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| Fashola, Minister of PWH |
With work rapidly progressing on the rehabilitation,
reconstruction and expansion of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, acknowledgments of
its benefits in terms of shorter travel times and better journey experiences
and appreciation from road users have started coming the way of the Federal
Government.
In a recent commendation letter, the Ibadan
Distribution Company (IBEDC) expressed delight and gratitude to the Hon. Minister
of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN for the rehabilitation
work being carried out on the road.
He disclosed that it had not only eased accessibility
to the company’s franchise majority of whom, it said, could only be achieved
through the road, but had also made it possible for most of its staff to enjoy
shorter travel times and better journey experiences as they visit their
families at weekends.
The commendation letter signed by the Managing
Director of the Company, Mr. John Donnachie, also noted that the exigencies of
the company’s business demanded that a number of official trips were often
undertaken via the expressway which it described as one of the busiest in the
country.
The letter read in part, “The entire Management and
staff of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc (IBEDC) write to
recognize and acknowledge the herculean task being undertaken by the Office of
the Minister of Power, Works & Housing in the on-going rehabilitation work
on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
“Our commendation and gratitude for the good work
which your office is undertaking on behalf of the entire citizens of Nigeria
cannot be expressed enough. As you are aware, the large portion of the
franchise area of IBEDC can only be accessed through this road and many of our
staff had in the past undertaken the arduous task of plying this expressway in
order to spend time with their families and friends over the weekend. The
exigencies of our business also demands that a number of official trips are
undertaken via this route which one could rightly classify as one of the
busiest expressways within Nigeria”.
Acknowledging that the repair works initially posed
some challenges to road users, the company noted with delight that as the
repair work nears completion, “the previous hardship, wear-and-tear on
commuters and vehicles has been greatly reduced in addition to the millions of
lives and money that have been saved as a consequence of this much needed
rehabilitation”.
Expressing its “support and gratitude for a job well
done”, the company declared, “There is no doubt that this project on
completion, will boost commercial activities and the quality of life to the
inhabitants primarily of Lagos and Ibadan with significant gains recorded by
all other road users from other states and neighbouring countries”.
It would be recalled that recently while inspecting
the on going reconstruction and rehabilitation work on the Lagos-Ibadan
Expressway as part of his inspection tour of Federal Highways and other
projects in the South West Zone, Fashola had alluded to the fact that reports
of shorter travel times and better journey experiences had been coming in as
commuters testified to making the journey from Ibadan to Lagos in less than two
hours even as the project was still on-going.
The Minister, who also recalled similar reports on
other Federal roads across the country during the 2016 Christmas and New Year
festivals, promised that both travel times and journey experiences would be
even better during the 2017 festivities as many of the road projects across the
country would have been substantially completed.
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