Owners of property that had to give way for the ongoing construction of Oshodi Transport Interchange and expansion of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) road can look forward to a relief, as the state government says their compensation will soon be paid.
There is, however, a proviso, as the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode hinted that those with relevant and valid documents may benefit from the payment. It was gathered that the compensation may cost the state government a whopping N1billion.
Ambode undertook a tour of the project and other construction sites on Thursday after which he appealed to those involved to be patient with the government.
He said: “We will soon commence the payment of compensation to all the people that we have in one way or the other demolished their properties. And once their papers are complete, they will be compensated for paying the price for the benefit of Lagos residence and Nigerians.
“I want to also appeal to Lagos residents to bear with us. We recognise the inconveniences and hardship being experienced on this road due to the ongoing construction.
“As much as possible, we are trying to reduce the impact of traffic on residents and road users, believing that it is in the overall interest of all that we should have a standard road that leads to our international airport.
“This road will be delivered as a Christmas gift and we should be able to use it with the Oshodi Transport Interchange and make a major facelift in this axis.”
Ambode said specifically that the Oshodi Transport Interchange was about the recovery of access roads with tunnel, skywalk, park and ride facility, mall, hotels, and five expanded lanes for easy networking of roads in and out of Oshodi area.”
Thomas Cunningham, the contractor handling another project being embarked upon by the state government, the Iyana-Oworo Lagoon Reclamation, said they were at 95 per cent reclamation stage as we have reclaimed 30 hectares. He said that by the end of July, they would have reclaimed the remaining 20 hectares.
At the Bariga-Ilaje link road construction where jetties will be situated for water transportation, the contractor said work was at 65 per cent completion stage, with a mini bus terminal where passengers would alight to take jetties to Apapa, CMS, Ikorodu and Epe.
Ambode, who expressed satisfaction with the work done, said that the 50-hectare land space would not be sold for residential but for transportation and entertainment hub with clubs, bars, hotels, boutique and transportation with jetties among others.
On the Ilaje road construction, he said that the project would be delivered by July, adding that a Primary Healthcare Centre would also be constructed to cater for the highly populated area. The governor also inspected the construction work at the Lagos State Model School, Sabo, Yaba which had 36 classroom and nine laboratories.
He commended the contractors for the pace of work, adding that the model school which would be completed by the end of the year would provide conducive teaching and learning environment. He also said that the renovation of public schools would soon commence to improve the standard of education and meet global standard. According to him, education is a tool for building and molding leaders for tomorrow.
At the Ayinke Maternity Hospital project, located inside the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), the governor said the Ayinke House, “was designed to be the major baby factory for the state. He added that it would be delivered in June and inaugurated for public use by July”.
The Ayinke House is a 162-bed space facility expandable to 250, with features such as 22 neo-natal intensive care units, 16 intensive care units for adults and five fully equipped theatres. Other facilities are laboratory, common ward, maternal and child care centre, among others.
At the Pen Cinema flyover project in Agege, the contractor said the bridge was unusually high at 7.3 metres, saying that it was constructed that way due to the railway and train movement, and assured that it would be delivered before the end of the year.
JOSHUA BASSEY
