₦airaland Forum

Barring unforeseen circumstances, by the turn of the next three months or less, motorists, residents, businesses and sundry commuters on Lekki-Epe Expressway will heave a sigh of relief as the on-going reconstruction work on the expressway will be completed then.

Craneburg Construction Company, the contractor handling the reconstruction of the 49.5-kilometre expressway, disclosed this to BusinessDay reporters who were on tour of the entire stretch of the expressway recently, focusing on the reconstruction sites.

It was observed that the portion of the expressway from Eleko junction up to Life Spring School had been paved, complete with median demarcation and walkways on both sides—inbound and outbound. The work is a solid concrete surfacing that has almost one-foot thickness.


“We have our target to finish this work latest by January next year and our destination is Ajah along the expressway where the work will terminate,” one of the site workers told our reporters at Sangotedo where work was really heavy and unnerving.


The site worker, who did not want to disclose his name, was quite optimistic that the work would be completed as scheduled, hinging his hope on the fact that Lagos State government, which is undertaking the project, was prepared to see the work done by the first month of next year.

Contractor assures reconstruction work to end January 2024

“We as contractors are working; we have almost all our materials ready; the state government is also ready and they have people who are ready to lend helping hand if for any reason the government is handicapped financially. In short, there is nothing to worry about,” the site worker assured.
A major challenge for the construction workers which, obviously, is impacting on the pace of work, is gridlock which is an understatement to describe the slow traffic occasioned by reconstruction work and the poor state of the road.

Even with the two lanes open, the expressway has been notorious for its terrible traffic situation. Now that all vehicles, moving like slow flood, have been confined to a narrow, dilapidated single service lane, the expressway has become a highway to hell.


For four whole hours, motorists are held in traffic between Awoyaya and Sangotedo. No one lane, inbound or outbound, is better than the other, making driving experience a horrying nightmare.

“This is what we see here every day. In the morning, to escape it and be able to reach your office early, you need to leave your house by 4am or earlier. Coming back, you spend almost the entire night here,” a resident who introduced himself simply as Michael told our reporters.

Michael has his office in Lekki Phase 1, but has decided, according to him, to go to the office just twice in a week. “The rest of the days I work from home. Today is one of such days I work from home. I hope you guys will let the government know what we are going through here so they can hasten this work; residents are dying and so are businesses,” he lamented.

Ejiofor, a business man whose building materials shop is just a few meters away from the construction site at Ogidan Sangotedo, spoke to our reporters in tears, saying that in the last six months when the construction work came to meet them there, he has not recorded any major sales.

“It has been tough; no sales and yet we pay rent and levies to the government; bills are piling and there are school fees to pay, yet we are not making sales,” he said mournfully.

Read also: The Lekki-Epe expressway

Reminded that the reconstruction of the expressway was in everybody’s interest with its long-term benefit for all including businesses, Ejiofor agreed that the work was good, but pleaded that government should talk to the contractor to increase his speed of work to end the suffering on the expressway.

From Eleko junction to Dangote Refinery and the Lekki Port, the road is still a bit of a challenge, but the good news is that the reconstruction of the road was upbeat when BusinessDay visited the site.

Hitech Engineering, the contractor handling the road, was on ground. According to a site worker who spoke to our reporters, the work which had passed Dangote Refinery gate started seven kilometers away, revealing that their destination was Eleko junction.

“We started this work last year and I think it will be completed next year. I cannot say exactly when because I was not there when they signed the papers. I am just a site worker here,” he said jokingly.

https://businessday.ng/real-estate/article/relief-on-the-way-for-motorists-as-lekki-epe-expressway-completion-nears/

Gangster1ms:
And so??

?

Ozommadu:
So trial and error with lives of Nigerians must be commended?? How much you sell your conscience?

No make me curse you oo

A Government introduce a policy that's not working, another government decide to try another approach you dey complain

It seems some of you guys are paid to complain online

OkCornel:
I humbly disagree with the bolded part of your statement.

Earlier this year, Tinubu promised naira would exchange for 300 to the USD in the “short term”, and then for 200 in the next four years.

So far, Tinubu is wide off the mark. Perhaps not in touch with reality when he pledged a target for 300 naira to the USD in the “short term”.

Well, he has lots of month to get things right.

Ozommadu:
Apc playing ping-pong with gullible Nigerians...tueh


No be same restrictions wey buhari, ebola and agbado people say we must produce what we eat? Wetin happen?

Vseless people

The policy is not working, if the new government decide to try another approach, I don't see a big deal in it.

Let's just hope this will lead to a positive result.

High price of foodstuffs is one of the reason inflation is so high in Nigeria.

