The Federal Ministry of Works has said that the design for the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is ready.
Our correspondent gathered on Monday that the next phase of work on the road would commence soon because the final reconstruction design was recently submitted to the minister’s office.
It was also learnt that the procurement process for the reconstruction of the expressway was ongoing and that the government had not abandoned the project after revoking the concession deal earlier granted to Bi-Courtney Highway Services.
“The project has not been suspended. If it was suspended we won’t be talking of its reconstruction design,” a source at the ministry, who requested not to be named because he was not authorised to speak on the subject, said while reacting to insinuation that the project might have been put on hold.
There had been complaints by road users, who alleged that the government might have suspended work on the road after terminating its concession agreement with Bi-Courtney in November last year for “serial breaches” of the agreement.
The reconstruction and rehabilitation of the road was subsequently awarded to Julius Berger Plc and RCC Nigeria Limited.
Last week, the Minister of Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, said in an interview with journalists in Abuja that the project was never abandoned.
He said the Federal Government was facing some challenges, adding that it had to revoke the concession with Bi-Courtney based on infringement of certain provisions in the agreement by the firm.
Onolememen said, “There is nothing like the project being suspended. The fact that we are inviting the private sector to participate in road development does not mean we will not have challenges. We will have challenges.
“You will realise that the concession of the road was terminated and this is not peculiar to Nigeria. Concessions are governed by rules, and if the rules are infringed upon, there are remedies. One of the first remedies is to revoke the concession, and there are many more that will succeed after that. So, it is not an issue.”
The minister added that the Federal Government would rebuild the road and ensure that Nigerians were relieved of the difficulties they faced when plying the road.
He said, “On the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, The Federal Government, as a deliberate policy, took over its road asset and the government has decided to reconstruct that road by itself.
“The first phase of the reconstruction was the immediate rehabilitation and recovery of failed portions of the road between November and the end of January; and, in fact, that snowballs into the end of February. But as we speak, the final design of that road has been submitted to my office.”