No fewer than 69 buildings within Ojodu-Berger community are set to be demolished by the Lagos State Government.
According to the Commissioner of Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Rotimi Ogunleye, the decision was taken to facilitate the expansion of Kosoko Road into a dual carriageway.
Ogunleye, who spoke on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ meeting on the project, said the state government, having noticed the discomfort of its citizens in the area has decided to expand the road.
However, he stated that government will compensate owners of buildings that will be affected by the project, adding that the project was aimed at improving the beauty of the area.
Ogunleye urged the residents to cooperate with the government officials that would carry out the demolition exercise, as well as the project contractor that will carry out the work.
He further noted that the road construction is going to cause a lot of inconveniences but he pleaded with the residents to bare with them as the project is meant to add value to businesses and properties in the area upon completion.
“The design work has been done. The road will be expanded from a single carriageway into a double carriageway. The state government places a high premium on the participation of its citizens in any developmental project within the state.
“In the days to come, there is bound to be some discomfort. Some structures will be affected. However, those structures will be evaluated and compensation will be paid. The process of compensation is ongoing. Whatever evidence you have will be accepted for the compensation’, he said.
The Project Director, AIL Infrastructures Limited, the company handling the project, Ifeoluwa Afolayan, said, “From the preliminary delineation, about 69 houses and a few fences will come down. The execution of the project will be for nine months, from the time the site is handed over to the contractor by the ministry. The length of the road is 800 metres and the width is about 22 metres.”
Meanwhile, residents of the community lamented the agony they will go through during the project, especially as raining season is closer.
They however requested the government and the contractor to speed up the project.