Osun Earmarks N5.2bn For Construction Of 53.4km Roads

 

The Osun State Government has disclosed its readiness to commence massive road construction across the three senatorial districts in the State.

The road network according to the State would help to decongest traffic within and outside the State and make life easier for the residents, particularly the motorists.

This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Works and Transport, Mr Remi Omowaye, at a press conference jointly addressed by the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, shortly after the weekly State Executive Council Meeting on Monday, at the EXCO Lounge, Governor’s Office, Abere, Osogbo.

The 54.3km road will cost the State a sum of N5,245,729,794.95.

Omowaye who described the move as a swift response to the people’s yearnings, said the State decided to embark on the roads in order to mitigate the hardship being experienced by the residents of the State.

He said the roads when completed would go a long way to drive the economy of the State and facilitate investment as the government is working round the clock to reposition the economy of the State for the betterment of the citizens.

While giving the breakdown of the roads, Omowaye revealed that five major roads had been approved by the Council across the three senatorial districts for reconstruction and rehabilitation.

According to him, the State will expend N1,569,734,774.00 for the construction and rehabilitation of Ada-Igbajo 13.15km road, while N644,734,203.03 will be expended to fix the 2.87km Akindeko-Awosuru link road via Adejumo street, with Oremeji spur, Akinlade street, Adewale Street with loop to WAEC road.

Omowaye further explained that a sum of N1,656,963,889.47 would be expended on the rehabilitation/complete overlay of 25.8km Army Barack (Ede) -Ara-Ejigbo township road, just as N835,138,000.54 will be expended for the rehabilitation and complete overlay of 8.10km Moro-Yakoyo-Ipetumodu-Asipa-Ife/Ibadan expressway junction road.

He added that the rehabilitation/complete overlay of 4.38km Ereja Round-About-Ereguru-Isaare-Oke Oye-Sabo (Irojo)-Ilesa/Akure expressway junction will cost N539,158,927.91.

Speaking on the source of funding for the project, the Commissioner noted that the project is going to be a ‘Contractor-Financing Project’ under the Alternative-Project-Funding-Approach (APFA).

“We are doing about five roads because this is not the first road since we came in. We have done about ten township roads but this is another phase of road project that we are working on.

“We picked these roads to bring succour to the people of the State. These are the roads that will add economic value to the people. We have factored in necessary things required to ensure quality and standard roads.

“As we all know, the governor has said it clearly that he is going to run a participatory government. So, we carefully looked at the report carried out by the DFID Needs Assessment and the report of the Mr. Governor ‘Thank You’ tour, and based on that, we selected the roads that our people wanted us to do”, Omowaye stressed.

The Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, had earlier said that the project would be completed within 12 months.

She said the administration of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola would continue to ensure the democratic dividends for the people of the State.

Others in attendance at Press Conference are the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ismail Omipidan, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Transport, Mr. Hussein Toke.