Beremx:
Why is milk and dairy products not included? I thought Buhari also banned it to force us to be drinking raw nunu from cows?
Tinubu should include milk please. The product is very expensive

I can't believe there will be a time 120gram of milk will be sold for #300-#350 in Nigeria

Milk wey person dey buy for like #50-#100 few years ago.

Forecasting is like predicting what will happen in future

It's left for tinubu and his economic team to make their prediction turnout right or wrong.

Tinubu and his team promise dollar will fall below #300 by 2027, let's see who will be right between the two parties.

I hope this will drive down inflation on the short and long run

Akwamkpuruamu:
Does the CBN have enough dollars to meet these sprawling import demands? Remember same dollars is still used for Petroleum import and BTA

The bolded is what am also worried about.

Whiteangel1234:
No as a small importer I won't be able to access CBN direct purchase

What are you importing?

Burruchaga71:
DRUGGIE who already 2 meter away from his grave.

You no b God

Whiteangel1234:
So mostly very big importers may benefit small

Every importer will benefit

Whiteangel1234:
It's a little bit late , it would have been best if the ban was lifted still fixing the exchange rate at 420

But it's now a free flow of exchange rate at 1020 importation is more expensive at this rate

They will now be getting dollars at the official rate

Akwamkpuruamu:
Now these ban has been removed. What do we anticipate to see?

1. More pressure on the naira, as the dollars will be used to make imports, these increases the dollar demand, will the supply be able to match? Time will justify, but from a layman's perspective, the Dollars to naira ratio may go as high as #1300 to 1Usd.
2. Due to increased import, it's anticipated the price of rice and some foodstuffs will reduce. I think that's the angle the Government is looking at, to ensure food security first before any other thing.

The marketers who smuggle banned goods into Nigeria are getting dollar from the black market, they will leave the black market and get dollar from the official window now so I don't think there will be much pressure on the naira.

Look at the way a magistrate court look like

A lot of states in Nigeria have a long way to go

jumper524:
Men go fall!!
immigration and civil defence has the most corrupt system of recruitment and promotion.
Ordinarily, ill advice they appoint retired military generals to regulate the ministry for the next 10yrrs to give some structure to it.

A retired military officer was appointed by Buhari to head custom, what's the result?

Hemeenworth:
Bini



Because he is not yoruba

The person you quoted is an Igbo man

oyichi:
mark this, full regional government is what am talking about, he will do it, am sure

Only the national assembly and state assemblies can make this possible.

Jogs1900:
It's a chess game.Some sections of the country may not like the idea to restructure

Tinubu do not have the power to restructure Nigeria

The APC lead house of assembly have been restructuring Nigeria since Buhari second tenure

Power and rail is now in the concurrent list instead of exclusive list

Local government chairman would have become autonomous of the state governor if not that some state assemblies kicked against it

oyichi:
He did not get enough vote from the south, it's the north that made sure he got to our sit of power for their own selfish reasons which will come up later, but the south stands to gain more from his presidency, he is the only one am seeing that has the gut to stand tall against the northern oligarchs who sees this country as their own, I said it when he was declared winner of the election that this man will open our borders, this he has done, though, a little bit late but it's better than never, the south stands to gain more from this, the north will not be happy about it, mostly their farmers, one thing that I also predicted is that he will restructure Nigeria into regional government before he leaves in four or eight years if he scales through this certificate problem, but unfortunately, he will be removed

Tinubu will rule till 2027, recontest and win

I hope the roads will be rehabilitated this time around

The judge that granted him bail deserve to be retired

berrystunn:
Same people will not vote apc or pdp in that region no matter what.

APC and PDP politicians are winning election in the region.

It's not only among igbos

Generalyemi:
So atiku is now obident..

Your foolishness is very amazing..

Obidients have carried this issue on their head

henrimoto:
..They will still use the excuse of high rate of Naira to Dollar exchange to hike the prices of these items when imported.

They were getting dollar from the black market before, they will now be buying from the official channel which is cheaper than the black market

Beremx:
seriously? I don't know beef is being imported. Wow!

People still import it sef. Just like chicken and turkey they don't just have access to dollar from the CBN. Now they can get dollar to import from the official channel

Beremx:
I hope milk is part of it. The forex restrictions on milk is the reason the item is very expensive. How can I be buying peak evaporated milk for 400 naira and 450g of powdered milk for 3k?

Why?

How the price of beef have skyrocket is the most shocking thing for me. Importing beef is far more cheaper then buying in Nigeria.

Will the CBN be able to provide enough dollars for the importers be the koko.

OkCornel:
Will they be brought to justice? No!

Our judiciary is compromised. Technicalities and plea bargains are weightier than the merits of the case.

So nah play government dey play with Emefiele all this while abi?