Funds delaying Lagos-Badagry Expressway project, says FG

By Dada Jackson

The ongoing reconstruction work on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway may suffer a hiccup if the words of the Director of Highways (South-West), Engr Adedamola Kuti, are anything to go by.

He said on Wednesday during a radio programme monitored by this reporter that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing was willing to complete the road reconstruction project as scheduled but was being constrained by paucity of funds.

His words: “The ministry is not unmindful of the sufferings of motorists and commuters alike who ply the road. But we are being constrained by paucity of funds. You will recall that the funding of the expressway is through Sukuk provided by the Federal Government. The Sukuk funding of the road was incorporated in the 2020 release. It is important to note that Sukuk fund released in 2020 was for roads in the South-West, hence the need to spread the money round the six states that make up the South-West.”.=

He said the reconstruction of the expressway would involve expansion of the present four lanes to six (with three on either side of the road)..

Kuti pointed out that as of now, the contractor handling the project had done about 13 kilometres of drain on the road.

He added that work would commence in earnest as soon as the year 2021 Sukuk fund was released.

He said, “The Federal Government places a very high premium on the road and would not allow the reconstruction to drag on for too long. But our major constraint is finance which hopefully would soon be sorted out.”

He appealed to motorists and commuters plying the corridorto bear with the Federal Government as everything was being done to ameliorate the hardship being experienced on the road.

It would be recalled that motorists and commuters alike have been going through nightmare on the road due to the bad shape of the highway.