After 30 years of neglect, Ogun partners investors to reconstruct Atan-Agbara road

Although the long-term plan of Nigeria’s government in the 1970s on Badagry-Agbara-Abeokuta-Sokoto expressway was to develop a road linkage between Nigeria and some West African countries through Seme border and ease haulage of goods from that axis to other parts of the country, but neglect of the road has made the plan to be a mirage.
Badagry-Agbara-Abeokuta-Sokoto road connects Apapa seaports and Seme land border as well as one of the largest industrial hubs in the country – Agbara Industrial Estate, where both Federal and Ogun State governments generate large chunk of revenue annually. But to some investors, it is unfathomable while such strategically-structured economic road would be neglected 30 years on.
Consequently, Ogun State has entered into an all-inclusive agreement with major investors in the axis, including Nestle, Unilever, GSK and Suntory Foods, Reckitt Benckiser, among other investors under the supervision of Agbara Estates Limited, to reconstruct the economic road on behalf of Federal Government.
The effort to reconstruct the road to link Lagos end of Badagry-Seme-Republic of Benin expressway is coming after Ogun had awarded a N23 billion concrete road project along the corridor to ease human and vehicular traffic inbound and outbound Ogun State, Lagos State as well as Benin Republic through either Idi-Iroko border or Badagry-Seme border.
Speaking at a strategic meeting where agreement was signed with the Ogun State government in Abeokuta at the weekend, Kolapo Lawson, chairman of Agbara Estates Limited, who spoke on behalf of the private sector, said, “The road from Atan to Agbara is a federal road, it is supposed to be expressway, but it has been abandoned for 30 years.
“Federal Government on many occasions has said we are doing this road, and it has never been done. Ogun State government has taken the initiative now to rebuild the road on behalf of the Federal Government; it is a good thing because it gives all industries in Agbara leverage to distribute goods all over Nigeria without going through Lagos.
“To embark on this project, we need to have rules and in Nigeria, people don’t obey rules. We have encroachment and illegal structures all over the place and without government, you can’t deal with that. I’m glad that government now gives us full support, they will deal with illegal structures and create enabling environment that industries need.
“The road when completed, it will really improve business in that axis as well as in Nigeria, a journey that takes three hours today, will be reduced to one hour, and you can imagine how this will improve business. People coming from Togo, Cotonou, Seme-Badagry and Apapa ports will benefit a lot.
“Luckily, the Badagry is being rebuilt by Lagos State government, so the combination of all those things will really boost investment in that axis and hopefully, Agbara will be the largest industrial hubs in Nigeria.”
But, speaking on behalf of Ogun government, Bimbo Ashiru, commissioner for commerce and industry, declared that a Road Rehabilitation Committee had been set up in partnership with industrialists and modalities is being worked upon to fast track the reconstruction of roads in Agbara Industrial Estate within six months.
Ashiru said ministries of commerce and industry, works, environment, local government and chieftaincy affairs, urban and physical planning and Ogun State Property and Investment Corporation (OPIC) would represent government in the Committee while Agbara Industrial Estates and Unilever Nigeria would co-ordinate private sector involvement in the road reconstruction project.
He added that the committee was charged with the responsibilities of ensuring completion of the project and put an end to illegal encroachment by demolishing illegal structures obstructing the free flow of water and traffic in and around the estate, saying: “the whole idea is to create new investment haven in Agbara and its environs. This has been what we have been doing in the last six years to create enabling environment for business to thrive.”
Similarly, Babajide Odusolu, managing director of OPIC, noted that government would design and build a new residential area for those whose structures were demolished in the process and construct central shopping area and commodity market for people in order to ease the pains of demolition that may be suffered by some occupants that are regarded as illegal structures owners and land encroachers.

 

RAZAQ AYINLA