The Nigerian Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, in a televised interview on Sunday announced that the federal government is working to complete the ongoing construction of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and the Second Niger bridge before December 25th, 2022.
The construction of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and the Second Niger bridge are two of the three major Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) projects, with the third being the construction of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria expressway.
What Fashola said
The Minister said even with the ongoing construction of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, commuters can drive twice back and forth as they can cover the route in less than two hours. Babajide Fashola further emphasized that he is waiting on the Oyo State governor to fulfill his obligations to the ongoing construction.
What you should know
The three PIDF projects have collectively provided 5,246 direct jobs and 13,998 indirect jobs. The total cost of these three projects currently stands at N1.3 trillion.
- A breakdown of the total cost shows that the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway (375km) cost N797 billion while the Second Niger Bridge (11.59km) and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (127km) cost N206 billion and N310 billion, respectively.
What you should know
- Lagos-Ibadan expressway is a key facilitator to the East-West trade network in Nigeria. The 127km road houses highway economic opportunities that would provide jobs for thousands of Nigerians. These economic activities include advertising, towing services, relaxation centers, etc.
- The second Niger bridge connects Asaba, Delta State to Onitsha, a town in Anambra State that hosts one of the biggest markets in Nigeria and West Africa. A second Niger bridge would ease the traffic that currently burdens thousands of workers, traders and commuters plying that route.