Mimiko commends Jonathan on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, has described the reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by President Goodluck Jonathan as an indication that the government is sensitive and has good intentions.

Jonathan had on Friday inaugurated the reconstruction of the road, which will gulp N167bn with the declaration that it would be ready by 2017.

Mimiko in a statement in Akure on Saturday by his Commissioner for information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, commended the Federal Government for taking the initiative to reconstruct the road described as the busiest in Africa.

He said, “The generation unborn will remain grateful to the Jonathan administration for the total overhauling of the road which has overtime become a death trap.

“This step is indeed noble and the name of this administration has no doubt been written in gold for taking the bull by the horn and ensuring a lasting solution is found to the death trap called Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

“Quite a number of lives have been wasted on this road because of its bad state and at last, President Jonathan has provided the solution that hitherto seemed elusive to make the road safe for use.”

Mimiko said the advantage of a good Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to the health and economy of the nation could not be over emphasised.

He added that the road must be serving a pivotal role in the nation’s economy to have been adjudged the busiest on African continent.

Mimiko said, “A road that is used by an estimated 250,000 vehicles daily is too important to be left in bad shape especially if the over 600 lives said to have been lost on the road in 2012 alone should be taken into consideration.”

The governor noted that the reconstruction of the road would be a major achievement to be recorded by any government in the country, adding that the credit for the project should be given to the President.

He therefore appealed to the President to ensure that the project was professionally handled and delivered on time.

Mimiko said the Federal Government’s decision to reconstruct the road was a blessing to Nigerians and the South-West in particular.

He also pleaded with road users to take cognisance of the repair and drive more carefully on the road.