. Nov 17, 2011 - In order to minimize the inconveniences to road users, the contractors handling the Ishaga Road in Mushin area of Lagos State, Messrs CGGC and DC&A, have resorted to night construction work even as the company also strives to meet delivery deadline on the project.
CGGC, a Chinese company, and DC&A working jointly on the road were recently ordered back to site by the State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) following complaints by residents that the project, which was temporarily stopped as a result of the rainy season, has been abandoned.
Speaking to newsmen on the on-going construction, the Managing Director of the company, Mr. Yomi Pearse, explained that as a result of the numerous text messages and complaints by people living around the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and others who use the road, the Governor ordered the companies back to site.
According to him, "Knowing the importance of this road, obviously, we had text messages and complaints from the residents from LUTH, from everybody that the road was abandoned; so the Governor ordered us back and said we should complete the road in good time".
"We now looked at it and we felt doing the road in the day time will disrupt the traffic and human activities around here and things would be very difficult, so we took it upon ourselves, we met and we decided and called our men and told them why we must work at night and with some incentives, they agreed to work at night. That is why we are here", he said.
Describing the workers as devoted, the Managing Director added, "Obviously, they know what Lagos State stands for because we all accepted from the beginning that we are going to put in our best in getting this thing done. So when the issue came that we are going to work in the night, they accepted".
On security, Pearse said, "We are secured here. Our office is just around the corner and we have men of the Police around here and there. We are used to the place and the people appreciate what we are trying to do. I don't think we have any security problems."
Pointing out that when doing such a work, people would suffer some inconvenience, the Managing Director said the important thing was to get the work done and very fast in order to lessen the inconveniences on the people adding, "We do a good job and put a good road for them. I think they will be happy at the end of the day".
Also speaking to newsmen, the project engineer, Mr. Jide Akande said the resort by the company to night construction was informed by the importance of LUTH and the fact that there are no alternative routes to the Hospital.
"If you look at it, the traffic on this road is so high coupled with the fact that there is no alternative routes and what that means is that if you have this volume of traffic and you work during the day, considering the huge level of traffic that operates on this road, we may hinder a lot of people from accessing their daily routines", he said.
He said by deciding to work at night, the company has minimized the inconveniences that would have been suffered by the road users adding that the company usually commences work each night when the people would have returned to their homes.
On the temporary suspension of work on the project, Akande said it was as a result of the rainy season. "The weather delayed us for sometime, there is nothing we would have done at the peak of the rainy season. But whether it is inconvenient or not, this is a work we must do".
The project engineer said though the people suffer some inevitable inconveniences as a result of the work, "when they see the work we have done already, for instance about 800 metres of the road has been completed with asphalt and so when they look at that and the fact that in no time this section will also be like that, they are ready to bear with us". 
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