The Nation Newspaper

Tag: road expansion

  • NURTW, RTEAN hail Ambode for new buses, road expansion

    The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) have hailed the Lagos State Government for the massive investment in road infrastructure.

    The state chairmen of NURTW and RTEAN, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede and Alhaji Mohammed Musa, gave the commendation yesterday in Ikeja, Lagos, in interviews with reporters.

    They spoke against the backdrop of key road infrastructure executed by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday.

    The union leaders said the 10-lane expansion of Airport Road, inauguration of Oshodi Transport Interchange, new buses and terminals are milestones in the development of public transportation.

    Agbede, who praised Ambode for investing in the transport sector, said efficient transportation was crucial to the socio-economic development of any state.

    Read also: Ambode hailed for transforming Oshodi

    He said the new 820 buses and road infrastructure would boost transportation and reduce difficulties faced by residents.

    “Our union appreciates the governor for the delivery of these projects and buses.

    “It is a welcome development and it will complement the existing ones to help Lagosians move from one place to another comfortably,” the NURTW chairman said.

    Musa, who commended the government for its investment in road infrastructure and public transportation, appealed to the federal and state governments to fix bad roads in the state and country.

  • Road expansion: Akeredolu pays affected properties’ owners

    Ondo State governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), has started fulfilling his administration’s earlier promise of compensating residents whose properties were affected by road expansion in the Northern Senatorial District of the state.

    A total sum of N13.9 million was disbursed at the ceremony which was attended by eminent sons and daughters of the town.

    Akeredolu, who started the payment of the compensation on Thursday at the palace of Olukare in Ikare-Akoko, said the payment would be in phases.

    Represented by the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Taofiq Abdulsalam, the governor said the first set of the people to receive cheques were the property owners between Oke Alabojuto and the Central Mosque, opposite Olukare’s palace.

    In his speech, the Olukare of Ikare-Akoko, Oba Akadiri Momoh, commended Governor Akeredolu for fulfilling his promises to the people.

    According to the monarch, the governor’s action has shown that he is pro-people.

    The Olukare appealed to the people whose properties had been marked for demolition to cooperate with the state government and the contractors, as the construction works continued.

    The Chairman of Akoko North-East Local Government Area, Mr. Rafiu Eniayewu, said the people of Ikare would remember Akeredolu for what had done in the town.

  • Lagos demolishes buildings for road expansion

    Lagos demolishes buildings for road expansion

    Tears flowed yesterday as the Lagos State Government demolished many houses and shops for the planned expansion of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

    The road has become a nightmare for motorists because of traffic snarl.

    A branch of the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) also fell to the bulldozer.

    Some of the house owners on Sunday appealed to the government to stick to the initially agreed 32meters setback for demolition instead of the 91.44 meters contained in the notice given to them.

    The operation, which started around 3pm lasted several hours.

    As at 7.30pm when our correspondent left the area, the affected traders and landlords were still salvaging their weares and belongings from rubble.

    A paint and chemical trader, Damilola Adegbite said: ‘”I lost many of my goods to the mindless demolition. The seven days notice was not enough to secure a store with space to accommodate my goods. I have lost goods worth N300,000 and some personal belongings.”

    Road users, including commuters and motorists had also on Monday appealed to the Federal Government to repair the failed sections of the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway to ensure a free flow of traffic and save man-hours lost to the gridlock.

    They said the urgent rehabilitation of the bad portions of the road would save users the trauma of wading through traffic jams daily.

    Lagos State Government yesterday described as rumours that it plan to demolish about 1000 houses on the right of way of the ongoing construction of Abule-Egba flyover.

    A statement by Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development Public Affairs Head Shina Odunuga, said the affected structures that have been issued notice for removal are mostly fences, building setbacks and illegal constructions and attachments to buildings.

    The government also frowned at the fact that some corporate organisations and banks are occupying structures without Certificate of Occupancy (C of O).

    The statement explained that the claim that government extended the setback from the initially agreed 32meters to 91.44 meters was not true, adding that government was only implementing existing provision of federal highway regulation Act and gazetted by the Federal Government for Lagos and Abeokuta expressway right of way.

    According to him, “the said 91.44 metres as contained in the Removal Notice is from the Centre of the Existing Road that is 45.72 metres on the right side and 45.72 metres on the left side and not 91.44metres from Existing Electricity Poles as contained in the report.”

    He urged residents to disregard the allegation, adding that the 1000 houses quoted in the report were only a figment of the reporter’s imaginations.

    “The State Government wishes to reiterate that members of the general public whose property may be affected and having valid claim should forward documents of such to the Ministry for record and other administrative purposes,” he said.

    He reiterated the concern of the government towards the plight of the sufferings of the people, adding that it is a listening, compassionate and people-oriented Government that doesn’t want suffering for residents and people of the state.

     

  • Residents seek Dutse Road expansion

    Residents of Dutse Satellite town in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have urged the area council to expand the Dutse-Bwari Road and relocate roadside traders at the Dutse market road to ease traffic congestion.

    Danladi Joshua, a resident of Dutse Alhaji, said that the volume of traffic congestion along the Dutse market road has become so unbearable that the residents do not know the next steps to take to ease their plight that is why they need the leadership of the area council to come to their aide in solving the problems that the roadside traders are causing the people.

    According to Joshua, if the leadership can expand the road for it to accommodate vehicles and also chase the roadside traders into the market, it would ease the traffic flow in the area, saying that the most of the roadside traders do not care the suffering they are causing road users because they want to make ends meet.

    “These traders casing this traffic congestion always come with the excuse that they have to make ends meet, and this congestion is mostly at the junction of Dutse Alhaji, the first gate of Dutse satellite town, because the market is located closed to the road and this rush to beat the traffic jam sometimes causes accident at the junction.

    ”We thank the council chairman for constructing the new market and it has enough space inside, but we are saying that the authority of the Bwari Area Council should expand the road and ensure that the traders who sell their products outside the market are sent into the market, and that would ease the traffic congestion along this Bwari road,” he said.

    Agatha Ohia, a trader in the market said that why most of the traders use outside the market, is as a result of the fact that the market is usually locked as early as 6.30 in the evenings, and those that have not finished selling their wares would then choose to trade outside to sell more.

    “Some of the traders that sell outside the market have shops inside the market and others do not have, and some of them are bread sellers who believe they do not need shops and prefer the roadside.  The truth is that, even if they do not have shops inside the market to sell, that should not give them the right to use their wares to obstruct traffic flow.

    ”If the authority of Bwari area council can map out strategy to expand the road for motorists and relocate most of this traders that do not have shops inside the market. After that, they should set up taskforce to monitor the use of the market and the control of roadside traders even in the evenings, this can go a long way in solving this traffic congestion we always experience on this road, mostly on Monday Market days” she said.