The Ogun State government has declared its readiness to take over the construction of the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road from the Federal Government and transform it into a world-class carriageway.

The road, which runs through Lagos and Ogun states, has been in a deplorable condition for years, resulting in untold hardship for motorists, especially citizens of Ogun State.

The Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration has provided palliatives on the road since 2019.

Efforts by Prince Abiodun, in conjunction with his Lagos State counterpart, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, were rebuffed by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

However, the unrelenting efforts of Governor Abiodun finally yielded fruit when the federal government announced its approval for the Ogun State Government to embark on the reconstruction of the dilapidated road and toll it.

Minister of Works, David Umahi, spoke on the new federal government position after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Aso Villa, Abuja on Monday.

“On permission to build federal roads, when such requests are made, we give approval within 24 hours but then there are conditions to be met – they must have to use the Federal Ministry of Works standard designs,” Umahi said.

Appreciating the gesture of the federal government while commending Governor Abiodun for his resilience in pursuit of the approval, Ogun State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, declared that the state is ready to take on the project and end the many years of suffering of her people.

Akinsanya said the road is roughly 70km long, with Ogun having about 61km and Lagos State, 9km. He said that the state government has been rehabilitating the road since 2019, but that the approval to reconstruct it is a welcome development.

“Ogun State has been rehabilitating the road since 2019. We kept doing palliative works because the governor is always concerned about the sufferings being experienced by the people. He remained concerned about the deplorable state of the road till he got what he wanted from the federal government.

“With the transfer done now, we are happy and ready to immediately take over the project and turn around the fortunes of the road. It’s what we’ve been looking for, praying for since we came on board. We will take over immediately, subject to paper works between us and the federal ministry,” he stated.

The commissioner added that the state will work with the federal Ministry of Works to meet the federal government’s criteria. He said the project will be funded through a public-private partnership arrangement and work will start as soon as possible.