Isolo council boss denies demanding N300 million, promises repair

Controversy has trailed the proposed reconstruction of Aswani Market road, Lagos, following allegation that the leadership of Isolo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) demanded the sum of N300 million and that the contract be awarded to the LCDA.

The road, which begins from Five-Star Bus Stop on the Apapa/Oshodi Expressway, and stretches down to Emzor Pharmaceutical Company, Aswani Market, Mechanic Village, Ajao Estate and environs, used to be ever busy, but many motorists now avoid it due to deadly potholes and pool of water, making commuting a herculean task.

The road, which has been abandoned for a very long time, has become an eyesore as motorists wade through the muddy road leaving their vehicles badly damaged.

The failed portion of the road has also aggravated attacks on motorists, who are stuck in the mud at nightfall.

Even pedestrians now find it difficult to navigate the road daily, especially whenever it rains.

Some of the road users, who spoke with our reporter said the bad state of the road had cost them a lot as their goods sometimes fell off while in transit to their various warehouses and shops.

The road is worsened by the lack of drainage as effluents from factories in the area flow freely on the road, thereby worsening its state.

Recently, a staff member of The Guardian Newspaper was waylaid by robbers on the road, and his working tools taken away from him, while another journalist with the Nation Newspapers, Adeniyi Adewoyin, was attacked when his car broke down due to the deplorable state of the road.

It has also become a blessing in disguise for security operatives, stationed to maintain security in front of Emzor Pharmaceuticals and other portions on the road to extort motorists, while they are nowhere to be found from 9:30.p.m., thereby affording criminals the opportunity to rob motorists.

It was learnt that Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, recently approached Isolo LCDA and indicated interest to rehabilitate the road, but met a brick wall, with officials allegedly demanding a bribe.

A source confided in our reporter that Isolo LCDA leadership demanded N300 million in addition to the execution of the contract, but Emzor after much negotiation could not meet up with the demands and therefore opted out.

The source did not reveal if the demands were made during the past administration of Olaleye Shamsudeen Abiodun or the current chairman.

Executive Director, Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, Uzoma Ezeoke, however, refused to speak on the issue despite repeated calls and text messages.

When contacted, Chairman, Oshodi-Isolo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Bayo Olasoju, said: “The claim is a lie from the pit of hell. The road has been repaired more than four times and ever since I took over about two years ago, I have not had any exchange with Emzor.

“ I have requested to visit Emzor on two occasions; the first was on October 14, 2021 and the second on February 23, 2021, and I am yet to get a response to my letters.

“Emzor never wrote to me regarding the road. God forbid that I demand money from someone trying to carry out a good cause.”

When asked about the last time the road was repaired, he said: “The road was maintained in early 2022. The water coming out of Emzor broke down the road further.”

When asked about when the council will rehabilitate the road, he said: “Our engineers are working. I can’t tell you when the work will commence because if I tell you that it will commence tomorrow and it fails, it means I’m lying; the engineers are working on it, we want to make it a lasting solution. I may give you a date and it will fail.

“There is no functional drainage from the Five Star Bus Stop to the Aswani junction. So, we are working on it. We have written to the state government and I am sure that our governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is a listening governor.

“You can go to Isolo and verify, we are a listening government, and we are very proactive. We have done roads in one and half years, and the road we are talking about is a state road, but we are only trying to make life easier for our people.”

When contacted the General Manager (GM), Lagos State Public Work, Ayodele Somide, he said: “When I was in Ministry of Works, we tried to get in touch with companies in that axis, so they can contribute in form of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Trucks are plying the route, if we put asphalt on the road, it will get bad in no time. The intention was to make use of concrete but the company said they will get back to us, but they never did.

“I am not aware of the issue of somebody requesting for money. The way we do CSR in the Ministry of Work is that anyone interested in doing a road will bring their contractor, while we give them government’s standards and specifications to guide them and ensure that everything is in tandem with specifications.

Asked when the repair will commence, he said: “When we speak about commencement, it shows that the road must have been awarded, but it has not been awarded.” (The Guardian)

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