Nigerian President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the renovation and development of the Lagos-Ibadan Dual Carriageway and Lagos-Sagamu Expressway.
Tinubu flagged off the 24-month project at Sagamu, Ogun State, featuring underpasses at Kara, Wawa, Magboro, and Arepo and flyover bridges at Kilometer 16 around the Mountain of Fire Ministries (MFM) and Kilometer 37 at Makun.
He said pedestrian bridges would be built at Arepo, Magboro, NASFAT, Deeper Life, and Redemption Camp, and the 60-kilometer Sagamu-Benin Expressway from Sagamu Interchange to Itele would be halted to ensure road user safety.
Speaking through Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun, the President emphasized the strategic importance of the busiest route, which connects Lagos, the commercial center, to the 17 southern states of the country.
“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.
Inclusion of the Sagamu-Ore in this phase reinforced the Renewed Hope Agenda’s goal of ensuring national road networks match international standards and assist economic and industrial development, the President said.
Senator Dave Umahi, Minister of Works, 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.
House Committee on Works Chairman Hon. Akin Alabi said the House will work with the Ministry to guarantee that Nigerians have access to good road networks, not just for Ogun State but for all Nigerians.
The Ogun State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, thanked the federal government for incorporating footbridges in the project and promised to collaborate with the contractor and federal officials to finish the task quickly.
The Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, called for a fire station to respond to road fires and two flyovers at the Sagamu intersection and police divisional junction.
Governor Abiodun marked the project’s launch for President Bola Tinubu.