LAGOS –IBADAN EXPRESS ROAD WILL BE COMPLETED SOON- SENATOR ADEOLA

N20.5Billion in 2018 Budget for the Road.

As the National Assembly considers the 2018 Appropriation Bill presented to it by President Mohammadu Buhari on November 7, 2017, amidst raging controversy over reduced funding for the Lagos-Ibadan Express Road in the 2017 Budget, Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos West) has assured Nigerians that the ongoing work on the Dual Carriage Way being undertaken by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc and Reynolds Construction Company Ltd will be completed hopefully in 2018 as ample provisions were made for it in the 2018 Budget proposal.

The senator who is the Chairman of Senate Committee on Local Content and a member of the Senate Finance Committee was reacting to the recent condemnations of the Executive and the National Assembly over the reduction of a proposed N31billion to N10billion in the 2017 Budget and the failure of a proposed virement before the presentation of the 2018 budget proposals saying that with the President’s presentation of the 2018 Budget, the issue of virement is now in abeyance with the issue still trapped in legislative process of the National Assembly.

“ Following the President presentation of the 2018 Budget proposal, our focus is now on how to appropriate funds for the Lagos Ibadan Express Dual carriage Way as the virement requested by the Executive as well as Supplementary Budget suggested by some of us did not see the light of the day with the year almost gone. “ he stated.

He was however happy that the 2018 Budget proposal under consideration made ample provisions for the key infrastructure that serves as a major road network for economic activities in Nigeria adding that efforts will be made to ensure that the provisions are passed and strict implementation enforced for the completion of the project.

“In all a total of N20.5billionwas made for the dual carriage way in the 2018 proposal. For Section 1 of the project, N9billion was proposed while Section 2 of the project has N11.5billion. We will consider an increase if possible in view of debt from unpaid completion certificates already executed on the two sections so as to see contractors back to site and working fully early next year” he stated.

Senator Adeola therefore urged Nigerians to be patience and drive carefully on the ever busy highway undergoing rehabilitation particularly at this Yuletide adding that he is positive of massive improvements on ongoing work on the road before 2018 runs out.