Globacom to Reconstruct Ota-Idiroko Road Using Tax Credit Scheme, Says FG

Bennett Oghifo and Fadekemi Ajakaiye

Nigerian telecommunications giant, Globacom would reconstruct the Ota-Idiroko Road using the federal government’s Tax Credit Scheme, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has said.

The Road Trust Fund Policy/Tax Credit Scheme gives private sector operators an incentive to fund infrastructure with government. Dangote Industries was the first company to apply the federal government’s Road Trust Fund Policy in 2019 with the reconstruction of the 32-kilometre Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki-Ojota road in Lagos.

At the launch of Policy by the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola in 2019, the Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote said, “We are actually advancing our tax to government upwards of almost four to six years. This is a novel idea that will no doubt lead to rapid economic growth through significant infrastructure improvement. We look forward to doing more of this infrastructure with government.”

Globacom is taking this path in the development of national infrastructure with the reconstruction of the Ota-Idiroko Road, a very important but dilapidated international route linking Nigeria with neighbouring Benin Republic.

“Globacom has offered to reconstruct the 64 km Ota-Idiroko road next year 2022, through the use of the Federal Government’s Tax Credit Scheme,” Fashola said during an inspection tour of the ongoing reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Also present at the tour was the Ogun State Governor, Mr. Dapo Abiodun.
Fashola said the federal government intends to decongest the Lagos-Ibadan expressway with the construction of an interchange on the Ogun axis.

The federal government is collaborating with Ogun State Government to secure the Right of Way (RoW) for the construction of three bridges and an interchange on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, he said.

Fashola stated that work was ongoing with the building of three flyover bridges, and interchange which would help to decongest the expressway.

“The highway of the Lotto Bridge, despite construction, still accommodates over 40,000 vehicles daily, one must salute the effort to construct and hence the urgent need for additional flyovers and interchanges which will bring decongestion,” he said.

He stated that the bridges under construction are Makun, MFM and Lotto (Mowe) areas on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

“We are working to provide an interchange which will separate the main carriageway, provide commuters with choice, especially those going to religious places to worship, universities and so on,” he said.

“This interchange will drastically reduce the congestion to the barest minimum, if not totally eradicated when the road is finished,” he said.

“The construction of this interchange requires additional land, and so, the involvement of the Ogun State Gov Dapo Abiodun,” he said.

Fashola expressed his satisfaction with the progress of work on the ongoing reconstruction/rehabilitation of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

He stated that the Buhari administration inherited several uncompleted projects which he was committed to completing by adequately funding the projects, through borrowing.

Gov. Dapo Abiodun assured the Minister that the state government would provide adequate land, as well as the needed support.

The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Engr Olukayode Popoola, highlighted the measurements and dimensions needed for the bridges and interchange.

He stated that paying of compensation to those affected will hasten the road construction. Popoola also gave details on the number of buildings and services on the Right of Way of the bridges and failure to comply, could hamper the project.

He said that section one of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway project, which spans from Ojota Lagos to Sagamu Interchange has attained 56 per cent completion.

The Federal Controller of Works in Ogun, Mr Umar Bakare, Also, during inspection of section two of the project, which spans from the Sagamu Interchange to Ojoo in Ibadan, stated that the section was 63 per cent completed.

Bakare assured that all the challenges slowing down the project around the Ogere axis had been dealt with, helping construction get to final layer on several portions.

He also complained to the Minister on the recklessness of some drivers, stating that the Ajebo flyover bridge was destroyed by an articulated vehicle carrying an excavator higher than the head room of the bridge. The issue currently been addressed, he said.