Fashola Delivers 3 Internal Rehabilitated Roads Of 1.80km To University Of Ibadan The Honourable Minster of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has delivered  three internal rehabilitated roads of 1.80 kilometers by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing  to the management of the University of Ibadan, Oyo State. The 1.80KM roads which were rehabilitated have asphalt overlay, construction of culvert and line drains within the tertiary institution.The roads include: Gongola 230 meters, Sokoto Crescent 560 meters and Amina Way 1,010 meters respectively. It could be recalled that the Federal Government under the 2017 and 2018 appropriation, procured 43 contracts respectively for the rehabilitation of internal roads in Federal Tertiary Institutions in the Six Geo-Political Zones nationwide and University of Ibadan is one of the beneficiaries in the first phase of the intervention. According to the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN who was represented by the Federal Controller of Works, Oyo State, Engineer Oladimeji Awopetu, during the official handing over ceremony, 18 out of the 43 internal roads project had been completed and were being handing over across the nation. The Minister added that the intervention was to bridge the gap of the schools infrastructure needs in learning, adding that students were expressing renewed enthusiasm with regard to attending classes, because some defective roads had been restored to motorability. “To date, 18 out of the 43 interventions have been completed and today we hand over this one in the University of Ibadan, Oyo State as a critical contribution to support education,”Fashola said. Earlier in his opening remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka appreciated President Mohammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works & Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola,SAN for selecting the institution as part of the beneficiaries amongst many tertiary institutions in Nigeria. “For us to have been part of this intervention, we are very grateful, although, we have been doing some palliative repairs in the past but this time around, the Federal Government had surprised us by coming in a big way to fix these roads,”Prof. Olayinka said. The VC revealed that more internal roads of the institution were still yarning for urgent attention. He pleaded with the Federal Government to intervene in those roads as soon as the resources were available. The Director of Works, University of Ibadan, Engr. Adetolu Olufemi said the roads had been a major challenge before the rehabilitation. He thanked the Honourable Minister for the project most especially at this critical period where government resources were dwindling. Also, a student from the Department of European Studies, Adeyemi Ayomikun said that the intervention was a great relief, adding that there was reduced stress  for students moving from the hostels  to lecture rooms. Among the dignitaries present at the handing over ceremony were the Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration, Prof. Kayode Olabode Adebowale, DVC Academics, Prof. Adebola Babatunde Ekanola, DVC Research Innovation & Strategies Partnership, Prof Olayinka Adeyemo, the University Bursar, Dr. Michael Akinade Alatise, Directorate of Public Communications, Mr. Olatunji Oladejo amongst others.   ...

Environmental And Other Factors Affecting Work On  Port Harcourt-Enugu,  Aba -Port Harcourt  Road- Fashola The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing,  Babatunde Raji Fashola,  SAN said what was delaying the completion of the Port Harcourt- Enugu, Aba-Port Harcourt highway were  environmental and other factors. Fashola stated this in Port Harcourt Rivers State  during an  inspection of the Port Harcourt - Enugu section of the highway. He said: "We must first remember that if you do not have water,  you cannot be a Port City. Essentially,  we are building on water. It is a very challenging environment for infrastructure, " he explained. He appealed to the host communities to be patient with  the Federal Government and show cooperation as Government was committed to providing bigger,  better,  wider and safer road for them. "As you can see, our plan is to deliver eight lanes from what was four lanes since we intend  to make our experience better this rainy season than last year." He added that though the work would  not finish this year,Government intended  to finish the four lanes,  divide the four lanes into two;  an incoming and out ward bound traffic that would facilitate free flow of traffic. According to the minister,  that would serve as a form of relief to commuters and other road users  as nine Kilometres of the road from  Eleme junction is in between Port Harcourt urban and metropolitan.  "It is another challenge as it is  already  a built up area, " he said. Speaking on why the road  construction was delayed,  Fashola stated, " A lot of sand filling is going on here,  the road is dug well over two metres and we have to remove the bad soil and replace it with good soil and this accounts for a lot of dredging work going on here." He also explained that part of the road was passing through already built area,  some buildings had to go as well as relocation of power lines.  "These are the challenges and the reasons this road is taking time to be built." Fashola further said that our experience this year would be better than last year. But he quickly called for the cooperation of commuters, communities, Local and State Governments to fast track  the construction of the road. "We expect people to cooperate with us.We expect  people not to park vehicles  on the construction sections because you obstruct traffic. Our highways are not parking lots" He directed  that any vehicle parked on any part of the construction sections of the highway should be  impounded. ...

Construction Of Port Harcourt– Enugu Express Highway Is On Course-Fashola The Honourable of Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, said the on-going expansion and upgrading work on the Port Harcourt– Enugu and the Aba – Port Harcourt Expressway  was  on course. He added that the nine kilometers from Eleme junction to the Imo River and four kilometers of the road to the railway crossing in Aba towards Port Harcourt were sections of the road  being expanded and upgraded from the 4 (four) existing lanes to 8 (eight) lanes so as to accommodate current and future traffic volumes and ease some level of intolerable discomfort especially during the rainy season. Fashola disclosed this during an inspection tour of the highway project in Port- Harcourt,  the Rivers State capital. According to the minister, the road would link the five States in the South -East Geopolitical Zone of the country. The highway has a total length of 41.4km starting from Aba Rail Crossing Bridge within Aba township in Abia state and will finally terminate at Eleme junction Flyover in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Fashola applauded the initiative of the construction company, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Nigeria Limited as it planned  to focus on the first 4 (four) lanes, finish that and put them in to use before reconstruction of the other 4 (four) lanes to reduce the long time spent in traffic by commuters and the community. “If people have two uninterrupted lanes, traffic may be slow but it will move, and therefore we can concentrate on finishing the remaining lanes. When we finish both, then we can have the full compliment of the 8 lane highway.” he said. Fashola said, “Our plan is to make this year better than last year and ultimately by next year, there will be no rainy season challenges because, we should have come out fully from this,”he added. The minister also disclosed that similar construction work had commenced at the Enugu and Okigwe axis of the highway project by different contractors to provide seamless traveling experience. Fashola directed that all vehicles parked at construction sites of highway projects should be impounded, adding that Federal government roads were not for parking lot. “Our highways are not parking lots, people who want to do business must create their own parking lots as well.’’ He urged local and state governments to mobilize their people to be alive to their civic responsibilities and cooperation, pointing out that community and personal hygiene were crucial  in this crisis of Coronavirus (Covid 19). "We must not waste the crisis that Covid-19 represents. It is an opportunity to improve on personal and community hygiene and sanitation such as putting an end to open urination and defecation,” Fashola advised. The Federal Controller of Works Rivers State, Engr. Johnson Fadire who conducted the minister, his team and journalists round the on-going  road construction project said the minister’s inspection was timely and that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing would do the needful to make sure the road was completed and delivered at the right time. Engr. Fadire also commended the traditional rulers who prevailed on their subjects whose properties were demolished for the construction of the highway for agreeing to accept an initial payment of fifty percent for compensation on their demolished properties. Speaking earlier, the project manager of CCECC Nigeria Limited, Mr. Zou Xiaomei one of the contractors handling section IV of the project in Rivers State said although there were initial challenges on the project but with the support of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing most of the challenges were sorted out. ...