The Ogun House of Assembly has urged the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and the state Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to intensify road construction and maintenance across the state to ease vehicular movement.
The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Oludaisi Elemide, gave the charge on Tuesday during an interactive session with representatives of the agencies and Craneburg Construction Company at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
He said the meeting followed a report of persistent traffic gridlock along the Brewery-Olomore-Ita-Oshin axis of the Abeokuta-Sango-Ota-Lagos Expressway, presented by Hon. Babatunde Tella (APC-Abeokuta North) during the last plenary held on Oct. 22.
According to him, Tella raised the issue during the Assembly’s last plenary under personal explanation, noting the worsening congestion, particularly during peak periods.
Elemide said that the assembly invited the Ministry of Environment, the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE), and transport unions operating along the corridor to deliberate on solutions to the gridlock.
Speaking on behalf of Craneburg Construction Company, Engr. Sierre Andary, explained that the ongoing project scope did not cover structural redesigns.
”The scope of work on the expressway does not include redesigning the road or reducing the size of the roundabouts,” Andary said.
Responding, the FERMA State Coordinator, Engr. Mustapha Yakubu, assured the lawmakers that the agency was stepping up efforts to meet its maintenance mandate.
”We have submitted several requests to our headquarters in Abuja and the Federal Ministry of Works for necessary approval.
”We are optimistic that more visible interventions will commence once these outstanding requests receive approval,” Yakubu said.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry of works and infrastructure, Engr. Olukayode Akintomide, attributed the congestion to vehicular indiscipline and illegal road use.
”The gridlock is largely caused by indiscriminate parking, illegal roadside motor parks, encroaching markets, and impatience among motorists.
”Also the roundabouts along the affected sections are essential to regulate traffic flow and slow down vehicles approaching intersections,” Akintomide said.
He however, pledged that the ministry would collaborate with TRACE, the ministry of environment, and transport unions to clear obstructions and ensure smoother traffic movement along the corridor.
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