Fix Oshodi-Apapa Expressway

Editorial

Recently, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State, wrote separate letters to President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo, complaining about the terrible condition of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway. It goes without saying that it is a major artery connecting Nigeria’s largest sea ports to other parts of the country.

In the letters, the governor complained about the traffic gridlock on the expressway, the portions that had gone bad and the imperative of fixing it. In fact, the Lagos governor, on 17 September 2012, explained to Sambo what could be done to put the road right.

However, Sambo replied on 3 October 2012 that, given the highly technical nature of the proposal, the Lagos governor should send another letter to President Jonathan. Fashola heeded the advice and wrote another, dated 1 November 2012, to Mr President.

Fashola reminded the President of the clean-up and a clear out exercise embarked upon by the state government in concert with the federal government as a precursor to full restoration of the road.

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According to, Fashola “in a bid to follow up the initial successes that were achieved by the clear-out, our government developed a restoration plan and a budget. I had written to His Excellency, the Vice President to seek permission to present the plan and the budget at the National Economic Council because of my view of national importance and implication of the consequences if we failed to take further action.”

The Nigeria media have, several times, written on the potholes on the road. When the Federal Ministry of Works and its agency, the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, tried to patch them, it was like blocking hurricane sandy with a mattress! It did not take a month before surface run-off washed away the laterite and coal tar on the road.

We submit that while the Federal Government should settle the bickering between the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Federal Ministry of Works over which body has right to fix the road, the Presidency should look into and accept Lagos State’s proposal.

By extension, this should also apply to other federal roads elsewhere. There have been reports of how the Federal Ministry of Works rejected proposals by some governors who wanted to repair federal roads in their territories with the hope of getting reimbursements later. Such governors, persuaded that the government at the centre has too many problems on its plate, decided to repair the roads which are used by their people.

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