RT. Rev. Babatunde Adeyemi, Bishop, Diocese of Anglican Communion, Cathedral Church of St. Thomas, Badagry, Lagos, on Monday described the deplorable state of Lagos-Badagry Expressway as a shame to the entire nation.
Adeyemi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Badagry that the expressway had become a deathtrap to the people plying the road.
“When we saw the rehabilitation of the expressway between Igbo-Elerin junction and Agbara axis, we were happy thinking that the rehabilitation would get to Badagry.
“But we were wrong. The rehabilitation stopped at Agbara.
“Nothing is going on as of today between Agbara and Oko-Afo, while the pace of work between Oko-Afo and Ibereko is so slow. Only God knows when the work would be completed,” he said.
The Bishop appealed to Lagos State and Federal governments to help cover the potholes during the rainy season.
“This will allow the users enjoy a little respite,” he said.
Adeyemi said the residents of Badagry had suffered so much neglect from successive governments of Lagos State as if the town was not part of the state.
“The suffering of our people on Badagry Expressway is compounded by the number of checkpoints mounted by various security operatives which have become a lucrative source of pecuniary gains to officers.
“They target various bad portions of the road and where that is not done they put used tyres and block the good parts of the road.
“One could count as many as 30 checkpoints between Ibiye and Seme, yet their presence did not stop smugglers and robbers from operating without hindrance.
“We appeal to the government at all levels to ameliorate our people’s suffering by rehabilitating the expressway in good time.
“Badagry is a foremost gateway to Nigeria and the deplorable state of the expressway is a shame to the entire nation,” he said.
NAN reports that on April 4, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, assured that the ongoing Lagos-Badagry Expressway rehabilitation/reconstruction project was not forgotten but on the 2021 Sukuk funding priority list.
Fashola gave the assurance in Lagos during an inspection tour of road projects in the state.
He said major drainage works were ongoing and progressing to upgrade the highway from its old status to ensure durable construction, saying that funding challenges were being resolved.
“Lagos-Badagry Expressway is the real challenge. Again it is funding.
“We are owing the contractor. That is why I said if we can expand the Sukuk this year, we are going to look at a few more roads to add to it.
“If we succeed Lagos-Badagry Expressway is one of the top roads we are penciling down for the Sukuk in 2021.
“If that happens, then the contractor will do his work but I think it is important to help us communicate to the people who use that axis that they are not forgotten.
“Work has started. There was a time when there was no contractor there, so, there is now a contractor,” Fashola said. (NAN)
