The Ondo State House of Assembly Committee on Works and Infrastructure of has inspected ongoing capital projects in the state capital, Akure, to ascertain the level of work at the sites.
Taking round the four members of the committee, the Pastor Joseph Ayo Babalola, the Special Adviser(Works and Infrastructure) to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, explained that the lawmakers wanted to see the works being done so far at all the projects sites in the state capital.
He took the House Committee members to the flyover still under construction at Oyarugbulem/ Shagari village where he explained that work has never stopped at the site.
Pastor Ayo Babalola told the lawmakers that Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa ordered all contractors to return to site when they realized that some contractors had abandoned their construction sites as a result of the demise of the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
The contractors at the site assured that the construction of the flyover would be completed by September, a month earlier that scheduled.
At a visit to the Ala channelization project at Fiwasaye Girls’ Grammar School, the Special Adviser disclosed that the 500meter construction had reached 50 percent completion.
He explained that the channelization extended to Alagbaka and Alagbaka Extension.
According to him, the channelization became necessary because of the flooding usually caused by the river which has wreaked havoc in the metropolis.
He assured that at the completion of the project, it would control flooding in metropolis.
Pastor Ayo Babalola said: “This channelization project is 500meters. Here at Fiwasaye there is one, there’s another one at Alagbaka and another at Alagbaka Extension.
“This is to reduce the flooding and to control the flow of the water in Ala River which almost flows round the metropolis.
“The contractors have done almost the 50 percent of the construction. The stretch is 500 meters.”
The House Committee members including Hon. Moyinolorun Ogunwumiju, Chairman, Hon. Murtala Sulaiman, Vice Chairman, Hon. Oluwarotimi Tunde Fadonu and Hon. Christopher Ayebusiwa, also visited Igoba community road construction site, Ijoka Road dualization as well as Oda Road dualization.
Addressing newsmen after the tour of the major ongoing construction projects in the capital city, the Chairman of the House Committee on Works and Infrastructure, Hon. Moyinolorun Ogunwumiju expressed satisfaction with the level of Works done in all the sites.
He explained that the Committee came to inspect the projects to see physically all they had read in the media about the projects with a view to ensuring that the tax payers’ money are judiciously expended on what it had been budgeted for.
Speaking on behalf of other members of the House Committee, Hon. Ogunwumiju
said: “The House Committee has gone round today and inspected about five projects currently ongoing. We can say we are very impressed by what has been done so far.
“We have quizzed the contractors and we are very sure they very versed in the knowledge of construction, especially roads.
“With our consultants, who we also engaged, it is clear that the contractors which the Ministry of Works is using actually know what they are doing.
“With four of us representing the whole House, we want to assure our people that the contracts and the monies allocated in the budget are used in the right areas and resources are not squandered.
“We are very confident in the administration of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa that the resources would be utilized in the right places.
“You will recall that the governor ordered all contractors back to sites when they stopped working because of the demise of our great leader, the late Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
“This means that this is government of continuity. Governor Aiyedatiwa’s dream is to make sure he continues the great legacy which the late Governor Akeredolu started.
“It’s a testament that we have seen that truly contractors are back to sites and works have started. Truly our money which are being budgeted for through the House of Assembly are truly being put into use by the Ministry of Works and the Executive governor. It’s not just a lip’s service.
“We are pleased with what we’ve seen and we enjoying our people to be patient with this new government. We believe things will get better.
“A lot of instructure decay occurred across all the local governments, but this is just Akure, the infrastructure will get to all nooks and crannies of the state.
The people should just pray and support this government.”
In his comment after the completion of the tour, the Administrative Secretary, Ministry of Works and Infrastructure,
Engr.Akin Omotola, commended the contractors, who he said co tinued working in spite of their challenges.
He said: “To a very large extent, the contractors are performing as scheduled. Even though there are challenges, and beyond those challenges, they are fixing things at sites.
For these reasons, I think they should be commended.
“We saw what they are doing at the flyover site, likewise on Oda Road dualization project. We also saw what we experienced when we went to Ijoka Road. All these are as a result of the marching order given by the governor, Hon Lucky Aiyedatiwa, that contractors should return to sites.
“They have returned to sites believing that Mr. Governor is a man who matches his words with action.”
