The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has criticised the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for not incorporating the construction of access to train stations during the building of the standard gauge railway line between Lagos and Ibadan.
He however promised to complete the construction of the Laderin Train Station road in Abeokuta, the state capital, embarked by the state government.
The Governor reasoned that the Federal Government ought to have incorporated the road network into the design of the train station.
Nonetheless, he assured that Ogun State Government has taken up the responsibility by providing access road in the corridor, noting that his administration, upon the construction of an airport at Ilishan, deemed it fit to open up a new access road directly from the Sagamu-Benin Expressway, even as the Ilishan and Iperu roads still exist.
The Governor stated this on Tuesday during a special church service to usher in the 2024/2025 Legal Year held at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter, Ake, Abeokuta.
Abiodun said that the contractor handling the road project, has just completed the construction of two big box culverts (mini-bridges) that will channel water away from the road, while earthwork and drainage will soon commence.
He said: “We don’t understand why a train station is built without an access road as part of that project conception. Today, we have built a world-class airport in Remo; can you imagine that we built that airport without considering the access road to that airport?
“There are other existing roads to that airport. However, we have begun the construction of an access road that tees off the Sagamu-Benin Expressway. If you are coming to that airport, you don’t need to go through Ilisan or Iperu; you make a left turn straight to the airport. This is what a project from inception should look like.
“In this instance, this train station was conceived, built, and completed without an access road being part of the project.
“As a responsible governor and government, we have taken it upon ourselves to award the contract for the road leading to that train station, and that contract is currently ongoing. However, the construction of two big box culverts that will channel stormwater away from the road has been completed.
“Earthwork and drainage will start. I will, however, personally urge the contractor to ensure he finishes on record time”.
The standard gauge rail line linking Lagos and Ibadan, passing through Abeokuta,
was constructed during the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
