Abiru Secures FG’s Guarantee to Rehabilitate Ikorodu-Itoikin Road

·     Authorises N150m direct credit transfers to vulnerable persons

Sunday Ehigiator

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Industries, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru yesterday disclosed that he had secured the federal government’s guarantee to rehabilitate 32-kilometre Ikorodu-Itoikin road and complete 30-kilometre Ikorodu-Sagamu road next year.

Abiru, currently representing Lagos East in the Senate, also disclosed that he had authorised N150 million direct credit transfers to no fewer than 2,500 vulnerable persons within his constituency in the last 23 months.

He made the disclosure in separate statements by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Enitan Olukotun yesterday, highlighting his key achievements since his election as the senator on December 6, 2020.

As indicated in the statement, Abiru explained how he secured the federal government’s assurance on the two roads during a visit to the Minister of Works & Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

During the visit, the statement said the senator extended the gratitude of his constituents to the minister for his support and efforts on the rehabilitation of 32-kilometre Ikorodu-Itoikin road and accelerated work on Ikorodu-Sagamu road, which is almost completed.

The statement added that the minister informed the senator that the Federal Executive Council had approved the complete rehabilitation of the Ikorodu-Itoikin road, which would commence in January 2023. 

It noted: “Critical sections of the 30-kilometre Ikorodu-Sagamu road, from Sabo, Okegbegun, First Gate, Odogunyan, Ita-Oluwo, Ogijo, Gbaga, Sotubo, Mosimmi to Gbara have been fixed, remaining less than eight kilometres to get to Sagamu.

“The minister assured Senator Abiru that the road would be completed before the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. comes to an end in May 2023,” the statement revealed.  

It further pointed out that the milestones were made possible through the instrumentality of legislative intervention through a motion on the urgent need for the rehabilitation of the Ikorodu-Sagamu and Ikorodu-Itoikin-Epe roads the senator moved in April 2021.

It explained the national significance of the motion on the need to further bridge the infrastructure gap and enhance economic growth In Nigeria.

While moving the motion, the statement said Abiru convinced the Senate by highlighting the importance of the two roads to the country’s economic growth as they serve as access points from other parts of the country: Ogun, Edo and the northern parts of the country and also routes to Lekki-Ibeju corridor where Dangote Refinery and Lagos Deep Seaport are located.

The statement added that the motion was fully supported and approved by the Senate, and thereafter obtained the cooperation and support of the Ministry of Works and Housing.

Before Abiru’s intervention, the statement said Ikorodu- Sagamu road, which was awarded on June 8, 2018 to Arab Contractors with a completion period of 36 months only attained 24.04 percent completion due to paucity of funding.

With the intervention of the senator, the statement said the implementation of the 30-kilometre Ikorodu-Sagamu road “has already attained 85 percent completion.”

In another statement yesterday, Abiru revealed that he had authorised over N150 million direct credit transfers to at least 2,500 constituents in the last 23 months under his COVID-19 Financial Relief Scheme.

The statement said the beneficiaries of the scheme “have received direct credits in their respective bank accounts for November, making it the 23rd consecutive month the beneficiaries had been receiving the social service support.

“The scheme covers over 2,500 beneficiaries comprising widows; persons with special needs; aged; unemployed youth and women who receive direct credit transfers of N5,000 each into their respective bank accounts every other month.

“The scheme, which kicked off in January 2021, was earlier planned to terminate in December 2021. But the senator graciously continued in 2022 as the economic headwinds occasioned by the COVID-19 are yet to fully abate,” the statement said.

The statement said Abiru’s concern for the plight of the poor necessitated the continuation of the financial support “to ease the hardship of the vulnerable at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid.”