LAGOS - The Amuwo- Odofin Local Government Council in Lagos has concluded arrangement to reconstruct all the roads in Festac Town with concrete in order to make it durable at the cost of N20 Billion.
The council boss comrade Adewale Ayodele who made the disclosure while fielding questions at a media parley on the achievement of his administration said the move becomes imperative in order to give the roads the status they deserve.
He however said the roads will be tolled to enable the financiers recoup their money, disclosing that the duo of construction giants of Julius Berger and the China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC) have begun preliminary work on the project.
His words, “We are looking for N20 billion for the reconstruction of the roads, we want to make them durable. They have become so bad because they were constructed with just literate, they have no stone and concrete, but we want to use asphalt so that they can last longer”.
On the funding, the chairman said some options are being considered by the stakeholders, which include offshore, local bank which will attract 20% and bond which will also attract 4%.
While commenting on the toll, he said the council on the understanding that residents are mostly retirees, has decided to make payment simpler, saying they will be made to pay between N15, 000.00 to N20, 000.00 monthly at four installments, while motorists on transit would be made to pay a fixed charge that is commensurate with best practice.
He pointed out that most of the roads were constructed with mere literati without asphalt and concrete befitting a residential enclave of international repute which the town represents, leading to the dilapidating and bad condition which they are presently.
Ayodele said the town was built for merely 300,000 people, adding that the population has in the course of time increased to 800,000, which had brought pressure on the roads and other available infrastructure.
The council boss blamed the Federal Government for the predicament of the roads and for allowing them to suffer neglect for so long a time, even as he appealed to the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), the manager of the estate to live up to its billings.
He stressed the determination of his administration to address infrastructural decay, economic issues and future opportunities for growth and transformation necessary to achieving the economic vitality and prosperity desired in the council area.
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