The Ogun State Government says it is partnering with the private sector and the Federal Government on the rehabilitation of many roads in the state in its drive to bring succour to residents.
The state government said no fewer than 120 roads across the 20 local government areas of the state were being considered for rehabilitation.
It added that it was partnering with the Federal Government to reconstruct 14 roads in the state in line with the vision of Governor Dapo Abiodun.
The Head of Service, Kehinde Onasanya, in a statement made available to The PUNCH through his media office on Sunday, disclosed these at a book launch event held in Lagos.
There has been agitation from residents of the state on the dilapidated state of several roads across the state with many residents taking to the popular microblogging app, X.com, to express their dissatisfaction.
According to Onasanya, the state government is harnessing the potential of Public-Private Partnership to address the challenge of infrastructure and boost the economic growth of the state.
“The state is also collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Works for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of an additional 14 roads in line with the resolve to bring succour to the people,” Onasanya said.
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He said since the inception of the PPP initiative in Ogun State, projects such as “the Ogun State Agro Cargo Airport, Housing Development projects, Energy Generation, among others, have continued to thrive coupled with the conducive atmosphere created for PPP which has placed the state solidly as the industrial capital of Nigeria.
“Key road networks have also been rehabilitated and expanded through PPP, including the reconstruction of the Ijebu-Ode-Epe Expressway while the Abeokuta-Ota-Lagos Expressway would be rehabilitated through a concession arrangement based on efficient resource management.”
He added that a pragmatic approach to road rehabilitation involved strategic engagement with critical stakeholders, including royal fathers, community and religious leaders as well as lawmakers at the state and federal levels.
Onasanya stated, “Not less than 120 roads, spread across the 20 local governments in the State, were submitted for rehabilitation while works have commenced in many locations.”
Also speaking at the book launch, former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, said governments across the world were very keen on using PPPs to deliver infrastructure and public services to find more ways to meet the huge demand for infrastructure financing as traditional public funding sources always fall short of the investment needed.
He lauded the commitment of the Ogun State government to infrastructure development, which, he said, led to the Federal Government’s approval of the concession of the Abeokuta-Ota-Lagos expressway to the state.
He described the concession as “a step in the right direction which is also capable of generating employment opportunities, and growing the economy.”
