A coalition of anti-corruption groups has raised questions and demanded information from the Lags State Government over the contract for the Ejigbo-Idimu Road in Alimosho Local Government Area.

In a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat, the Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) lamented that the road has yet to be rehabilitated years after the contract had reportedly been awarded.

In the letter dated November 18, 2013 and signed by Olanrewaju Suraju, CSNAC, a coalition of over 150 anti-corruption organisations wrote:

“The Ejigbo-Idimu road in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, in a current decrepit status, has degenerated gradually over the years due to lack of maintenance. The road has dilapidated to the extent that the commercial buses, including the few motorists who used to ply the road, have had to abandon it for alternative access roads.

“The road is filled with gullies and puddles, reducing means of transportation on the road to ‘okada’ (motorcycle) and ‘keke Maruwa’ (tricycles) and even, the okada and Maruwa riders have to glide through the puddles carefully, lest machine and its passengers end up in the dirty water. (It should be noted that the Lagos State Government has banned tricycles and motorcycles on Major roads; and Ejigbo-Idimu road is a major highway).

“In April 2013, during the Annual Ministerial Briefing marking the second year of second term of Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, the Ejigbo-Idimu road was stated to be amongst ongoing projects. In June 2013, the inhabitants of the Local Government still complained on several occasions through various newspapers including the Punch Newspapers (June 22, 2013) and ThisDay Newspapers (June 9, 2013) that the road is still unusable and that, though work has indeed commenced in the last 2 years, not much has been done, only construction of drainages and demolition of houses were done till date.

“CSNAC is hereby requesting, in accordance with the Section 2, 3, 4 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, for the following information on the contract of the reconstruction of the Idimu-Ejigbo road:

“1. Total cost of the contact for the construction of that road.

“2. Name of the contractor awarded the contract

“3. Deadline for completion of the project, as contained in the contract.

“4. Relevant documents in support of responses to these requests.

“We look forward to receiving these documents promptly.”

•Photo shows Lagos Governor Babatunde Fashola.

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