Expansion, Upgrading Of Lagos/Ibadan/Sagamu Expressway As Economic Prosperity Driver

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have a shared vision for infrastructure development as a driver of eco­nomic growth. By focusing on road network infrastructure, in particular, they hope to achieve great economic transformations for the country. Additionally, considering the context of Ogun State’s development, Governor Abiodun has always emphasized the importance of infrastructure development and community in­terconnectivity.

Penultimate Saturday, he re­corded a significant milestone in his desire for infrastructure transformation when President Tinubu flagged off the expan­sion of Lagos-Ibadan-Sagamu Expressway in pursuit of his re­newed hope agenda.

The project serves as a booster to the existing symbiotic relation­ship between Lagos and Ogun states. As the Lagos’s explosive population continues to increase exponentially and increasingly becoming choky, Ogun state serv­ers as a buffer, absorbing exodus of people seeking for affordable accommodations.

Without a good road network, connecting the two states, it would have been impossible to check and moderate the rapid­ly growing population of the nation’s commercial nerve cen­tre. Official report reveals that around 6,000 people arrive in Lagos daily, with nearly 3,000 of them settling in the city without providing any known addresses. Currently, Lagos has an estimat­ed population of 27 million. By 2035, its projected population will be close to 25 million inhabitants, according to the World Popula­tion Review. Lagos hosts one of the biggest ports in Africa and it is also a major commercial and financial centre on the continent.

With the increasing infra­structural developments that are planned in the long term, Lagos and Ogun states are expected to continue to attract international businesses. Just as Lagos govern­ment is proposing a new interna­tional airport close to Epe axis to complement the existing airport at Ikeja, so also is Abiodun ad­ministration tirelessly working towards the completion of the Gateway International Cargo Airport, Ilishan-Remo, for the commencement of full commer­cial flight operations.

The Federal Government’s initiative expanding the Lagos end of the ever-busy expressway aligns with the broader objec­tive of joint border development between Lagos and Ogun State for free human and vehicular movements. While performing the official take off of the recon­struction and expansion of the Lagos-Ibadan Dual Carriageway, section 1, and section 1 of the La­gos-Sagamu Expressway at Sag­amu, President Tinubu said the project, which would be complet­ed in 24 months, would cover un­derpasses at Kara, Wawa, Mag­boro, and Arepo, while flyover bridges would be constructed at Kilometer 16 around the Moun­tain of Fire Ministries (MFM) and Kilometer 37 at Makun around Sagamu.

Additionally, the President in­formed that Pedestrian bridges would be constructed at Arepo, Magboro, NASFAT, Deeper Life, and Redemption Camp, while the construction of the 60 ki­lometers remaining portion of the Sagamu-Benin Expressway from Sagamu Interchange to Itele would be flagged off to ensure the safety of road users.

The President, who was repre­sented by Governor Abiodun, ac­knowledged the strategic impor­tance of the road as the busiest, providing a direct link between Lagos, the commercial capital of the nation, and the 17 southern states of the federation. He said: “The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is not just another road; it is the busiest highway in Nigeria and the gateway to the hinterland, serving as the primary link be­tween Lagos, the nation’s com­mercial capital, and the rest of the country.

“The Federal Government is committed to leveraging our nat­ural resources by linking rural roads to urban centers, commer­cial hubs, and industrial corri­dors. The strategic roles align with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and com­mitment to rebuilding, expand­ing, and modernizing our nation­al road networks, railways, and airports, which is critical to the nation’s economic prosperity.”

President Tinubu further em­phasised the importance of road infrastructure as fundamental to the socio-economic development of any nation. Not only that it sustains economic growth, it also facilitates mobility, and enhances quality of life.

He, however, noted that the road had suffered neglect under successive administrations, re­sulting in loss of lives as a result of its poor condition. He said that by upgrading and expanding the expressway, the Federal Govern­ment aimed to achieve signif­icant reduction in travel time, improve efficiency and produc­tivity, enhance safety, and facili­tate ease of doing business in the country.

The president maintained that the inclusion of the Sag­amu-Ore in this phase further underscored the essence of his Renewed Hope Agenda and the vision of ensuring that national road networks meet internation­al standards and support aspira­tions for economic expansion and industrial development.

Minister of Works, Senator (Engr) Dave Umahi, lent cre­dence to President Tinubu’s commitment to road network transformation in his address at the event. He said: “In the Lagos-Ibadan project, we have section 2, phase 2, and part of what we are doing today is that phase 2, which was awarded to Julius Berger. When we could not resolve our differences in terms of price, we terminated the job.

“What we are doing today is part of the Lagos-Ibadan project, which is phase 2, and it includes the works on Magboro under­pass, Warewa underpass, Arepo underpass, Sagamu, and Iperu; that is 12 kilometers by 2, which is 24.

“The next phase of this job is also 48 kilometers by 2, that takes off from Iperu and gets to Ijebu- Ode. That is the Sagamu-Ore road.”

The Minister directed that no payment should be made to con­tractors without an Advanced Payment Guarantee (APG) cer­tificate, adding that it must be valid at the time of payment to the contractor, and the Perfor­mance Bond must also be valid before any payment is made to the contractor.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Works, Hon. Akin Alabi, said the House was poised to work with the Ministry to en­sure that Nigerians have access to good road networks, stating that the road is not just for the people of Ogun State alone as it would affect the economic lives of Nigerians.

The Ogun State Commission­er for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, expressed gratitude to the federal govern­ment for including footbridges in the project, assuring that the State would work with the con­tractor and federal government officials to ensure the speedy completion of the job.

The Akarigbo of Sagamu and Paramount Ruler of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, while call­ing for the construction of two flyovers at the Sagamu junction and at the police divisional junc­tion, also called for the construc­tion of a fire station to respond to fire incidents on the road.

Governor Abiodun later per­formed the flagging-off of the project on behalf of President Bola Tinubu. The reconstruction aims to ease congestion, enhance road safety, and boost trade and productivity.

The Lagos-Ibadan Express­way to the nation’s economy cannot be overemphasized. The ever-busy expressway also plays a critical role in linking Lagos with the rest of the country. It is particularly important to Ogun State as it serves as the primary transportation link between the state and the economic power­house of Lagos, facilitating the movement of people, goods, and services, thereby significant­ly contributing to Ogun State’s economy and development by enabling easier access to mar­kets, jobs, and essential services within Lagos.

The expressway is the oldest in Nigeria, commissioned in August 1978 during the military regime of Lieutenant-General Olusegun Obasanjo. It is a 127.6-kilome­tre-long (79.3 miles), connecting Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State and Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city. It is also the major route to the northern, southern and eastern parts of Nigeria.

The expressway is the busiest inter-state route in Nigeria and constitutes one of the largest road networks in Africa.

The reconstruction of the ex­pressway was flagged off in July 2013 by President Ebele Goodluck Jonathan, the then president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to help reduce the travel time of hundreds of thousands of com­muters and international air passengers.

The contract was awarded to Julius Berger Nigeria and Reynolds Construction Compa­ny (RCC) Limited at the cost of N167 billion, which is equivalent of $838,986,290. The Lagos to Sag­amu Interchange was handled by Julius Berger and section II, Sag­amu Interchange to Ibadan, by Reynolds Construction.

The expansion flagged off by President Tinubu is to remove the bottleneck at the Lagos end of the ever-busy expressway.

Ogbonnikan writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.

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