliorating activities to improve on the condition of the road and had repaired critically failed section, adding that it had partnered with stakeholders on the Lagos-Ibadan road such as the FRSC, the Nigeria Police, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement (TRACE), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NUTRW) and the trailer drivers to ensure free flow of traffic.
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