The Ogun State Government says it has commenced work on the bad portions of the Sango-Ota-Ijoko road to ease the suffering of commuters.
The reconstruction work will move towards Akute on the border with Lagos in the coming weeks.
The Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tokunbo Talabi, stated this during a press conference at the Olusegun Osoba Press Centre, Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, on Tuesday, disclosed that the palliative work would be completed in two weeks.
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According to Talabi, there is a cordial relationship between the state and the Federal Government on finding a lasting solution to the deplorable condition of sections of the road.
He added that both governments in the past had looked at some issues together and taken turns to find solutions.
“What is happening is that the road is already contracted out and so it makes it difficult to go into a contracted road. On the source of funding, in recent times, the governor had personally delivered financial options to the Minister of Works, but they said not, that it was not going to work. We made another, they said it was not going to work and we did the third. We have moved around all the agencies that can support those options and they are in line.
“We are not aware that those options are not acceptable, but it would be that the Minister had advance knowledge of that, but that was not communicated to us. I am sure those grey areas will be sorted out in no time.
“What I want us to know is that people find it difficult to differentiate between state and federal government roads. On that Sango-Ota-Ijoko road, there were options to use the tax credit to fund the reconstruction and we found somebody with a tax credit suitable enough to fund the road. And if there is a gap, we are prepared to fill those gaps and that has been communicated to the various ministries involved. Discussions are going on between the governor and the minister and I am sure they are working towards resolving the issues.
“One thing is certain, our people are suffering. You can not delay that suffering and we are trying to ensure that bureaucracy does not stop the progress of enjoying the benefits of that road because it is a major artery of the state. Nobody will go to that road a number of times, where people are complaining, without having sympathy for those who use the road. So, it is understandable and we know that the governor will meet his own commitment by starting palliative work on that road,” the SSG stated.
Talabi, while assuring that the State government would do its bit to ensure that the road is motorable, attributed the poor condition of the road to more than 15 years of neglect, assuring that there would be a major improvement in the next two weeks.
Explaining some of the steps taken to address workers’ and pensioners’ demands, the SSG disclosed that the State government would henceforth pay gross salary to workers beginning from July, while the N500m quarterly release to upset pensioners’ entitlements would also be sustained.
Talabi, who disclosed that a total sum owed pensioners stood between N60b to N70b, added that the total worker’s deductions amounted to about N10b, stating that the State government was working towards settling the outstanding arrears by the end of 2022.
Speaking earlier, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Abdulwaheed Odusile, while briefing newsmen on the decisions taken at the State Executive Council meeting held Monday, revealed that the State government had awarded contracts for the construction of some roads across the three Senatorial districts.
Some of the roads according to Odusile include Ilaro-Owode road, Sagamu-Ikenne road, Siun-Owode road, and Sagamu Round About- Iperu road.
He stated further that the State government also approved the filling of vacant stools of some traditional rulers and the change of names of some.
