Lagos-Ibadan expressway: FG okays Bi-Courtney’s work

By Emeka Mamah
LAGOS — The Federal Government  has asked the Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited, the concessionaire of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway  to ensure that the ongoing reconstruction work on the  expressway reaches appreciable level before the Christmas saeson, when the road normally witnesses significant increase in traffic.

The government’s delegation which said it was satisfied with the pace and quality of the ongoing work on the road, Monday, however, expressed optimism over the timely completion of the project.

The government however, assured Nigerians that it would offer Bi-Courtney all the necessary support needed for a successful delivery.

After making an on-the-spot assessment of the road, the Director, Public Private Partnership, PPP, unit at the Federal Ministry of Works and leader of the delegation, Mr Tunde Ekunsumi,  spoke about the government’s position on the reconstruction work.

His words, “We have come to ensure that Bi-Courtney gets their contractors on site with more than one gang; if possible three or four gangs. We are entering the dry season and we are just giving them some advice on how to have an impetus on this work with regard to the huge traffic of the yuletide season we are going into.

“If you know the history of this road, you will know that this is the time to ensure that it is put in the right shape to ensure that people travelling in the next few weeks for Christmas enjoy a smooth ride. They started work on September 21 and today is just one month and some few days, so barring the interruption by the weather, I think they have done a very good job.”

Expressing confidence in the capability of the contractors hired by the concessionaire, Messrs Borini Prono, to deliver an excellent job according to the standard set for the project, Ekunsumi further said: “Whatever you have seen here, they have worked according to the procedure and general specification of both the ministry and international standard.”
In his comments, Chairman of Bi-Courtney, Dr. Wale Babalakin, said that the road would be delivered ahead of schedule with the cooperation of all parties to the concession agreement, especially the Federal Government.