The Director of Highway Construction and Rehabilitation of Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Engr. Funso Adebiyi has said that the encroachment on the Right-of-way of the Fedeal road projects in Oyo State and Illegal mining activities along the new alignments has impeded the construction and the dualisation of the Ibadan-Ilorin road section 2 Oyo-Ogbomosho road project.
Engr. Adebiyi stated this at the weekend during the inspection of the 56.00km green field road project. He stated that the project was initially awarded in 2010 to Messrs RCC Nigeria Limited and was later reviewed after augmentation on November, 2020 with a completion date of November, 2023.
Speaking during inspection of the project, the Director disclosed that the level of completion was 76 percent before the contract was reviewed by the Federal Executive Council which now brought the level of percentage completion to 40 percent as a result of additional works approved by Federal Executive
He described the quality of job done as standard pointing out that it was of international standard. However, he pointed out that the activities of illegal mining and building activities were undermining the progress of work on the project. ” Any such structure within the right of our way is illegal and that government would not pay any form of compensation. You cannot build on someone’s land and still expect compensation,” he explained.
He appealed to Oyo State Government to help stop the illegal encroachment on federal government’s right-of-way “We discovered that the State Goverment was giving approval to build and mine along the same alignment of the road and this has created a huge problem for the progress of work because the earth materials we would have used has been mined away, it is not good and must be stopped,” he said.
Adebiyi also cautioned drivers for their reckless driving.
The Federal Controller of Works, Oyo state, Engr. kayode Ibrahim , said that the contractor was working massively at the bridge locations and at various stages of completion on the five bridges adding that 21.80km of asphaltic binder has been accomplished.
Boade Akinola
Director (Press and Public Relations)
