Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have passed a resolution calling on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to urgently complete all abandoned roads.
The House passed the resolution through a voice vote during a plenary conducted by the Speaker, Mrs Mojisola Meranda.
Meranda said all contractors handling abandoned projects be summoned to account for their failures.
The speaker said the abandoned roads include Bola Ahmed Tinubu Road in Igbogbo Bayeku, Ikorodu, which had been abandoned since it was awarded in 2017.
Meranda noted with dismay that several grassroots roads, especially in Ikorodu, Epe, and Badagry, had remained untouched for several years.
She said the House may propose a legislation to prevent successive administrations from abandoning ongoing projects.
Raising the motion earlier, Mr Moshood Aro (Ikorodu 2) highlighted the dangers posed by the neglected roads in Ikorodu.
Aro, a first time lawmaker, recalled that during the last rainy season, a video showing a student being swept away by flood while trying to board a truck to cross the road went viral.
The lawmaker also noted that the area had become a hotspot for armed robbery, making residents feel unsafe.
In his prayers, Aro called on the governor to direct contractors to resume work immediately.
“I want to urge the governor to mandate the state government agencies handling road projects to provide 60 per cent of the required funds to the contractors.
“This is to ensure the security of contractors to facilitate prompt project completion.
“I will also appeal to the House to assign an Ad-hoc Committee on Works to investigate and report back to the House within two weeks,” he said.
Supporting the motion, Sa’ad Olumoh (Ajeromi-Ifelodun 1) revealed that the state government had allocated sufficient budgetary provisions for the road projects.
Olumoh, the immediate past Chairman, Committee on Budget, noted that the contractors had cited rising cost of materials, adding that budget adjustments had been made to accommodate them.
The lawmaker, however, urged the House to summon the contractors to explain the reason for the projects’ delay.
Contributing, Mr Ganiyu Sanni (Kosofe I) emphasised that abandoned roads had been discussed repeatedly in the House, stressing that it was time to enforce strict measures against contractors who failed to deliver.
Sanni called on the Commissioner for Works to provide a briefing on the state of roads across Lagos.
He decried the neglect of Ikorodu, noting that the area had suffered both erratic electricity and bad roads for seven years.
Mr Solomon Bonu (Badagry 1), in his contribution, said that Ikorodu played a crucial role in the last election through its massive votes and deserved better infrastructure.
Bonu also pointed out that some roads in Badagry had also been abandoned for over 15 years.
Other lawmakers also raised concern over the fact that their constituents were losing faith in the government due to unfulfilled promises to deliver infrastructure. (NAN)
