The Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway has been in a dire state of disrepair for over a decade, with only a few sections of the 77-kilometer road remaining in a semblance of a tarred condition. The road’s poor condition has caused significant hardships for motorists who use it regularly, including the risk of accidents due to the deep gullies and craters that have formed. Despite being a federal road, it is an essential transportation route for the people of Ogun State and the surrounding region.
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The reconstruction of the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway was long-awaited, and the handover of the project to the Ogun State Government was recently announced by the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, after a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. This development marked the successful conclusion of Governor Dapo Abiodun’s efforts to persuade the Federal Government to transfer the road’s reconstruction to the state government.
The road is particularly important because it connects the Agbara/Ota industrial area, which is home to a significant number of industries, and it serves as the fastest route from Lagos to Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State. It also provides crucial connectivity to other states in the South West, North, South East, and South South regions.
The road’s deplorable condition had been a concern for Governor Dapo Abiodun since he assumed office in 2019. Despite it being a federal road, his administration made several efforts to address the situation through palliative measures and proposals to take over the road’s reconstruction. Even joint efforts by Ogun and Lagos states to take on the project were rejected by the Federal Government.
The recent change in administration, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu coming into office, provided a new opportunity for Governor Abiodun to pursue the road’s reconstruction. His persistence and appeals to the Federal Government eventually paid off, with the decision to entrust the project to the Ogun State Government.
Governor Abiodun expressed his gratitude to President Tinubu for granting this longstanding request, and this development is seen as a significant step toward improving the transportation infrastructure and socioeconomic development of Ogun State.
