FG owes Ogun over N300bn for roads, says Abiodun

By ERNEST NWOKOLO, Abeokuta

Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun has claimed that the Federal Government owes over N300 billion spent on the rehabilitation of federal roads across the State.

Abiodun lamented the deplorable conditions of most of the federal roads in the State and attendant hardships on residents, travellers and motorists.

He said Ogun needs N13bn to reconstruct the failed portions of the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta expressway.

The governor, who made this known when he received members of Igbobi College Old Boys Association in his Oke Mosan office, added that N75bn would be needed to fix the entire stretch of the road.

“The Federal Government is owing Ogun State over N300 billion for the various federal roads we have constructed so far.

“Concerning the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta expressway, when the engineers were asked to assess the road, they put the cost of reconstructing the failed portions at about N13bn, while the sum of N75bn will be needed to reconstruct the entire stretch of the road. Our State does not have such amount of money,” Abiodun lamented.

He intimated the old boys association of his administration’s achievements in the last two and a half years, noting that interventions had been carried out in the education, health, agriculture, road infrastructure and Information Technology.

He also told his guests that a Tech Hub had been established to chart a pathway to technological innovations in the state.

The governor noted that the security architecture in the State had been rejigged to create conducive business environment.

He said that the local fabric of Adire had been revolutionised to enable the people benefit from its value chain while 7,000 hectares industrial cluster had been opened at Magboro town with necessary facilities for investors’ attraction.

The governor, however, called on investors to take advantage of numerous potentials available in the State, saying that land acquisition, hitherto done haphazardly, had been digitalised.

Chairman of the association, Senator Lanre Tejuosho, said the body was in the State for a four-day retreat, saying the courtesy visit was to familiarise members with officials of government as some of them are interested in investing in the state. (The Nation)