Many sections of Agege Motor Road in Lagos remain deplorable despite multiple payments totaling N136.547,363.64 made by the Federal Government for its rehabilitation since 2021.
Some neglected parts of the road in dire need of repairs are the Mushin, Olosha, Bolade-Oshodi and Dorman Long sections.
Agege Motor Road is a Federal Government road connecting Oshodi, Mushin, Olosha, Ojuelegba, Ikeja Along and other parts of Lagos.
The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and the Federal Ministry of Works have paid five companies to rehabilitate the road between 2021 and 2023.
In 2021, Adcol Synergy International Ltd received N18,491,497.97 from the Federal Road Maintenance Agency to rehabilitate Agege Motor Road in Mushin. FERMA also paid Muhquas International Limited N15,781,860.90 for the supply of materials and the hiring of equipment for road marking along Agege Motor Road in Lagos West.
In 2023, FERMA paid Phase Associates Ltd. N20,840,306.87 to rehabilitate Agege Motor Road between Cappa Bus Stop and Bolade Oshodi.
The Federal Ministry of Works paid First Broad International Limited the sum of N44,883,720.93 for Agege Motor Road, but the section of the road for rehabilitation was not stated.
The most recent payment came from the Federal Ministry of Works in March. Lyric Consulting Limited received N36,549,976.97 for Agege Motor Road emergency repair. The records FIJ saw omitted the section of the road up for repair.
FIJ found these on GovSpend, a website that mirrors the Open Treasury Portal.
Details of the payments are contained in the table below:
DATE AGENCY AMOUNT BENEFICIARY DESCRIPTION
February 16, 2021 Federal Road Maintenance Agency ₦18,491,497.97 Adcol Synergy International Ltd Payment for the rehabilitation of Agege Motor Road in Mushin i, within Lagos ii (west) in Lagos state c/no gm/18-294 cert 1 (f)
July 2, 2022 Federal Road Maintenance Agency ₦15,781,860.90 Muhquas International Limited Payment for supply of material & hiring of equipment iro provision of road marking along Agege Motor Road (km.0+000-44+000)in Lagos West in Lagos State. aie no: rec/453
March 23, 2023 Federal Road Maintenance Agency
₦20,840,306.87 Phase Associates Ltd. Payment made to the above named company for the emergency repair of Agege Motor Road in Lagos State
Nov 12, 2023 Federal Ministry of Works
₦44,883,720.93 First Broad International Limited Being payment for the limited rehabilitation of Agege Motor Road in Lagos State. c/no.7291 (part payment of ec no.1)
March 18, 2024 Federal Ministry of Works
₦36,549,976.97 Lyric Consulting Limited Payment made to the above named [Lyric Consulting Limited] company for the emergency repair of Agege Motor Road in Lagos State
Details of the payments. CREDIT: GovSpend.ng
NEGLECTED MUSHIN-OLOSHA ROAD
When FIJ visited the Mushin-Olosha section of Agege Motor Road on September 5, some parts were filled with potholes, particularly the road opposite Conoil.
Granites were used to fill the potholes to make the road motorable and avoid the challenges associated with poor roads.
Still, this was insufficient to repair the deplorable road.
FIJ spoke with Mrs Ariyori, a trader at Olosha, when FIJ visited on September 5. The trader’s shop was opposite the parts of the road filled with potholes. Whenever a vehicle drove by, dust filled the air and entered her shop.
Ariyori told FIJ that the bad road and the dust it brought into her shop were chasing her customers away.
“The dust is too much. Many customers no longer come to patronise me because of the dust,” Ariyori told FIJ.
She added that the road had been in its poor state for over three years and that the only intervention they had received regarding the road was the filling of the potholes with granites, which caused more potholes.
“They only come here to put stones on the road. The stones they put there have caused more potholes on the road. When it rains, the potholes collect rainwater and when a trailer passes, it splashes the water on passersby,” Ariyori explained.
The deplorable road also caused Damian Ikemjeme, an elderly commercial tricycle rider, problems.
Ikemjeme told FIJ that the road’s poor condition kept damaging his tricycles and led him to incur unprecedented repair expenses.
“The road is not good, as you can see. It damages vehicles, especially tricycles. I had to spend N27,000 to repair my tricycle recently when it got damaged because of the road,” Ikemjeme told FIJ.
FIJ saw pictures of the road dated 2019 on Google Earth. The road was in the same condition FIJ met it in September.
POTHOLE-INFESTED OSHODI ROAD
The Oshodi-Mushin link road section of Agege Motor Road, from the terminal down to the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) junction, is afflicted with many potholes.
When FIJ visited on September 25, it was raining heavily. FIJ noticed that the asphalt on that side of the road was wearing off, leaving ditches and potholes behind. Although vehicles avoided getting into the ditches, they had no other way to go through as the road was not wide enough.
Whenever drivers drove close to the potholes and ditches, they had to slow down.
SAME STORY AT DORMAN LONG
FIJ also learnt that the Mushin-Olosha and Oshodi sections of Agege Motor Road were not the only sections the government neglected despite making payments for rehabilitation since 2021.
A Lagos resident who lives around the Dorman Long axis of Agege Motor Road told FIJ on Monday that the Dorman Long road section was also filled with potholes and was usually worse whenever it rained.
“The part of the road that is bad (close to where I stay) starts at the front of Dorman Long. The road from Dorman Long, down close to the road leading to Oshodi from Jibowu and close to Yaba, is actually bad. From time to time, they put stones and asphalt and even paint it, but when rain falls in months, it will just go bad,” the resident told FIJ in September.
FIJ emailed FERMA and the Federal Ministry of Works on September 12. Neither the ministry nor the agency responded to FIJ three weeks after the emails were sent.
