Senate Seeks Additional Funds for Rehabilitation of Ikorodu-Shagamu Road

By Deji Elumoye and Udora Orizu

The Senate at Wednesday plenary mandated its Committee on Works and Housing to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to include further funding for the rehabilitation of the Ikorodu-Shagamu road in the 2022 Appropriation bill.

It also resolved to provide appropriate funding for the reconstruction of the Ikorodu-Itoikin-Epe road in the 2022 Appropriation bill while directing the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to explore the possibility of other financing sources in order to accelerate the completion of both roads.

The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion on the urgent need to rehabilitate the two roads to further bridge the infrastructural gap and enhance economic growth in Nigeria, sponsored by Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (Lagos East) and co-sponsored by Senators Remi Tinubu (Lagos Central), Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Adeola Olamilekan (Lagos West), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun West), Tolu Odebiyi, (Ogun West) and Lekan Mustapha (Ogun East).

Moving the motion, Abiru said the roads indirectly contribute to the economic growth of a nation and additionally, roads development bring social, cultural and economic changes in the lives of the people in terms of providing connectivity between people and places and thus help in reducing poverty.

According to him, in Nigeria, many roads are in bad shape leading to negative economic effects and the total economic effects of such bad roads to the nation, the health of the citizens, operation of businesses, safety of lives and properties are unquantifiable.

He noted that the Ikorodu–Shagamu road which starts from Ikorodu roundabout terminating in Isale-Oko, Sagamu, Ogun State and the Ikorodu-Itoikin-Epe road starts from Sabo, Ikorodu and terminates in Ijebu-Ode Ogun State are federal roads.

He recalled that the past and continuous volume of traffic on the road has caused a lot of damages to the road corridor.

He said: “Mindful that the Ikorodu–Shagamu road is an old alignment, and is one of the busiest roads in the South-west zone which was constructed in the 1960s before the construction of Lagos– Ibadan expressway and was a major route carrying traffic from Lagos towards the northern part of the country; until the commissioning of Lagos-Ibadan expressway in 1978.

”Convinced that the Lagos–Shagamu road still serves as a great commercial route for the South-west, South-south and indeed the whole nation with several commercial ventures and educational institutions situated in that corridor for example, Lafarge Cement, NNPC depot Mosimi, PZ, Knorr, several metal fabrication companies and Thomas Valley College and Christ Redeemers College.

“Aware that the Ikorodu-Itoikin-Epe road also which had previously been constructed by Messrs Taylor Woodrow Nig. Ltd. was completed and commissioned by the then Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon in 1975.”

Abiru opined that the rehabilitation of Ikorodu-Shagamu and Ikorodu-Itoikin-Epe roads will facilitate easy transfer of goods and services between the interconnecting towns and adjacent states of the country, maintaining and increasing the economic activities along the project corridor.

He added that rehabilitating the roads will further bridge the huge infrastructural gaps in the country to boost economic development as it will also provide an alternative access road to Lagos.

Contributing to the motion, Adeola called for an investigation to know how the funds previously budgeted for the road were expended.