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Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared a state of emergency on Lagos bad roads and ordered massive repair work on critical  highways across the state, beginning from Monday Oct. 14.
                    The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, said in a statement that Sanwo-Olu’s directive followed series of meetings with eight multi-national construction firms which began a few weeks back. The contractor deployed by the government included Julius Berger, Hitech, Arab Contractors, Metropolitan Construction, Slavabogu Construction, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), Rajaf Foundation Construction, and RCF Nigeria Ltd. After his final meeting with the contractors, he ordered the commencement of major construction work on identified highways considered critical to the reduction of traffic congestion in the state. The governor said all the eight engineering firms had been given the mandate to immediately mobilise their equipment on the sites and commence major construction works on the identified roads. This afternoon, We have just concluded meeting with various reputable construction companies and all of them have been given the brief to immediately commence major construction work in various parts of the state. The exercise will begin on Monday with palliative work on the selected roads, which are both on the Island and mainland divisions of the state. The contractors have been given the mandate to start mobilising their equipment to their respective sites without further delay. Their activities must first give our people an immediate relief on the affected roads so that there can be free flow of traffic even during the rehabilitation work,” he said.
                      To complement the major construction work on the highway, Sanwo-Olu said that the Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC) would be carrying out repairs of 116 inner roads across the state. This, he said, would be in addition to over 200 roads already rehabilitated by the corporation in the last three months. The governor said he was not unaware of the pain experienced by road users in the past few days, which was compounded by persistent downpour. He appealed to residents to bear with the government, while efforts were being made to assuage their pains and bring permanent relief to them. We expect the rains will begin to subside in this month of October and this is why we are mobilising our contractors to immediately start the major construction work on the identified highways and bring permanent relief to residents. I am giving all Lagosians the assurance that the contractors will start the construction in earnest and will deliver on the terms of agreements reached with them,” the governor said. Sanwo-Olu said that officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) would be working round the clock to control traffic in the areas where the construction would take place. The Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, Aramide Adeyoye, listed some of the critical highways and roads to be constructed to include Ojota stretch of the Ikorodu Road and Motorways-Kudirat Abiola Way. Others are Apongbon Highway, Babs Animashaun Road, Agric/Ishawo Road and Ijede Road in Ikorodu, and Lekki-Epe Expressway from Abraham Adesanya to Eleko Junction. Adeyoye said that there would be massive re-construction work on a network of roads in Ikoyi, Ikeja GRA and Victoria Island. (NAN)